O's top pitching prospects set for Futures Game

BALTIMORE -- At this point of the 2019 Orioles season -- a campaign in which Baltimore’s 162-game pace could soon be in a position rival the 1962 Mets’ all-time losses record -- it's never been clearer that the focus is on the future.

That credence was given weight this past week, when No. 1 overall pick Adley Rutschman and second-rounder Gunnar Henderson were inked to deals and introduced to Orioles fans at Camden Yards. And it will be given weight in the coming week, when the Orioles are expected to showcase a new commitment to foreign scouting and make a splash on the first day of the international signing period, July 2, for the first time in the organization’s history.

But not to be lost in the amassing excitement around the team’s shifting outlook is that a couple of the more-seasoned Orioles prospects are doing their part to build for the future as well.

On Friday it was announced that right-hander Grayson Rodriguez and lefty DL Hall -- the organization’s top two pitching prospects -- had been selected to represent the organization at the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game. The first-rounders from the past two years will play on the American League team in the revamped game, which will be held July 7 at 7 p.m. CT at Progressive Field and broadcasted on MLB Network.

“Congratulations to those guys. There’s a lot of good things happening in our Minor League system right now, especially at the lower levels,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said before the Orioles opened a three-game series against the Indians on Friday. “We’re pitching really well and striking a bunch of guys out. There’s excitement about that. It’s not right around the corner, but anytime we have guys in our organization performing well, being recognized –Futures Game, that’s a big deal on national TV -- those types of things are great.”

The 2019 game will look a bit different from past years. It will be the first game that features American League prospects versus National League as opposed to U.S. versus World teams. The game will also be shortened from nine to seven innings.

For Rodriguez, the selection highlights an astronomical rise to become the club’s No. 1 prospect (and No. 53 overall), according to MLB Pipeline. His 2019 season -- with a 2.21 ERA in 11 starts with a 5.2 strikeout-to-walk ratio with Single-A Delmarva -- has turned heads, and now he’ll get the chance to showcase his talent on a bigger stage.

Hall's rise – he is the O’s No. 3 prospect and No. 66 on the MLB Pipeline Top 100 -- was more gradual and the selection is a reaffirmation of his potential, despite a trying 4.25 ERA with Class A Advanced Fredrick this year after a 2.10 mark with Delmarva in 2018.

Last year, the Orioles’ No. 2 and No. 4 prospects, Ryan Mountcastle and Yusniel Diaz respectively, took part in the Futures Game. Diaz was still a Dodger at the time and would be sent to Baltimore in the Manny Machado trade just days after becoming the second individual in Futures Game history to smack a pair of home runs.

Mountcastle, for his part, went 0-for-2 with a strikeout in the game. He was recently selected alongside Orioles No. 6 prospect, left-hander Keegan Akin, to represent Triple-A Norfolk at the International League All-Star Game in El Paso, Texas, on July 10.

“You want to see a healthy organization,” Hyde said. “And [general manager and executive vice Mike Elias] has talked about getting more talent in the organization, and we talk about getting more waves of talent to come through. It sounds like the pitching at our lower levels is doing fantastic, and that’s great news for us.”

Other notable Orioles in past All-Star Futures Games include current catcher Chance Sisco and reliever Tanner Scott (in the 2017 installment), Sisco again (in ‘16), current Double-A Bowie right-hander Hunter Harvey (in ‘14), Machado and Dylan Bundy (in ‘12) and Machado and Jonathan Schoop (in ‘11), among several others.

Inspiring Frederick youngster tosses first pitch

Sara Hinesley, a 10-year-old from Frederick, Md., threw out Friday’s ceremonial first pitch. Hinesley pulled at the heartstrings of many for winning the Zaner-Bloser National Handwriting Contest -- an awarded given to a student with a cognitive delay or intellectual, physical or developmental disability -- for her excellence in cursive writing.

Hinesley, who was born without hands, migrated from China four years ago and has learned near-fluent English in that time. She said she practiced for about a day or two before tossing a strike to a fellow Frederick resident, Orioles’ reliever Brendan Kline.

Asked what people can take from her inspirational story, Hinesley said, “It’s never good to give up. Try to figure out things that you can’t do and do things that are hard.”

From the trainers’ room

? Reliever Josh Rogers said earlier this week he was planning to get a second opinion on his left UCL strain, and his appointment with orthopedic surgeon Keith Meister in Dallas has now been set for Tuesday. Rogers is particularly concerned about the possibility of Tommy John surgery this time around due, having already done it once before as a high school senior in 2013.

“Any injury right now on the pitching staff is especially tough, especially for a guy we were hoping would give us some innings, some length in our bullpen, whatever it may be,” Hyde said. “I’m hoping for the best.”

? Outfielder DJ Stewart, who is currently rehabbing a right ankle sprain with the Orioles’ Gulf Coast League affiliate, is nearing a rehab stint with a higher affiliate, Hyde said Friday. Stewart has not played in a Major League game since spraining his ankle on June 5 at Texas.