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Welcome to my 2024 team-by-team prospect rankings. Over the next few months, I'll be going through all 30 MLB farm systems, ranking my top 10 in each system, and discussing the profiles and long-term outlooks of these players.
Per usual, this Baltimore system is absolutely loaded, primarily on the hitting side where they currently have six top-100 overall prospects and a few more that aren't far off. However, things aren't as rosy on the pitching side of the system now that Grayson Rodriguez and Kyle Bradish have graduated to the majors.
Check out the rest of the top 10s throughout the offseason here. If you want to see the full top 40 plus more rankings and content, then head on over to my Patreon!
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Baltimore Orioles Top Prospects
1. Jackson Holliday, SS
Age on 4/1/2024: 20.3 | Highest Level: AAA | ETA: 2024
There's plenty of debate around who the top overall prospect in baseball is right now, and Jackson Holliday is firmly in that conversation along with Wyatt Langford and Junior Caminero. The second-generation star is arguably the best pure hitter in the minor leagues and he proved that in 2023 by slashing .323/.442/.499 in 581 plate appearances across four levels, ending the season with 18 games in Triple-A. Pretty impressive for a 19-year-old.
But outside of his elite hit tool, how much power Holliday will provide is the question. He's at least an average power bat with more projection left to add strength, but he simply cannot match the power upside that Langford and Caminero possess. But even as a 50-grade power bat, Holliday's upside is a .300+ hitter with 20 home runs and 25 steals annually.
2. Coby Mayo, 3B
Age on 4/1/2024: 22.3 | Highest Level: AAA | ETA: 2024
Every time I update my prospect rankings, Coby Mayo continues to wiggle his way higher each time. Ever since he was drafted in the fourth round of the 2020 draft, immense power has been Mayo's calling card and he flexed that power often in 2023 with 45 doubles and 29 home runs. Overall, Mayo led the entire minor leagues with 77 extra-base hits.
However, it's been the development of his contact skills and approach that really has me excited. Mayo's contact skills don't stand out, but he increased them to the 72-73% range, which is more than acceptable when they come with elite Quality of Contact metrics. He also increased his walk rate from 9.1% to 15.1% in 2023 while trimming his strikeout rate from 26% to 24.1%. This is a middle-of-the-order masher in the making with a .260/35+ upside.
3. Samuel Basallo, C/1B
Age on 4/1/2024: 19.6 | Highest Level: AA | ETA: 2025
This Baltimore Orioles system was already loaded on the hitting side and now they have another elite hitting prospect in Samuel Basallo. While playing most of the season at age 18, Basallo slashed a robust .313/.402/.551 with 26 doubles, 20 home runs, and 12 steals in 114 games. Basallo also demonstrated a sound approach at the plate with a 12.6% walk rate and 19.5% strikeout rate.
Basallo has a strong frame with plus or better raw power along with at least average contact skills. He was in the 70% contact rate range this season, but with his quality of contact, that rate should be fine moving forward as long as he continues showing advanced pitch recognition and swing decisions. This is the type of bat that would look phenomenal with catcher eligibility but still be able to make a nice impact as a first baseman as well.
4. Colton Cowser, OF
Age on 4/1/2024: 24.0 | Highest Level: MLB | ETA: Debuted
It's funny how a mere 77 plate appearances can cause a player's perceived value to shift so much. Cowser went from being a top-10 prospect in some rankings to someone whose value has dropped to the point where they're a great buy in dynasty leagues right now. Those 77 plate appearances of hitting .115 have made many forget that Cowser was a .298 hitter in the minor leagues with a .420 OBP over 258 games.
With that said, Cowser did swing a miss a bit too much and didn't post the greatest contact rates. But he still projects to hit around .260 or so while flirting with 20/20 annually given his average game power and above-average speed. Don't write him off for the underwhelming small sample size with Baltimore.
5. Heston Kjerstad, OF
Age on 4/1/2024: 25.1 | Highest Level: MLB | ETA: Debuted
After missing more than two calendar years due to the canceled 2020 season and subsequent health issues, Heston Kjerstad returned during the summer of 2022 and hit over .300 in both 2022 and 2023 before his promotion to Baltimore late in the 2023 season. I'm not expecting him to continue hitting north of .300, but Kjerstad has proven to be a better pure hitter than many, myself included, gave him credit for when he was a surprise #2 overall pick back in the 2020 draft.
Kjerstad fits your typical corner outfielder mold with plus power that he showed consistently in 2023 with an average EV close to 90 mph and a 90th percentile EV around 105 mph. He won't provide much speed, but Kjerstad could settle in as a .260/30 type for Baltimore.
6. Connor Norby, 2B
Age on 4/1/2024: 23.8 | Highest Level: AAA | ETA: 2024
Through his first 40 games in 2023, Connor Norby was hitting a respectable .263 but with a .377 SLG, .114 ISO, and a trio of home runs. Then, from May 20 through the end of the season, Norby slashed .305/.379/.537 with a .232 ISO and 19 home runs in 101 games. While Norby doesn't project as a major power source, he could certainly settle in as a 20-homer bat annually.
Outside of the power, Norby has shown above-average contact skills and around average speed. In 2023, Norby's contact rate was just over 75% in Triple-A and he also kept his strikeout rate in check at 21.3%. Long-term, Norby might not be a starting second baseman for fantasy, but he could be a nice middle infield option with .270/20/10+ upside.
7. Mac Horvath, 2B/3B
Age on 4/1/2024: 22.7 | Highest Level: Hi-A | ETA: 2025
Every so often, you have to plant your flag on certain prospects. Well, I'm planting a flag on former North Carolina standout Mac Horvath. When you combine his 2022 and 2023 collegiate numbers, Horvath combined for 42 home runs and 44 steals in 123 games and added another five home runs and 14 steals in 22 minor league games after the draft with a .321/.455/.603 slash line.
While Horvath does have some concerns in the contact department and had a sub-70% contact rate after the draft, his rates aren't exactly what I would deem terrible. And when you factor in his plus power and speed blend along with his ability to draw walks at a high clip, Horvath still has the makings of an impact player for fantasy purposes with a legit 25/25 upside. That could come with second-base eligibility, too. He's being severely undervalued in FYPDs and overall in prospect rankings.
8. Dylan Beavers, OF
Age on 4/1/2024: 22.7 | Highest Level: AA | ETA: 2025
If you're looking for a prospect who could be top-five in this organization by the end of the 2024 season, Dylan Beavers would be my selection. The 2022 first-round selection possesses a plus power/speed blend and has shown better contact skills than expected so far as a professional.
After slashing .322/.438/.460 in 23 games after the draft in 2022, Beavers followed that up with a .288/.383/.467 slash line in 2023 with 35 doubles, 11 home runs, and 27 steals in 119 games between Hi-A and Double-A. Beavers also showed a solid approach in 2023 with a 13.3% walk rate and 22.1% strikeout rate. If Beavers can maintain his approach and start translating his raw power into game power more consistently in 2024, he could jump inside my top 50 overall prospect rankings.
9. Enrique Bradfield Jr., OF
Age on 4/1/2024: 22.3 | Highest Level: Hi-A | ETA: 2025
We shift from one FYPD bat to another with Enrique Bradfield. The former Vanderbilt center fielder and 2023 17th overall pick immediately joined the discussion for the fastest prospect in baseball with no doubt 80-grade speed along with a high baserunning IQ and efficiency stealing bases. In his 143 stolen base attempts in college, Bradfield was only caught 13 times and was successful on 90.9% of his attempts. It also helps that he's a high OBP player who posted a .426 OBP and more walks (131) than strikeouts (122) while at Vanderbilt.
But while the contact skills, on-base abilities, and speed are all prevalent, Bradfield gets dinged for his minimal power output and projection. I'm not one who believes he'll be a zero in the power department, however, and probably flirts with double-digit homers annually. If that is indeed the case, Bradfield could wind up as a top-100 overall fantasy player.
10. Joey Ortiz, SS
Age on 4/1/2024: 25.7 | Highest Level: MLB | ETA: Debuted
With all the big names in this Baltimore farm system, Joey Ortiz has continuously flown under the radar in prospect rankings, including in mine. After a breakout 2022 where he slashed .284/.349/.477 with 35 doubles, 19 home runs, and eight steals, Ortiz hit .321 in 88 Triple-A games in 2022 while ranking up nine home runs, 11 steals, and a whopping 30 doubles.
While Ortiz doesn't have any standout tools, he's at least average across the board and can play multiple infield positions. I'm anticipating he turns into Baltimore's version of Chris Taylor with a similar offensive upside. Don't sleep on him.
If you enjoyed these rankings and want to see the full top 40 along with additional rankings, analysis, and more, check out Eric's Toolshed Fantasy Patreon.
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