Orioles Victory Card Number 14: The prospects, they are a coming

Baltimore Orioles Victory Number 14: 5-1 over the Los Angeles Angels

2019 Bowman Chrome Prospects DL Hall

Even with the win on Sunday it wasn't a great weekend in Baltimore. Cold, rainy weather caused delays throughout the 3-game set, extending Orioles fans misery by hours. The first two games were carbon copies as Baltimore stayed competitive until the later innings only to see their bullpen falter. The pitching staff on a whole gave up four more home runs which, at the pace they're giving them up this year, isn't really that bad. Instead it was more of an inability to throw strikes and make quality pitches that led to their downfall.

A series like this will be repeated time and time again during this season. When they happen, it's reassuring to know that the prospects are down on the farm, and for the most part, doing a pretty good job. Even more encouraging is the fact that some of the pitching prospects are off to strong starts. Figuring out which prospects are going to excel is a little like trying to understand goaltending in hockey. At best, it's voodoo.

In regards to pitching prospects, it's doubly so. A kid drafted at 18 or even at 21 years-old is at best an unknown quantity. They may be lights out in college or throw 96 as a high-school senior, but that raw talent may not translate to the professional league. So it's always best to pile up as many prospects as possible and hope that a couple of them make it through the weeding out process.

Six of the Orioles top twn prospects according to MLB.com are pitchers. How many of them are going to stick in the big leagues? Maybe one or two? If you go back ten years to 2009, FanGraphs also had six pitchers in the Orioles top ten prospects.  Of those six, two are still pitching  and have had pretty good careers (Jake Arrieta and Zack Britton). Brian Matusz had a decent year or two, but the others Brandon Erbe, Kam Mickoliio and Troy Patton came and went like yesterday's newspaper.

The good news for Orioles fans is that the six pitchers currently ranked are showing various signs of success. Grayson Rodriguez (ranked 5th overall) is almost unhittable in Delmarva as he has struck out 41 batters in 26 innings while only walking 8 and giving up just 15 hits. 

After an impressive first year in 2018, Zac Lowther (#8) has moved up to Bowie and continues to find ways to get people out. The lefthander is walking a few more people this season (4.9 BB/9 versus 2.6 BB/9 last year) but is keeping the ball in the park.

Fellow lefthander Keegan Akin (#6) is striking out more than a hitter per inning as he navigates AAA ball for the first time. With the way the Orioles are blowing through pitchers this year, it's not out of the realm of possibility that he could see some time with the big club at some point this summer.

The same goes for the man pictured above, DL Hall. The Orioles first round pick from 2017 is currently the highest ranked pitcher and third ranked prospect overall in the organization. His record last year at Delmarva (2-7) didn't reflect how well he pitched at the end of the season. A bump up in competition this year has him struggling a bit, but that's not to say he won't figure it out. He struggled a bit to start last season and then finished strongly. A lefty who can reach 95-96 on the radar gun is always going to get a chance to succeed. 

Hall is only 20 years old. There is a chance he could rocket through the minors and end up in an Orioles uniform by 2020. He could also flame out and spend the next 10 years bouncing around the minors. That's the beauty and frustration of prospects - you just don't know what's going to happen.

For now,  it's fun just to think about what could be. Especially in a season where the Orioles are going to struggle to win 60 games the prospects are hope for the future. Even if the national media doesn't rank the Baltimore prospects that high (only two made the top 100) they are still something different and intriguing for the local fans. Tracking their progress through the minors is a great distraction from what is happening on the field at Camden Yards this summer.