The second half of the MLB 20w4 season is fully underway, and after a short break from Minor League Baseball, the prospects are back at it again.
We saw many great things this week, including walk-offs, great defensive plays and even a no-hitter from the Aberdeen IronBirds.
With that being said, here are the O’s Prospects of the Week. (P.S. – we’re including the three-game series right after the All-Star break, along with the usual week’s series)
Delmarva Shorebirds: Aron Estrada – INF / Nestor German – RHP
Aron Estrada is playing like a top 100 prospect, and it’s actually insane how consistently good he’s been for Delmarva this season.
In eight games, Estrada slashed .406/.441/.438 with a .879 OPS. He collected 13 hits, a double and an RBI, walked twice and went 2-for-2 in stolen bases.
Estrada has been killing it all year, putting together a .799 OPS in 85 games and posting 97 hits on the season. He has also used his speed to his benefit, having 28 stolen bases in 34 attempts.
As for the pitching side of things, no one could beat out what Nestor German did this week for Delmarva.
In two starts, German went 8.1 innings of no-run baseball, giving up just five hits, walking two batters and striking out 11. He held an opponent slash line of .179/.231/.214 and held batters to a .448 OPS.
German has put on a great first professional season, posting a 1.49 ERA in 48.1 innings of work. He has been one of the most trustworthy starters in the minor leagues for the Orioles this entire season.
Aberdeen IronBirds: Enrique Bradfield Jr. – OF / Zach Fruit – RHP
Enrique Bradfield Jr. just keeps having these weeks where he shows just how special he is. This past week and some change following the break for the All-Star festivities was no different.
In six games since play resumed on July 19, Bradfield Jr. recorded nine hits in 26 plate appearances. Three of those nine hits were doubles, and he also notched five stolen bases and walked four times.
During this stretch, Bradfield Jr. held a .895 OPS, aided by a whopping .433 on-base percentage. Oh yeah, he’s also an elite defender in center field.
At this point, we all have to know how good Zach Fruit is on the mound. It would be easy to give him this honor every week, but it’s impossible not to for this stretch.
In two starts during this stretch, Fruit combined for 9.2 innings of work where he allowed only one hit. He struck out eight total batters and was the starting pitcher on July 19 when his hitless 4.2-inning outing began what would become a combined no-hitter for the IronBirds.
Fruit now holds a 3.17 ERA on the season, which dropped all the way from 3.63 before his last two starts.
Bowie Baysox: Silas Ardoin – C / Peter Van Loon – RHP
It’s always nice to talk about players whose dad played for the Orioles, and that’s Silas Ardoin.
Ardoin put on an offensive show in his five games this week, slashing .353/.476/.412 with a .888 OPS. He had six hits, a double, an RBI, walked three times and stole a base.
Ardoin has struggled this year, putting up a below-.200 average and an OPS of .571. But this week was a confidence boost for him moving forward.
Peter Van Loon is back on the mound, and he has done nothing short of shine.
In two games, including a start, PVL went seven innings of one-run, two-hit baseball. He also walked four batters and struck out 13 while holding a 1.29 ERA. The most impressive part is holding batters to a slash line of .095/.269/.095 with a .364 OPS.
PVL was injured to start the season and has rallied a 2.63 ERA in his games while holding batters to a .218 average. A huge welcome back to Van Loon from us at The Battery!
Norfolk Tides: Billy Cook – UTL / Justin Armbruester – RHP
When you’re on a team that has Jackson Holliday and Coby Mayo leading the offense, you make a name for yourself taking that extra step.
Billy Cook has been that player this season, and since the break, he has been on a tear, collecting 13 hits in his last 27 at-bats (.481).
Of those 13 hits, Cook would blast three long balls, hit three doubles, pick up six RBIs and collect six runs.
The former tenth-round pick is now slashing .275/.371/.470/.841 (all career-highs) while hitting 12 home runs, 17 doubles, four triples, 53 RBIs and scoring 52 runs. Cook, who has 86 hits in 85 games, has also stolen 16 bases and has a .329 BABIP.
Many have been waiting for Justin Armbruester to show why the Orioles covet him and why he is ranked No. 17 in the O’s prospect rankings.
Armbruester continued his stellar month by picking up two wins this past week, combining to pitch seven innings of one-run, four-hit ball.
Armbruester has an ERA of 2.08 across 17.1 innings this month and has held opponents to a .206 batting average, though he has walked 11 and hit one as well.
For the season, Armbruester is 3-6 with a 7.08 ERA across 83 innings with 92 strikeouts.
Which O’s prospect stood out to you this past week? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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