The 2024 MLB Draft was conducted around a month ago now, and MLB Pipeline has just dropped their updated top 100 prospects list and the top 30 lists for each of the 30 clubs.
So, let’s compare the new, updated rankings to the first list from back in March. We are going to look at the biggest jump, biggest drop, the new additions and the departures when it comes to the Orioles organization.
Without further ado, lets get into it.
Orioles’ Top 100 Prospects
The Orioles’ top 100 prospects went down from six players to three in the updated rankings. Those three players and their rankings are:
- 1. Jackson Holliday – INF
- 10. Coby Mayo – INF
- 11. Samuel Basallo – C
While these men are the only three O’s prospects in the top 100, it’s crazy to see that they are all within the top 11 prospects in baseball. The biggest story, though, is the jump Coby Mayo took, as on the preseason list, he was ranked 30th and now has jumped all the way to the 10th spot on the list.
Samuel Basallo jumped six spots, and, of course, Jackson Holliday stayed at the top spot of all prospects, as expected.
In the process, three O’s prospects were dropped out of the top 100, but it’s for good reason. Colton Cowser was ranked 19th heading into the season but graduated from prospect eligibility. Same goes for Heston Kjerstad, who was the 32nd ranked prospect.
The final prospect was Joey Ortiz, who was ranked 63rd heading into the season but was traded just a couple days after the list was announced to the Milwaukee Brewers for Corbin Burnes. He also graduated, so it’s the best of both worlds in a way.
New Additions
I said it last year in this specific article, but it’s the truth. The main purpose of the updated prospect lists are to add in the 2024 draft class. The crazy part is that 12 players were added throughout the season to the O’s top 30 rankings because of graduations and trades.
Below is the list of the players added, along with their rankings:
- 4. Vance Honeycutt – OF
- 9. Griff O’Ferrall – SS
- 12. Stiven Martinez – OF
- 15. Ethan Anderson – C/1B
- 16: Patrick Reilly – RHP
- 19. Austin Overn – OF
- 20. Michael Forret – RHP
- 21. Brandon Young – RHP
- 26. Emilio Sanchez – SS
- 28. Esteban Mejia – RHP
- 29. Keeler Morfe – RHP
- 30. Jordan Sanchez – OF
Let’s break this down into sections. Vance Honeycutt, Griff O’Ferrall, Ethan Anderson and Austin Overn are all 2024 draft picks who were added to the top 30 list. Honeycutt was the 22nd overall pick, O’Ferrall was the 32nd overall pick, Anderson was the 61st overall and Overn was the 97th overall.
Patrick Reilly is the biggest outsider, as he was a part of a trade deadline prospect exchange which sent utility man Billy Cook to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Reilly has been solid since he was traded to the Orioles, not giving up a single run in 7.1 innings of work for the Double-A Bowie Baysox.
As for the other seven players, it’s possible that some of them entered the top 30 before this updated list because of graduations and trades. I can’t exactly pinpoint a date that these prospects were added to the top 30. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t highlight them.
Stiven Martinez was signed by Orioles in January 2024 and has carried a .871 OPS in rookie ball this season. Michael Forret has been a solid right-hander, carrying a 3.79 ERA in 80.2 innings of work between Low-A Delmarva and High-A Aberdeen. And Brandon Young is a former undrafted free agent who has received high praise by GM Mike Elias recently.
Emilio Sanchez was also a part of this past international free agent signing period and has a .426 OBP with 47 walks in just 45 games of rookie ball. Esteban Mejia was also signed this year during the signing period and has a 2.92 ERA in 24.2 innings of work in rookie ball.
Keefer Morfe was signed in 2023 and has only allowed two earned runs in 25 innings of work this season between rookie ball and Delmarva. And finally, Jordan Sanchez signed late in 2023 because of eligibility issues but has a 1.037 OPS in 38 games of rookie ball.
Unfortunate Departures
When looking at these lists, it honestly sucks to see prospects be left off for different reasons, as 12 players were removed in the latest update.
Both Cowser and Kjerstad, as stated earlier, were left off because of graduating. As for Connor Norby, Seth Johnson, Mac Horvath and Jackson Baumeister, they were all dealt during the deadline season, so they are easy people to remove off the list as they aren’t in the O’s system anymore.
Luis Almeyda was the 20th ranked prospect on the organization’s top 30 list, and in 53 games, the 18-year-old infielder had a .653 OPS and batted just .200 in rookie ball this year. Right-hander Justin Armbruester was ranked 21st and has had an unfortunate down year with having a 7.25 ERA in 90.2 innings of work with Triple-A Norfolk. Outfielder John Rhodes was ranked 24th but has put together a .620 OPS in Bowie this season.
Outfielder Hudson Haskin was the 26th ranked prospect but has been riddled with injuries this year, and when he has played, he hasn’t looked like the Haskin who tore it up in Norfolk in 2023. Frederick Bencosme surprises me, as he hasn’t looked that terrible, hitting .246 this season and being a defensive infield monster. He was the 28th ranked prospect. Lastly, right-hander Carter Baumler was the 29th ranked prospect and has a 5.75 ERA in just 20.1 innings of work while also being injured most of this season.
Biggest Upgrade: Juan Nuñez +17 spots
Juan Nuñez has been a dominant arm this year for Aberdeen, and MLB Pipeline agrees. The 23-year-old was ranked 27th on the top 30 list back in March, and now, Nuñez jumped all the way up to the 10th ranked spot in just five months time.
Nuñez has pitched in seven games this year and carries a 2.45 ERA in 29.1 innings of work. The Dominican native has only allowed an opponent batting average of .212 and has struck out 38 batters. Unfortunately, Nuñez is now on the 60-day IL, after being placed on July 22.
Biggest Downgrade: Max Wagner -10 spots
It’s unfortunate to see Max Wagner fall, especially with the season he has had thus far. The former second-round pick has dealt heavily with the injury bug and has just 25 games under his belt this season. However, Wagner has not looked great this season in limited action.
Wagner has a slash line of .151/.247/.256 with a .503 OPS and only has 13 hits, one double, one triple, two home runs and five RBIs on the year. The big hope is that this season is just an unfortunate blip for Wagner, and when he is back to being fully healthy, he will pop off again and show where that Clemson energy comes from.
So there we have it, the brand new O’s top 30 prospects list. Below this paragraph, I’ll have the entire updated top 30 for you to check out. One thing I will say is that our future is getting brighter and brighter by the season, both at the big league level and on the farm.
The Orioles’ current top 30 prospects:
- 1. Jackson Holliday – 2B/SS
- 2. Coby Mayo – 3B/1B
- 3. Samuel Basallo – C/1B
- 4. Vance Honeycutt – OF
- 5. Cade Povich – LHP
- 6. Enrique Bradfield Jr. – OF
- 7. Chayce McDermott – RHP
- 8. Dylan Beavers – OF
- 9. Griff O’Ferrall – SS
- 10. Juan Nuñez – RHP
- 11. Luis De León – LHP
- 12. Stiven Martinez – OF
- 13. Jud Fabian – OF
- 14. Trade Bright – RHP
- 15. Ethan Anderson – C/1B
- 16. Patrick Reilly – RHP
- 17. Thomas Sosa – OF
- 18. Braylin Tavera – OF
- 19. Austin Overn – OF
- 20. Michael Forret – RHP
- 21. Brandon Young – RHP
- 22. Joshua Liranzo – INF
- 23. Leandro Arias – INF
- 24. Creed Willems – C/1B
- 25. Max Wagner – 3B/2B
- 26. Emilio Sanchez – SS
- 27. Alex Pham – RHP
- 28. Esteban Mejia – RHP
- 29. Keeler Morfe – RHP
- 30. Jordan Sanchez – OF
Which O’s prospect stands out to you the most? 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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