O's prospects poised for big things in '25

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BALTIMORE -- Entering the 2024 season, the Orioles’ farm system was again ranked by MLB Pipeline as the best in baseball. It marked their sixth consecutive appearance in the top spot, a streak that dated back to the ‘21 midseason edition.

Then, three of Baltimore’s top five prospects graduated to big league rookies -- infielder Jackson Holliday (No. 1) and outfielders Colton Cowser (No. 3) and Heston Kjerstad (No. 5).

Yet, plenty of talent remains in the O’s pipeline, hence why they only fell to No. 3 in the midseason farm system rankings released in mid-August. That’s a testament to the club’s ability to draft and develop players since Mike Elias was hired as general manager in November 2018.

With the 2024 campaign in the books, let’s look at some Orioles prospects who stood out this season, as well as others who could break out next year.

3 players who forced their way onto the radar

RHP Brandon Young (O's No. 19 prospect)
Elias said it himself in mid-August -- Young’s performance in the Minors this season put the 26-year-old right-hander “on the radar screen” for a potential big league callup. Although it didn’t happen this year, the 2024 Jim Palmer Minor League Pitcher of the Year Award winner is in a great position to earn his first promotion to The Show in ‘25.

Young, an undrafted free agent signing in 2020, began the year by returning to Double-A Bowie, where he posted a 4.09 ERA in seven games (six starts) and accumulated 36 strikeouts in 22 innings. He was then bumped up to Triple-A Norfolk and excelled, recording a 3.44 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 89 innings over 20 outings (18 starts).

RHP Patrick Reilly (O's No. 14 prospect)
Reilly’s breakout year began in the Pirates’ system, as the 2023 fifth-round Draft pick pitched to a 3.38 ERA over 19 starts for High-A Greensboro. The 23-year-old right-hander was then traded to Baltimore in a July 30 prospect swap that sent infielder/outfielder Billy Cook to Pittsburgh.

After reporting to Double-A Bowie, Reilly recorded a 3.73 ERA in eight games (six starts). He could fare even better in 2025, when he’ll be more familiar with the pitching coaches and development plan in the Orioles’ system.

INF/OF Aron Estrada (O's No. 29 prospect)
A 19-year-old who was signed out of Venezuela in January 2022, Estrada broke into Baltimore’s Top 30 with a strong 91-game showing at Single-A Delmarva, where he hit .296 with 18 doubles, three triples, eight homers, 43 RBIs and a .795 OPS. Estrada was promoted to High-A Aberdeen and posted a .678 OPS over 26 games for the IronBirds.

Estrada also impressed with his versatility, spending time at second base (53 games), third base (four), shortstop (32), left field (14), center field (eight) and right field (five).

2 breakout players to watch in 2025

OF Stiven Martinez (O's No. 10 prospect)
Signed for $950,000 out of the Dominican Republic in January, the 17-year-old Martinez had a strong 41-game showing in the Dominican Summer League, where he posted a .278/.417/.466 slash line with 13 extra-base hits (including four home runs). He should come stateside in 2025, and his 55-grade power could lead to a big showing.

RHP Keeler Morfe (O's No. 27 prospect)
No pitcher in the Orioles’ system throws heat like Morfe, whose 70-grade fastball routinely sits in the upper 90s and touches triple digits. In 2024, the 18-year-old Venezuelan right-hander had a 0.82 ERA over seven outings in the Dominican Summer League before joining Single-A Delmarva and recording a 6.75 ERA in four starts. The stuff is there, and results should follow.

1 big prospect question for next season

Could Samuel Basallo reach the Majors before the end of 2025?

Basallo (the O’s No. 2 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 13 overall) is still only 20, and the Dominican catcher/first baseman won’t turn 21 until Aug. 13, 2025. That doesn’t mean he’s too young to potentially get his first taste of the big leagues late in the '25 season, though.

This year, Basallo raked at Double-A Bowie -- posting a .289/.355/.465 slash line with 16 homers in 106 games -- before getting moved up for a 21-game stint at Triple-A Norfolk.

Basallo’s progression feels similar to that of Holliday, who played 18 Triple-A games as a 19-year-old in 2023, competed for a job in Spring Training in '24 and broke into the big leagues later in the season.

“I think it will be a lot like Holliday,” Elias said of Basallo in late August. “You go into Spring Training as a guy that finished in Triple-A, you’re a real member of Spring Training at that point, and we’ll just kind of take it from there.”