The second half is underway across most levels of the Baltimore Orioles organization, and while it has been a somewhat shaky start as a whole, several prospects still turned in impressive performances over the past week.
Before we dive into our Prospects of the Week, we would like to reveal our updated Baltimore Battery Top 30 Prospects list. These rankings will remain until after the trade deadline on August 3.
Let’s not waste any more time and take a look at this week’s edition of O’s Prospects of the Week.
Triple-A Norfolk: Enrique Bradfield Jr. – OF / Dean Kremer – RHP (Rehab Assignment)
The embattled former first-round pick appears to be turning a corner since returning from the injured list on June 9.
Since his return, Enrique Bradfield Jr. has recorded five multi-hit games while reaching base in 10 of the 15 games he has played. He has also stolen nine bases during that stretch, steadily raising both his batting average and on-base percentage.
Against the Durham Bulls, The Baltimore Battery’s No. 12 prospect went 6-for-13 (.462) with a double, a walk and five stolen bases. That performance alone boosted his slash line from .209/.284/.308 to .243/.313/.340 by the end of the series.
On the season, the 26-year-old center fielder is now slashing .246/.342/.348 across 39 games. He has scored 32 runs, driven in 17, collected three home runs and five doubles while stealing 19 bases and drawing 19 walks. He also owns a healthy .337 BABIP, another encouraging sign that his production is beginning to trend in the right direction.
Dean Kremer appears to have shaken off the rust and looks ready for another opportunity in Baltimore. His latest start with Triple-A Norfolk may have been his best outing in quite some time.
Although he did not factor into the decision, Kremer was outstanding, tossing 6.2 scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out eight. The outing was Kremer’s longest start between Norfolk and Baltimore this season and only the second time he has thrown a scoreless start across both levels.
His strong June has lowered his Norfolk ERA to 0.87 while posting a 0.68 WHIP. During the month, opponents hit just .118 against him as he compiled a 13-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Overall, Kremer allowed just one run on four hits across 10.1 innings during the month and could rejoin the Orioles’ rotation as early as this week if everything continues to progress without setbacks.
That would be welcome news for Baltimore. Kremer has historically pitched much better after May, posting a sub-4.00 ERA over the remainder of past seasons. If that trend continues, he could provide another quality arm for an Orioles rotation looking for stability during the second half.
Across four rehab starts in the minors, Kremer owns a 1.83 ERA over 19.2 innings. He will now look to carry that momentum back to Baltimore after posting a 4.09 ERA in 11 innings with the Orioles earlier this season.
Double-A Chesapeake: Ethan Anderson – C / Micah Ashman – LHP
The young catcher from Honolulu continued to impress at the plate, recording a hit in all four games he played this week.
Anderson collected five hits, including two doubles and two home runs, while driving in three runs. He also struck out just three times during the series, pushing his season OPS to .875.
On the season, The Baltimore Battery’s No. 22 prospect has collected 15 home runs and 31 RBIs, stealing five bases as well.
Rain shortened Chesapeake’s week, but it could not slow down Micah Ashman.
The 23-year-old left-hander made two appearances, tossing three perfect innings while allowing no baserunners or runs. He picked up two saves, including one that spanned two innings.
Ashman has now gone without allowing a run since May 12. On the season, he owns a 1.50 ERA across 30 innings with 50 strikeouts, continuing to establish himself as one of the organization’s most dominant relievers.
High-A Frederick: Ike Irish – OF / Caden Hunter – LHP
Ike Irish is putting together an outstanding month of June, and his latest series only added to it.
Irish slashed .375/.571/.458 with a team-best .989 OPS. He led Frederick with nine hits, added two doubles, drove in two runs, walked eight times and stole four bases.
Through 62 games, Irish owns the second-highest OPS (.847) and third-highest batting average (.261) on the club. He has collected 59 hits, leads the team with 14 doubles, has launched 10 home runs and driven in 43 RBIs. Irish has also stolen 17 bases in 26 attempts.
On the mound, Caden Hunter delivered another dominant performance.
The 22-year-old lefty allowed just one hit over five scoreless innings while striking out eight, walking three and earning the victory.
The former sixth-round pick has been one of the Orioles’ best pitching prospects this season. Between Delmarva and Frederick, Hunter owns a 1.62 ERA across 44.1 innings. The Baltimore Battery’s No. 18 prospect has allowed just eight earned runs while striking out 71 batters, walking 26 and holding opponents to a .149 batting average.
Low-A Delmarva: Jaiden Lo Re – INF / Jack Crowder – RHP
Jaiden Lo Re continues to emerge as one of the most exciting prospects in the Orioles’ system.
The 19-year-old infielder slashed .400/.526/.400 with a .926 OPS this past week. He collected six hits, drove in two runs, drew four walks and stole four bases without being caught.
Lo Re has quickly entered the conversation as a potential Top 10 prospect in the organization heading into next season. Through 39 games, he is batting .344 with an .897 OPS. The Baltimore Battery’s No. 19 prospect has recorded 45 hits, six doubles, one triple, two home runs, 26 RBIs and 18 stolen bases while displaying exceptional plate discipline, with 26 walks compared to just 14 strikeouts.
Jack Crowder also turned in an excellent week out of the bullpen.
Making two appearances, Crowder threw 3.1 scoreless, hitless innings while allowing just one walk and striking out seven batters, the second-most on the team for the week.
Currently on a rehab assignment with Delmarva, Crowder has pitched 4.1 innings, allowing two hits and two earned runs while walking two and striking out eight. It will be interesting to see where the Orioles assign Crowder once his rehab stint concludes. If he continues pitching like this, he could move quickly through the system during the second half.
What are your thoughts on this week’s prospect standouts? 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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