Standouts continuing to stand out
Top prospects Henderson, Hall are hitting their stride
As the Orioles add new players to an already highly ranked farm system through the Major League Baseball draft, the prospects in the system continue to stand out. Baltimore has been in this position before, having picked first overall twice in four drafts under executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias.
In 2019, the Orioles chose catcher Adley Rutschman, and now he’s emerging at the major league level. On Sunday, Baltimore drafted shortstop Jackson Holliday, the son of seven-time MLB All-Star Matt Holliday, out of Stillwater High School in Oklahoma. It begins another cycle for the Orioles, rejuvenating a prospect corps in which several recent top draft picks are nearing the majors.
“A combination of having all the data available to us, communication, effective logistics and resource planning has kind of allowed us to ultimately get to this point,” Orioles director of draft operations Brad Ciolek said. “Clearly, our player development coaches do a tremendous job on that side of the organization.”
Entering the All-Star break, it was another strong week for Baltimore minor leaguers. The fresh crop — with 12 selections between the first two days of the draft — will report to the Florida Complex League for rookie ball after signing their contracts.
Each week, The Baltimore Sun will break down five of the top performers in the Orioles’ prospect ranks and hand out some superlatives for those who didn’t make that cut.