SERIES PREVIEW: Somerset vs. Bowie

Bridgewater, New Jersey- The Somerset Patriots, the New York Yankees Double-A affiliate, will take on the Bowie Baysox (Baltimore Orioles), in their upcoming homestand from Tuesday, August 3rd through Sunday, August 8th.

BUY TICKETS!

The Baysox are currently in second place in the Double-A Northeast South division behind the Akron RubberDucks (Cleveland Indians). Their roster has three of the organization's top ten prospects, including Baseball America’s second overall prospect Adley Rutschman.

Rutschman was drafted first overall in the 2019 draft out of Oregon State. The catcher had received both the Golden Spikes and Dick Howser awards in his junior campaign with the Beavers before getting drafted by the Orioles.

Rutschman has been climbing the ranks of the minor league system quickly, reaching Double-A in his second professional season. The switch-hitter produces more power from the left side of the plate, but is effective from both. This year he has amassed 16 home runs and 51 RBI. He is currently slashing a .271 average, .396 on-base percentage and .498 slugging percentage. He ranks fourth in the league in on-base percentage, fourth in RBI and sixth in home runs. On top of that, Rutschman has an above-average pop time behind the plate and is a great defensive catcher. As he focuses on honing his pitch calling better, Rutschman is an exciting minor leaguer that will make his way up to the show in the next couple of years.

Alongside Rutschman, the Orioles number two prospect Grayson Rodriguez is also now a part of the Baysox rotation. After starting this season with the High-A team, Rodriguez is currently holding a 2.91 ERA through 43.1 innings. He was named Co-Minor League Pitcher of the Year in the Orioles organization in 2019 after dominating Low-A, and hasn’t slowed down. Rodriguez has a powerful fastball that has gotten him to where he is, but he is currently working on adding more power behind his breaking balls to work through hitters he can’t blow away. Rodriguez has collected 65 strikeouts with the Baysox this year.

D.L. Hall, the Orioles fourth-ranked prospect, has also been a challenge for opposing batters. The southpaw has held opposing batters to a .145 average over seven appearances this year. Since separating his slider and curveball, the lefty has become increasingly difficult for hitters on both sides of the plate. Additionally, Hall has solid control through the fifth inning, but his endurance still needs to be built up, with his batting average against going up from .071 to .400 between the fifth and sixth innings. This is when – if the Patriots see him – their offense will need to strike.

The Patriots took five of six against the Reading Fightin Phils last week. Entering the week, Somerset is tied for first in the Northeast Division and just a half game behind Akron for the best record in the league.

Oswald Peraza, the third-ranked Yankees prospect, enters the series hitting .274 with a .330 on-base percentage. The shortstop struggled last week though, finishing just 5-for-28 with a home run and two RBI.

Left-handed pitcher Ken Waldichuk shined in his start last week twirling six shutout innings against the Fightin Phils. Saturday night’s win was the 13th shutout this season for the Patriots pitching staff, the most of any minor league team this season. Waldichuk’s 117 strikeouts this season rank third among all minor league pitchers.

The Baysox will be a challenge for the Patriots this coming week, and fans should get excited to see these top prospects come to TD Bank Ballpark. The series begins on August 3rd with first pitch at 7:05 pm.