The O's top two picks from the 2021 Draft are already big leaguers, with first-rounder Colton Cowser an American League Rookie of the Year Award candidate and second-round pick Connor Norby now with the Marlins (by way of the Trevor Rogers trade).

Both of those guys were taken out of college, but later on in Day 2 of that Draft, the Orioles surprised some by selecting high schooler Creed Willems in Round 8 and going way over slot to sign him away from his Texas Christian commitment for $1 million. A two-way guy as a prepster, Willems has been a hitter only since becoming a pro, and he¡¯s slowly been getting the hang of it, reaching Double-A for the first time in 2024. He set career highs in slugging percentage (.462), OPS (.785) and wRC+ (121) this year and is now getting some extra swings and reps behind the plate in the Arizona Fall League.

¡°I got to work with Matt Holliday a lot this offseason,¡± said the Orioles¡¯ No. 22 prospect, giving credit to the former big leaguer and father of organization-mate Jackson, for some of his improvement in 2024. ¡°Just talking to him about the hitting aspect of it ¡­ and going through a little bit of a swing change -- it was all about focusing on my mechanics.

¡°I think my approach came a long way this past year. I really started to focus on that and not just try to go up there and hit a home run every time.¡±

He was able to stick with it and make that all-important leap from High-A to Double-A. It was only 16 games with Bowie, but he did hit four homers in that short sample. Three of those four came to his pull side, and the left-handed hitter wants to keep working on that, among other things, during his time with the Surprise Saguaros.

¡°I would say being a little bit better controlling the zone,¡± Willems said. ¡°I feel like there are times where I want to hit everything, and so just trying to focus on sticking to my approach and not being afraid to hit the ball the other way and opening up some more gaps, get the defense where they can't just shift pull side, and if they do, be able to have the ability to go that way.¡±

He has a unique perspective as a hitter, not only as a former pitcher, but as someone who got to see first-hand how much better the arms were when he moved up the ladder both at and behind the plate as he continues to work on showing he can catch long-term.

¡°I think the big thing is the pitchers have better stuff, have more command, and then on the defensive side, the guys make more plays that some of the guys may have not made earlier in the season in High-A. But for the most part, it's still baseball at the end of the day, and [it's] about going out there and doing your best every day, day in and day out,¡± he said.

¡°Being in Spring Training, you catch all the guys. Whether you're at Minor League camp or big league camp, you're catching bullpens, so you have a feel for a couple of guys. At the end of the day, the job's still the same. We're still catching the ball and trying to make it look good. I was just trying to focus on that.¡±

Orioles hitters in the Fall League

Jake Cunningham, OF: A solid power-speed prospect coming out of UNC Charlotte in 2023, Cunningham went in the fifth round to the Orioles after being hampered by an ankle injury. He started slowly in his first full season and missed time with a quad injury, but he got hot late and earned a late promotion to High-A Aberdeen. The speed showed up this year with 29 steals, but the power didn¡¯t as consistently, though he did homer twice in his first five AFL games.

Douglas Hodo III, OF: A sixth-round pick in 2022, Hodo played center field at the University of Texas just like his father had. After playing in just 49 games in 2023, he had a full season this past year, touching Double-A. He¡¯s a high-energy player with a ton of speed (51 steals in 2024) and on-base skills (.382 OBP this year).

Orioles pitchers in the Fall League

Zane Barnhart, RHP: A reliever out of Hillsdale College in Michigan, Barnhart pitched well for Mahoning Valley in the Draft League, helping him land in the 17th round of the 2023 Draft. He spent the bulk of his first full season with High-A Aberdeen, finishing with a 2.58 ERA, .182 BAA and 9.6 K/9 rate. He can miss bats with a fastball he can run up to 96 mph and a solid low-80s slider, though he struggled with command of his arsenal in 2024 (5.3 BB/9).

Tyler Burch, RHP: Originally signed by the Phillies as an undrafted free agent out of Lewis-Clark State, an NAIA school in Idaho, Burch headed to the Orioles as part of a Trade Deadline deal that sent Freddy Galvis to the Phillies. He spent 2022 and 2023 pitching out of Double-A Bowie¡¯s bullpen, got hurt at the end of that ¡®23 season, then didn¡¯t make it back until August of this year. When he¡¯s healthy, he can run his fastball up to 97 mph and has a low-80s breaking ball and mid-80s changeup.

Preston Johnson, RHP: Johnson went from Hinds Community College to Mississippi State, and after starting for the Bulldogs in 2022, landed in the seventh round with the Orioles. But he missed all of the 2023 season following Tommy John surgery, coming back to compile 55 1/3 innings, almost all in relief, with High-A Aberdeen this season. He¡¯s struggled with command but has shown a low-90s fastball with a slider that can miss bats.

Juan Rojas, LHP: Signed originally by the Twins in March 2021, Rojas was sent to the Orioles at the 2022 Trade Deadline as part of the package for Jorge L¨®pez. He missed a chunk of 2023, but the 20-year-old southpaw did throw 54 2/3 innings in 2024 and missed a lot of bats (10.7 K/9) while limiting hitters to a .191 batting average.

Houston Roth, RHP: Roth has been with the Orioles since they took him in Round 29 of the 2019 Draft out of Mississippi. The 26-year-old reliever had a 3.35 ERA, 12.1 K/9 and .229 BAA, mostly using a low-90s fastball and low-80s slider to get outs.