Another month of Minor League Baseball is in the books, and we saw a lot happen down on the farm for the Baltimore Orioles.
From players being promoted to multiple doubleheaders to insane long balls, there was nothing but excitement for the Baby Birds.
So, without further ado, here are your O’s Prospects of the Month for May.
Triple-A Norfolk: Vimael Machín – INF
Although technically not a prospect, Vimael Machín in May was an RBI machine, to say the least.
In 26 games, Machín knocked in 20 runs while holding a .296 batting average and a .839 OPS. It was a very productive run-scoring month for the 31-year-old.
On the season, Machín is slashing .281/.329/.422 with a .751 OPS in 52 games with the Tides. He has accumulated 56 hits, including 11 doubles and five home runs, while also knocking in 36 RBIs, which leads Norfolk and puts him in the top 10 in the International League.
Double-A Chesapeake: Adam Retzbach – C
Selecting a player from Chesapeake was extremely difficult because a lot of players had fantastic months.
We decided to go with Adam Retzbach, who slashed .327/.457/.418 with a .875 OPS in 21 games. The 24-year-old backstop drove in 10 on 18 hits, five doubles.
The former 14th-round pick has been huge for the Baysox in the middle of their order. He currently has a career-high .817 OPS with 29 total hits and has hit three home runs.
High-A Aberdeen: Aron Estrada – INF
Aron Estrada might be the best pure hitter in the O’s farm system.
In May, Estrada posted a .312 average with a .885 OPS in 22 games, collecting 24 hits, including 10 extra-base hits, with 11 RBIs. He also showed off his speed, swiping 10 bags in 11 attempts.
Estrada is currently batting .307, has 50 hits to his name, with 15 of them going for extra bases, and has knocked in 17. He has also been exceptional on the base paths, having 21 stolen bases in 25 attempts, good for an 84% steal percentage.
Low-A Delmarva: Yasmil Bucce – C
Yasmil Bucce put himself on the map in the month of May, posting the second highest OPS in the Carolina League at .993 and batting .322, which placed him fifth in the league.
Bucce also collected 16 RBIs and accumulated 20 walks.
After a struggle-filled 2024 season, Bucce has upped his average to .291 and his OPS to .899 while holding a .435 OBP. The 20-year-old catcher has 44 hits this season, has 25 RBIs and has collected 35 walks to 43 strikeouts.
Overall: Braxton Bragg – RHP / Keegan Gillies – RHP
It was beyond unfair to choose between the obvious two best pitchers in the Orioles system for the month of May.
If Braxton Bragg was a qualified starter, he would have been tied for the lowest ERA in the Eastern League this past month with a 1.35 mark, and he finished top 10 with 30 strikeouts.
As for Keegan Gillies, he compiled a 0.73 ERA, held batters to a .140 average and went a perfect 3-for-3 in save opportunities.
Bragg has a 1.24 ERA in 51 innings of work this season, striking out 66 batters and holding them to a .166 average. Gillies has a 0.78 ERA in 23 innings pitched, is currently 6-for-6 in saves and is holding batters to a .115 average.
Which O’s prospects stood out to you for the month of May? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, X, Bluesky and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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