Mountcastle reigns as Orioles start rebuild
Each offseason, MiLB.com goes position by position across each system and honors the players -- regardless of age or prospect status -- who had the best seasons in their organization. Click here to locate your favorite club.For the team with the Majors' lowest win total, things have nowhere to go
Each offseason, MiLB.com goes position by position across each system and honors the players -- regardless of age or prospect status -- who had the best seasons in their organization. Click here to locate your favorite club.
For the team with the Majors' lowest win total, things have nowhere to go but up. A series of midseason trades casting off five Major League All-Stars provided an influx of talent to a system that needed depth. Brian Graham, the Orioles' director of player development, was cautiously optimistic about the trade haul but saw the new players provide an immediate impact for Double-A Bowie, a team that was assigned six of the nine deadline acquisitions to finish among the club's Top 30.
Though all players brought into the organization midseason were deliberate All-Star omissions, more than half the list cut their teeth with the Baysox. Class A Delmarva was Baltimore's only full-season affiliate to finish with a winning record, but Graham viewed the combination of new players and organizational stalwarts in Bowie as forming the most talented team in Double-A by year's end.
A list of Baltimore's standout Minor Leaguers may look very different at the end of next season -- no doubt including the No. 1 overall 2019 Draft pick -- the blend of gradually developing prospects and some veterans well beyond their prospect status filled the roster of Organization All-Stars.
Orioles Organization All-Stars
Catcher --
"It was really neat to see a player improve and evolve like he did over the course of the season," Graham said. "He's a guy that receives well, he blocks well, he's a big body and a big target to throw to with a plus arm."
Cervenka caught more than 800 innings over 93 games in his first full season as a starting backstop. He made only seven errors while throwing out 28 of 96 (29.1 percent) of would-be base stealers.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pounder also posted his best offensive power numbers with 15 homers and 60 RBIs while batting .258/.317/.457. Cervenka was named Eastern League Player of the Month in July after batting .364 (24-for-66) with five doubles, seven homers and 25 RBIs.
First base --
"He deserves a lot of credit," Graham said, "He's just a grinder. He can flat out hit."
It was the second consecutive year in which Rodriguez played at Double-A for the full season. He has yet to play in a Triple-A game.
"He needs to be able to go to Triple-A and prove whether he can hit or not," Graham said. "It's up to him where he wants to play next year, but he can really hit."
Organization All-Stars by MLB affiliate »
Second base --
"Very few people in baseball had that ratio with the numbers that he had of home runs, batting average and just the ability to get on base," Graham said. "The makeup is off the charts, his presence in the lineup really helps the young hitters."
The 29-year-old made his Major League debut with the Yankees in 2013 and filled in as a utility man in Baltimore for 14 games this year. The wily veteran also demonstrated an advanced command of the zone, striking out 43 times while drawing 52 walks.
Third base --
Graham said that the defensive switch was prompted by a growth sport for the 6-foot-3, 195-pounder that gives him a better profile at third base.
"He's making strides and getting better defensively, so for right now, he's probably on to the next level and watch the bat continue to grow," Graham said.
What did remain consistent for MLB.com's No. 63 overall prospect was his ability to hit. After missing the first month of the season with broken bone in his hand, Mountcastle batted .297/.341/.464 with 13 homers and 59 RBIs.
"The maturity as a young hitter that he showed this year was outstanding," Graham said. "He competed extremely well, his recognition of pitches was much better this year. He recognized off-speed pitches, breaking balls, showed power."
Shortstop --
An oblique strain held him to just two games in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League after the Draft last year, but the Orioles No. 27 prospect hit safely in 19 consecutive games this August and finished second in the NYPL with 22 steals while batting .293/.368/.374 with 14 extra-base hits and 24 RBIs.
"I think he surprised a lot of us with how well he was able to compete at that level with so little experience," Graham said. "He did everything you want out of a good middle infielder."
Outfield --
"For a young play who had not played above the South Atlantic League level, to play the way he did in Frederick was pretty special," Graham said. "He hit for average, he got on base at a very high rate, he cut down on his strikeouts, he showed some power, he stole some bases and he played plus defense."
He did not continue his torrid pace at Double-A but remained productive, finishing with a .679 OPS in his first year at the level.
"He really showed maturity," Graham said. "He had as good an approach as anybody in our organization."
"In Triple-A, he had really good at-bats. He kind of showed the ability to use the whole field," Graham said. "Just his quality of offensive maturity this year in Triple-A was really impressive to me."
"He's a plus defender and he can run the ball down in all directions … it's a difference-maker," Graham said. "Offensively, especially left-handed, he's a weapon. He gets on base, he scores runs, he actually will hit a home run when he gets a good pitch. He does a lot of things that put pressure on the other team."
Designated hitter -- Wilson Garcia, Frederick (108 games), Class A Advanced Clearwater (Phillies -- seven games): Garcia played seven years in the Phillies system and opened the season in the Florida State League, but an injury to
"He's a kid that uses his hands extremely well to hit," Graham said. "He really understands the strike zone. He's one of those guys that when you watch him, you know he sees the ball and has a feel for what he's doing."
Left-handed starting pitcher --
"Zac throws strikes, he pitches inside, he has a plus curveball, good changeup, and he commands the baseball," Graham said.
A 2017 first-rounder out of Xavier, Lowther finished 8-4 with a 2.18 ERA and 151 punchouts in 123 2/3 total innings. He does not have an overpowering fastball, but his 6-foot-2, 235-pound frames works to create a deceptive delivery.
"I know analytically, he grades out very high," Graham said. "He's got a high spin rate and good extension to the plate. He throws the fastball in the zone and doesn't seem to get hit. He's one of those pitchers that has the ability to pitch up in the strike zone with a four-seam fastball."
Right-handed starting pitcher --
"He throws strikes. He commands the baseball whether it's a sinker, slider or changeup, everything is down in the zone," Graham said. "He works fast, he's got a great maturity, poise, composure for a young player."
The 6-foot-5, 180-pounder still has room to fill out, which could provide an uptick in velocity, but he's maintained success by being very methodical and calculated with his delivery.
Relief pitcher --
"For Minor League relievers it's about getting outs and getting outs early in counts," Graham said. "Erwin threw strikes, there's life to the fastball, he can throw the slider in any count for strikes. He throws the changeup to left-handers and right-handers."
Gerard Gilberto is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow and interact with him on Twitter, @GerardGilberto4.