Orioles Prospect Storylines to Watch in 2020

With their regular season set to begin Friday, the Baltimore Orioles appear poised to give several of their top prospects extended major-league time. While the confines of the 60-game season will limit the exposure these prospects receive, the shortened slate should give the Orioles time to evaluate their best young players for potential roles in the major leagues going forward.

To preview some of the scenarios that could unfold this year, I am taking a look at the Orioles prospect storylines to watch in 2020. These include the potential emergence of several highly touted prospects, along with the health of some younger players, and some breakout candidates whose performances could prove to be pleasant surprises.

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The health of Austin Hays, Hunter Harvey

Austin Hays and Hunter Harvey are two of the most recognizable prospects in the Orioles system—they rank seventh and 15th, respectively, on BSL’s Top 30 Prospects list—but both have troubling injury histories. Harvey battled through years of injury problems to finally reach the majors last year, after being drafted in the first round back in 2013. Injuries limited Hays to 108 games across multiple levels last season after he appeared in just 75 contests the year before.

Hays is healthy as the season begins and will look to establish himself as the team’s everyday centerfielder. Harvey, however, is currently on the 10-day injured list because of right elbow discomfort, though reports seem to suggest that the Orioles do not believe the injury is severe. The Orioles hope that a conservative approach at the start of the year will allow Harvey to begin pitching out of the bullpen soon, but the team will still need to proceed with caution in handling the young right-hander. As for Hays, even making it through a 60-game season healthy would be a win for the Orioles, because he undoubtedly has the tools to establish himself at the major-league level.

When will Ryan Mountcastle arrive?

As was expected, the Orioles did not include Mountcastle on their 30-man roster that was released on Thursday. Still, that move does not dampen the anticipation for the power-hitting prospect, who seems likely to crack the major-league lineup later this summer.

As I wrote last month, the Orioles could use Mountcastle in a variety of ways once he is promoted. While giving him a chance to prove himself as a middle-of-the-order hitter, the team could use the shortened season to experiment with him in left field and give him occasional at-bats at first base and DH. Just how the Orioles will use him remains to be seen, as does the timing of any promotion, but for now the Mountcastle watch is on. By leaving him off the MLB roster for about a week, the Orioles will gain an additional year of control over Mountcastle, but the team might decide to hold off even longer before promoting him. Regardless, it is likely that he earns major-league time this year, making his arrival more a question of when rather than if.

Which young pitchers will get a shot in the rotation?

The Orioles are beginning the year with some veterans in the rotation, including Opening Day starter Tommy Milone, Wade LeBlanc, and Kohl Stewart. Later this summer, the Orioles should give some of their pitching prospects a chance in the majors as a tune up for 2021, with Keegan Akin seemingly on the inside track to make a few starts later this year. Though he has far less experience than Akin at the Triple-A level, Dean Kremer could join him in Baltimore at some point, as both hurlers were added to the 40-man roster over the offseason and would have been candidates to reach the majors had the traditional 162-game MLB season and minor-league slates moved forward.

Within their pool of players that will spend the summer training at Prince George’s Stadium—home of the Double-A Bowie Baysox—the Orioles have a few other names that are worth monitoring. Michael Baumann put together a strong 2019 and might be a worthy candidate to receive major-league time later this year, even if it comes in relief, while Bruce Zimmermann, Alex Wells, and Zac Lowther are other hurlers to watch. None of them have been assigned to Bowie yet, but it seems likely that they will be there at some point this summer, and they are close enough to the majors that the Orioles could call on them to see time this year.

Potential breakout candidates

Sometimes the best rookies are the ones that come out of nowhere, such as John Means—who, after flying under the radar during his time in the minors, emerged as the Orioles’ best starter in 2019 and finished second in American League Rookie of the Year voting. Who could fit that mold this year? I think there are a few names that could surprise fans, with the Orioles carrying some intriguing prospects.

Among position players, I would like to see the Orioles give some major-league time to Rylan Bannon, who can play multiple infield positions and could provide some value with his power. Bannon is not currently in Bowie but is a prospect that the team should assign there sooner rather than later. Andrew Velazquez is on the club’s initial 30-man roster, and might emerge as a reliable utility player, as he has logged time in the infield and outfield in major-league stints with the Cleveland Indians and Tampa Bay Rays over the past two seasons. I would not be surprised to see Ryan McKenna log major-league time this year, where his speed and defense could make him a solid option in the outfield, while Cedric Mullins and DJ Stewart—two players who are barely removed from their prospect eligibility—will look to put up good numbers.

The under-the-radar pitcher who carries the most intrigue for me is Isaac Mattson, who is currently training at Bowie but could emerge as a bullpen option later this summer. Acquired from the Los Angeles Angels as part of the Dylan Bundy trade over the offseason, Mattson has a career 10.9 K/9 over 199 innings pitched in the minors and fanned 110 batters in 73 1/3 innings across three levels last year. Cody Carroll, one of the pitchers acquired from the Yankees in the Zach Britton trade in 2018, is beginning the year on the 30-man roster. A back injury cost him most of 2019, but he did turn in a promising stint in the Arizona Fall League and could build upon that with a successful run in the majors this year.

What will we learn from training at Bowie?

In terms of data and video, I am not expecting much information to emerge out of Bowie this summer. While that will make it a bit challenging to evaluate certain players going into 2021, the time spent there should prove valuable for top prospects who are unlikely to see major-league time this year—including Adley Rutschman, Yusniel Diaz, DL Hall, and others. At the very least, the Orioles are allowing these players an opportunity to further their development in the absence of a traditional minor-league season, which hopefully keeps them on track to be a major part of the club’s long-term plans.