Mesa brothers from Cuba on Orioles’ radar
Mullins named top minor leaguer; Akin, Lowther split pitching award
Now that top Cuban prospect Victor Victor Mesa and his younger brother, Victor Mesa Jr., have been declared free agents by Major League Baseball, the Orioles plan to pursue both players aggressively, according to an industry source.
The Orioles have plenty of international free-agent bonus money to spend – their $6.7 million in bonus slots is the most in baseball this period — and the club has long been eyeing Victor Victor, 22, as an opportunity to make a big splash in a Latin American market the Orioles have underinvested in for years.
Both brothers left Cuba in May, and it took until now for them to establish residency in the Dominican Republic so they would be declared free agents. The Orioles plan to scout both players at to-be-determined showcases, according to a source.
Having interest in the brothers isn’t the sameas actually signing them, but the Orioles are in position to be a major player for the brothers because other teams have already committed bonuses to other players this signing period.
Playing in the Cuban National Series league in 2016-17, Victor Victor Mesa hit .354/.399/.539 in 70 games for Matanzas. He also was 40-for-50 on stolen-base attempts and had more extra-base hits (27) than strikeouts (19).
The 17-year-old Victor Mesa Jr. was a standout for the Cuban U-18 national team. Minor awards: Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, who last month became the first touted prospect to debut after the club’s July teardown heralded their rebuild, was named Friday as the organization’s Brooks Robinson Minor League Player of the Year.
Mullins, 23, will be honored during an on-field ceremony Saturday at Camden Yards alongside left-handers Keegan Akin and Zac Lowther, the co-winners of the Jim Palmer Minor League Pitcher of the Year; Outfielder Zach Jarrett, winner of the Elrod Hendricks Minor League Community Service Award; Norfolk manager Ron Johnson, winner of the Cal Ripken Sr. Player Development Award; and scout Rich Morales, who was named the Jim Russo Scout of the Year.
Mullins, a 13th-round draft pick in 2015, began the year at Double-A Bowie and hit .289 with12 homeruns and 29 doubles between there and Triple-A Norfolk before he made his major league debut in center field Aug. 10. Entering Friday, Mullins has hit .240 with three home runs in the majors.
Akin, 23, and Lowther, 22, were each models of consistency during the minor league season. Akin, a second-round pick in 2016, had a sub-3.00 ERAfor most of the season before ending with a 3.29 ERAwith 142 strikeouts and a 1.25 WHIP in 1372⁄ innings at Double-A Bowie.
Lowther, selected in the competitive balance round in the 2017 draft, dominated when he began the season at Low-A Delmarva with a 1.16 ERA in six starts before carrying that success to High-A Frederick, where he went 5-3 with a 2.53 ERAin the Carolina League. Between the twolevels, his 2.02 ERAin1232⁄ with a 0.96 WHIPwas peerless.
Jarrett, the 23-year-old son of NASCAR legend Dale Jarrett, was a stalwart for the Shorebirds this year, batting .277 with 14 home runs while playing all three outfield positions. He also helped lead the team’s summer baseball camps, made library visits and was a constant ambassador for the South Atlantic League Community Service Award winners in Delmarva. Phillips, Hart called up: The Orioles have the Norfolk Shuttle operating at regular-season speed even though there is nooneactually at Norfolk anymore. Rookie pitcher Evan Phillips, who was acquired in the deal that sent Kevin Gausman and Darren O’Day to the Atlanta Braves at the midseason trade deadline, and left-hander Donnie Hart were recalled Friday from the Tides roster.
Phillips, 24, came up soon after the deal and made an auspicious Orioles debut at the Texas Rangers, retiring six straight batters and striking out three, but he struggled in three other outings before being sent down. Hart, 28, has, by far, logged the most miles traveling between Norfolk and Baltimore. This is the ninth time he has been recalled this season. Rotation woes: Alex Cobb had been pitching well for the past two months until a cut on the middle finger of his pitching hand forced him out of Tuesday night’s start after only two innings. Andrew Cashner had been solid since early August but complained of knee soreness after giving up eight runs in the third inning of Wednesday night’s game and has received a cortisone shot.
Showalter said before Friday night’s game against the Chicago White Sox that Cashner still might be available for his next scheduled start, but would not commit to that until after Cashner’s work day this weekend. Cobb will sit out what would have been his Sunday start, but Showalter still hasn’t announced a replacement starter and probably won’t until after Saturday night’s game.