The Baltimore Orioles aren’t lacking in middle infield prospects.
Gunnar Henderson is making his case to be one of the top prospects in all of baseball, and evaluators are taking notice. Jordan Westburg has already slugged 15 home runs this season, is off to a phenomenal start in Triple-A Norfolk, and appears to be major league ready in the very near future. A trio of second base prospects in Terrin Vavra, Connor Norby, and Cesar Prieto are showcasing their impressive hit tools and plate discipline, and in Norby and Prieto’s case, some unexpected power. And Joey Ortiz has seen his offensive production come in spurts after missing most of last season with a torn labrum, but his defensive highlight reel is still one of the best you will see in the entire system.
If you look further down the ranks, Maikol Hernandez (received $1.2 million as part of last year’s international signing class) hasn’t shown impressive numbers at the plate yet, but reports on his overall play and development have been positive up to this point. More recent international signings like Leandro Arias (who FanGraphs has ranked as the 14th best prospect in the Orioles system) and Aron Estrada are off to impressive starts in the DSL. We’re starting to see why Arias is ranked so high on some lists. When you can hit a home run at 102 mph off the bat and then shoot a double at 101 mph later in the same game at 17 years of age, people are going to take notice.
However, no one is talking about Darell Hernaiz. A fifth-round draft pick out of the Texas high school ranks back in 2019, Hernaiz flashed his power in the Gulf Coast League (now Florida Complex League), reached base at a 37 percent clip, and was prepared to enter the 2020 season as a Top 30 prospect in the Baltimore Orioles system (21st to be exact).
After 2020 was wiped out due to COVID, Hernaiz made his full-season affiliate debut in 2021 with Delmarva at the age of 19 (more than two years younger than his peers). Overall, Hernaiz slashed .277/.333/.358, but didn’t show much power at the plate (just 18 XBH in 410 PA), saw his walk and strikeout rates trend in the wrong directions, and as other highly-touted infield prospects in the system began to take off in 2020, Hernaiz very quietly grinded his way through Delmarva.
While his raw power wasn’t shining through in game action, Hernaiz did put up on-base streaks of 27 games, 18 games, 15 games, and 11 games. There were a lot of 1-4 with a single games and 0-3/0-4 with a walk days to extend these streaks, but he was consistent all season long, never finding himself in any extended slumps, and only eight of his at-bats came against pitchers younger than him. Even while facing pitchers older than him all season, Hernaiz had the fourth lowest strikeout rate in the organization (17.1 percent) among qualified hitters, and second-lowest strikeout rate among hitters in full-season ball. Only Adley Rutschman struck out at a lower rate.
I assumed that his consistency, ability to get on base, and his success against older competition all year would be enough to start the 2022 season in Aberdeen. Surely, Hernaiz thought that was going to be the case as well, but the Orioles had other plans. He was sent back to Delmarva to begin the current season.
How did Hernaiz respond? He slashed .283/.341/.512. Matched his 2021 home run total in 272 fewer plate appearances. Slashed his already impressive strikeout rate from 17.1 percent to 15.9 percent. Saw his ISO jump from .081 to .228 and upped his wRC+ from 92 to 133. Yes, he was repeating the level, but he was still nearly a full year younger then his peers and rarely faced pitchers younger than him, even in his second season with Delmarva.
Since then, Hernaiz has been promoted to Aberdeen, where he continues to impress. After missing some time (private matters, not injury or COVID), Hernaiz is settling in well and is back to playing against peers nearly three years younger. In 23 games, Hernaiz is hitting .303 with a .391 OBP, has seen his walk rate jump from 5.8 percent in Delmarva to 9.6 percent and with five extra-base hits in his last seven games, is starting to flex his power in an environment known to suppress power.
A lot of the same descriptions used to discuss top prospects like Henderson and Westburg can be used to describe Hernaiz. High degree of success against much older competition (not so much Westburg in that sense, but there’s more), high defensive IQ with the ability to stick at short or move to third or second (if he does move, it’s not because he can’t remain at short), mature approach at the plate, clubhouse leader, and the tools and ceiling that make you sit back and dream on what he can become.
One thing we constantly hear from coaches and players who come on On The Verge is how supporting and encouraging each clubhouse is up and down the system. I think a story told by Sam Jellinek, voice of the Delmarva Shorebirds, on a recent episode of On The Verge best highlights this. Despite being sent back to Delmarva, Hernaiz took full advantage of his opportunity, not only putting up big time numbers at the plate, but instantly become a leader and mentor to a roster full of 18/19-year-old international players who were adjusting to the cold weather and cultural shock of calling Salisbury, Maryland home after growing up in their home countries and spending their early days in the US in Florida. Hernaiz could have become frustrated and focused on only his game, but he didn’t.
Darell Hernaiz is a legitimate prospect and should be getting the credit and attention as one.
A new exciting arm join the ranks in Delmarva.
Speaking of players who deserve more attention, I wanted to also take this time to mention the name Deivy Cruz.
At the beginning of the season, teenage arms RHP Moises Chace and RHP Raul Rangel came out of the gates strong and started flashing the impressive tools that have made them noteworthy prospects since they joined the organization as international signees who didn’t receive top dollar, but have plenty aspects to their game that led to national evaluators taking note. Unfortunately, injuries have derailed their seasons. Luckily, Chace doesn’t turn 20 until next June and Rangel won’t turn 20 until October.
It didn’t take long for a new, young international arm to step up and start demanding attention. Enter 18-year-old LHP Deviy Cruz.
As a 17-year-old in the Dominican Summer League last year, Cruz struck out 63 in 45 innings pitched to begin his pro career. DSL and FCL stats don’t tell you much of anything, but I do pay attention to strikeouts and walks for both pitchers and hitters. It’s a good first indicator of, should I pay attention to this guy right now or take a mental note to check back in down the road? Striking out 32 percent of batters faced in the DSL qualifies as “pay attention right now.”
He made just three starts in the FCL to begin the summer, striking out 17 in 13 IP. It was enough for the Orioles to promote him to Delmarva, where many fans had the opportunity to watch him live for the first time.
In his full-season debut, at the age of 18, Cruz struck out five, walked one, and allowed one earned run on three hits across three innings. Not bad. In his second outing, Cruz went five innings, allowed no runs on two hits, walking one and striking out five.
Just like 2021 breakout pitcher Jean Pinto and many of the first group of international pitchers we have seen reach full-season ball, Cruz is on the shorter side (listed at 5’11”) but the tools are loud and the ceiling is fun to think about.
Cruz sat 93-95 mph while he tossed five shutout innings, lighting up the broadcast radar gun with a whole lot of 94s. You can see in the video the 90 mph changeup that fades away from right-handed hitters, and the makings of a good slider.
Cruz is still pretty raw and there’s a very long way to go in his development, but his start to full-season ball shouldn’t go unnoticed. The Orioles have done a decent job recently of turning international signings who received low bonuses into noteworthy prospects and possible serviceable pieces. That makes the idea of what they can do with more highly touted prospects, like the previously mentioned Leandro Arias, even more exciting.
While the big name guys like Henderson, Westburg, Stowers, and Hall are all showcasing impressive skills in Triple-A and banging on the major league clubhouse doors to be let in, don’t overlook what’s happening at the lower levels, especially what Darell Hernaiz is up to in Aberdeen.
Orioles Analyst
A former high school teacher and coach in the mountains of Virginia, Nick Stevens has been writing about the Baltimore Orioles and their minor league system for five years. When he isn’t at a minor league stadium, he’s enjoying a Wizards game or supporting his alma mater, James Madison University. Co-Host of The Verge.