The Baltimore Orioles are 6-0 and minor league games are in full swing. Here is recapping the latest action around the system. With the exception of Norfolk and Bowie, all other teams opened the season on the road. Fans were treated to a few rehab starts, as Kevin Gausman and Brian Matusz made appearances in Bowie during the past week.
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Ariel Miranda – LHP, Norfolk Tides (AAA)
Miranda, the free agent from Cuba, made his Triple-A debut this week, striking out 6 over 4.2 IP. His split-finger pitch was very effective, as 4 of his 6 strikeouts came on the splitter. Of concern, his ground-ball to fly-out ratio, which is something that wasn’t an issue at Bowie, but was a concern in Frederick. The Baysox have a loaded rotation, so Miranda could stick around in Norfolk.
Trey Mancini – 1B, Bowie Baysox (AA)
To a lot of surprise (including me) – Mancini was assigned to the Bowie Baysox to start the season. However, he’s hitting (as he did in 2015) again, so it’s likely a short stay. Mancini has 3 home runs (two of them to RF) over his first 4 games. He only has a total of 4 hits on the young season, but he will for Baltimore’s hand to promote him.
Chris Lee – LHP, Bowie Baysox
Lee made his season debut this week and continued to build his case as one of the top pitching prospects in the organization. He struck out 1 and walked 2 after entering for the rehabbing Brian Matusz. However, I talked to a few sources who had Lee sitting 94-97 mph during his outing, working mostly with his fastball and slider/cutter pitch. Lee might be able to get away with throwing mid-90’s in Double-A, but I would like to see him continue to develop his change-up, as it’s underrated offering.
DJ Stewart – OF, Delmarva Shorebirds (A)
Although the numbers show a .071 batting average, Stewart has 5 walks in his first 5 games, showing that his patience and approach at the plate is a real thing. Our very own Zach Spedden was able to view his first few games and will have a better report later. The Shorebirds have Stewart batting 3rd in the lineup and playing LF.
Christian Walker – OF, Norfolk Tides
After a strong spring training, Walker has now moved from first base to left field in order to expedite his path back to Baltimore. Walker is hitting .389/.500/.778 over his first 5 games while appearing in LF in 4 of the 5 games. He’s had 9 chances in LF, recording all 9 outs over 37 innings. Walker being in Norfolk is more about his acclimation to the outfield rather than his hitting ability. However, his ability to play the outfield and hit, give him much more value.
Matthew Grimes – RHP, Frederick Keys (A+)
Grimes, 24, spent all of last season at Delmarva, posting a 4.14 ERA in 126 innings. His first Carolina League start lasted 5 innings, striking out 7, walking 0 and scattering 4 hits. Grimes isn’t a highly touted prospect, as he allowed 148 hits over 126 innings in 2015, but the start was encouraging for a weak Frederick rotation. He features a low-90s fastball and a slider.
*Stats as of 4/11/2016
Reggie Yinger has spent the parts of five seasons as a Player Development Coordinator for the Baltimore Orioles. He has extensive experience in computer programming and baseball.