Sooner rather than later, the Baltimore Orioles need to promote Ryan Mountcastle to the majors. Calling up Mountcastle would not only give the team an opportunity to develop one of its top prospects at the major-league level, but to also upgrade left field, one of its weakest positions.
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Mountcastle, who Baltimore Sports and Life ranks at the fifth-best prospect in the farm system, is currently working out with other members of the organization’s player pool at Double-A Bowie. The Orioles have contended that keeping Mountcastle in Bowie allows them to address some unrefined areas of his game, particularly his defense and plate discipline. In fact, the Orioles have already left Mountcastle at Bowie long enough to gain an extra year of club control over him, so service-time considerations are no longer in play. That said, a promotion to the majors is expected this summer, and the Orioles should look to make that move soon.
From my perspective, there is a two-fold argument for bringing up Mountcastle, covering both his development and where the team is likely to stand in left field for the rest of this season. Mountcastle slashed .312/.344/.527 with a 117 wRC+ and a career-high 25 homers across 553 plate appearances last season at Triple-A Norfolk. Those numbers were good enough for him to claim International League MVP honors, and put him in a position to reach Baltimore this year.
Still, even Mountcastle’s strongest proponents would acknowledge concerns over his plate discipline (evidenced in part by a 23.5% strikeout percentage last season, compared to a 4.3% walk percentage) and his limitations on defense. Those were among the reasons why Mountcastle was expected to return to Norfolk this spring, before the coronavirus pandemic caused a shutdown that ultimately forced plans for a 60-game MLB season and the cancellation of the traditional minor-league season.
Under normal conditions, Mountcastle might have benefitted from a month or so of competitive game action in Norfolk before joining the Orioles. However, with a traditional MiLB season not taking place, Mountcastle has joined other players in the team’s player pool to receive instruction at Bowie. While I acknowledge that he can benefit from being in Bowie for a short period, I believe there is value to giving Mountcastle substantial playing time at the major-league level this year.
For starters, Mountcastle would probably be on the Orioles roster by now had a traditional 162-game season unfolded. While they obviously had to adjust, the Orioles can still give him regular playing time over much of August and all of September. Regardless of how he performs, his time in the major leagues over the coming months would give the Orioles a strong sense of what parts of his game need to improve going forward. By focusing on those areas over the offseason and spring training, the Orioles could position Mountcastle to be part of the everyday lineup from Opening Day onward in 2021.
The conditions of this season are also optimal for experimentation, which could make it easier to ease Mountcastle into the majors. While he would likely receive the bulk of his playing time in left field, the Orioles could also look to give him playing time at first base and DH.
It is also worth noting that Mountcastle, who was drafted out of high school in 2015, has generally been younger than his competition at every minor-league level. Should that trend continue, the 23-year-old could at least hold his own over a stint in Baltimore this summer, and position himself to improve in 2021. (Indeed, Mountcastle showed remarkable improvement upon a return to Bowie in 2018 after struggling there over a 39-game stint following a promotion the prior season, showing that he has overcome some rough patches in his development.)
What also factors into the case for promoting Mountcastle is just how little production the Orioles have received from their left fielders thus far in 2020. Entering Thursday’s action, Orioles left fielders have batted a collective .143/.368/.179 over 11 games. The bulk of playing time in left field had gone to DJ Stewart, who went 0-for-14 with six walks and eight strikeouts over 22 plate appearances before being sent down to Bowie following Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Miami Marlins.
Clearly, promoting one of the best hitting prospects in the farm system is a viable option for the Orioles if they want more offensive production from their left field corps over the rest of the season. The player most likely to receive more time in left field with Stewart now in Bowie is Dwight Smith Jr., whose career defensive metrics at the position (-12.7 UZR, -17.9 UZR/150 in 894.1 career innings) leave much to be desired. In other words, even if Mountcastle struggles on defense in left field, he is unlikely to be significantly worse than Smith. While I like Smith’s production against right-handers at the plate, Mountcastle offers more upside offensively than him and Cedric Mullins—who has also received time in left field this season—or just about any of the Orioles’ other internal options.
I cannot say for sure when Mountcastle will reach Baltimore this year, and so far, club officials have been adamant that he will not be rushed. While his long-term development is important, there is also reason to believe that time in the major leagues this season is still valuable in improving his all-around skillset. Therefore, promoting Mountcastle to the majors this summer is not a question of if, but when. That move should be made sooner rather than later.
Orioles Analyst
A graduate of the University of Massachusetts, and Loyola University; Spedden has previously spent time in the Washington Nationals organization as a videographer for the Hagerstown Suns. As a blogger, Spedden is an Editor / Writer for the Suns fan club. Additionally, he contributes to The Nats Blog as a prospect writer, and Ballpark Digest. For BSL, Spedden covers the Orioles Minor Leagues. Co-Host of The Verge: https://anchor.fm/the-verge