Nik Balog – 1B/DH
Balog has the size of a good first basemen, standing at 6’3″ 220 lbs. There looks to still be some room for him to possibly fill out even more down the road, although he is already 23. He stands tall at the plate, keeping his hands calm and at ease. Balog displays average bat-speed, although he has an easy swing through the zone with minimal movement. He does open up his shoulder at times from what I have seen, largely from being fooled on good secondary pitches.
From what I have seen personally, and from the scouts I have talked to, Balog is filler at first base. He does not have enough power to stick there, although his bat may allow him to stick in the minors there for a little while. He has a surprisingly good approach at the plate, although his current BB/K ratio would certainly not agree. Overall, Balog knows how to use the bat and does not try and do too much. I have not seen him enough defensively to give any form of judgment. He will have more opportunities to play now with Christian Walker moved to Frederick.
Torsten Boss – UTIL
If it wasn’t for Sebastian Vader, he would run away with “best name” in the Orioles system. The highly athletic Boss can play all around the diamond, but has been used mostly at 2B and 3B in his minor league career. I like him defensively, and feel that his athleticism makes up for average foot-skills on the infield. I have no doubt in my mind he could play a great corner outfield, and possibly play CF if needed.
At the plate, Boss is an enigma. Consistency has been an issue throughout his entire career, dating all the way back to college. Boss has advanced discipline, and displays a solid approach. He often works the count and fouls off many “pitcher pitches”. My concerns with the bat are that he is inconsistent with his hands and swing. He lunges at outside pitches occasionally, dropping his hands and making weak contact. He has an elongated swing at times, and this varies like the current of an ocean. Some days it is fine and he looks great, while other days he really has a hard time catching up to a ball. He does not have the bat-speed of some other prospects within the system, so having an elongated swing is truly a problem. There has been some refinement from last season when I saw him at Aberdeen, but it’s not quite there yet.
This may be the one reason he hasn’t moved to Frederick yet, although he should really be there by now. He just doesn’t have much else to learn against the competition level in A ball.
Caleb Joseph – C/1B
Joseph has hit well at Bowie this season after stalling there the past few years. He seems to be a little more at ease at the plate, which is a change from past seasons where he seemed too jumpy and noisy. His bat seems quicker this season, with his hands going through the zone at a much better pace. Caleb has some decent pop, and spreads the ball well around the field when he is on his A-game.
Defensively, Joseph concerns me in a few areas. His arm is probably average behind the plate, in terms of both accuracy and strength. His footwork has improved since the start of his pro career, but he is a little stiff at times and does not always get in front of balls in the dirt. He is a solid game-caller, and pitchers seem to get along well with Joseph.
Overall, I truly think some of the success Joseph is seeing comes from being able to focus on hitting to start the year. I listened to some coaches talking to him about relaxing and enjoying the game, and it sure seems that Joseph has taken some of that to heart. He has started to play some innings behind the plate now, and the bat has not slowed down. I think there is still a possibility that the Orioles view Joseph as a potential backup catcher or insurance catcher for the major league level. He will obviously be an offensive-first catcher, which is non-typical in today’s game. Another thing to note is Joseph has been in the high minors for a bit now, so this success should not surprise anyone.
*Thanks to Nathaniel Stoltz for the videos*
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Tucker Blair was born and raised in the Baltimore area and currently lives in Elkridge, Maryland. He graduated from York College of Pennsylvania with a B.S in Entrepreneurial Studies and is currently a Project Analyst for a Management Consulting Firm in Federal Hill, Baltimore. Tucker was previously the Managing Editor at Orioles Nation, where he worked on prospect lists, reports, and analysis on the Orioles minor league system. He also previously wrote his personal blog, The EntreprenOriole.