The excitement following Wednesday’s 10-4 victory over Toronto, highlighted by a grand slam from Jackson Holliday, was dashed when it was revealed that Jordan Westburg had fractured his right hand and would require extensive recovery time.
The bad news that lefty Trevor Rogers gave up five runs in his Orioles debut last night, when they were crushed 10-3 by Cleveland, was somewhat alleviated by the announcement that Coby Mayo will be joining the team today in Cleveland.
This is where MASNSports.com initially broke the story yesterday night.
Baseball America ranks Mayo as the No. 12 prospect in the top 100, while MLBPipeline.com ranks him No. 15.
It appeared that Mayo could take over at third base in Westburg’s place if he got hurt. However, Livan Soto received a call yesterday. But now, all of a sudden, the squad is looking to Mayo.
With a hitting line of.308/.384/.619/1.003, he has had an incredible year. Of those, four are spent with High-A Aberdeen recovering from injuries. He has hit.301 with 20 home runs, 61 RBIs, and a.961 OPS in 77 games at Triple-A Norfolk.
Holliday was questioned on Wednesday regarding his plans to play with Mayo and the Tides this season.
About Mayo’s season, Holliday remarked, “It’s unbelievable.” “His power is astounding to all, but he’s also a decent hitter, even on average.” Simply a strong striker. hitting Triple-A ball at a.300 clip. It’s a serious bat. I know how hard he works, and he has an incredible arm. He will be capable of playing third if called upon.”
A homegrown first-to-third infield consisting of talents like Ryan Mountcastle, Holliday, Gunnar Henderson, and Mayo would be the envy of most clubs. And that’s assuming Westburg is not hurt. So, all in all, quite decent.
Draft math as every pick signed by the O’s: As of yesterday, the Orioles have signed 21 of the 21 players they had drafted this season. They concurred early on Thursday with Vance Honeycutt, the outfielder for UNC, who was their first choice. Afterwards, they acquired Iziah Salinas, a left-handed pitcher selected in round 17 as their final unsigned player. The deadline for signing 2024 draft picks was yesterday.
Jim Callis of MLB.com reports that Honeycutt agreed to a $4 million bonus. The No. 22 overall choice had a slot amount of $3,802,200 indicated.
Right-handed batter Honeycutt, a center fielder for the Tarheels, finished his junior season with an OPS of 1.124 over 62 games while hitting.318/.410/.714 with 13 doubles, two triples, 28 home runs, and 70 RBIs. That single-season home run total set a school record. Additionally, he won two straight ACC Defensive Player of the Year awards, a first for the conference.
At an O’s Zoom press conference, Honeycutt, 21, declared, “Super exciting day.” “The past several weeks have been really thrilling. You know, it seems like a chapter is kind of coming to an end and a new one is beginning on your path. Simply having faith in the representation and the process. It’s been fantastic.
“I’ve only heard fantastic things regarding their players’ progress who entered the system. It’s really wonderful to have the chance to accomplish that. eager to get underway.”
After completing his orientation in Sarasota, Florida, Honeycutt is expected to begin his professional career with Low-A Delmarva.
Based on my computations using bonuses from MLBPipeline.com and Baseball America, the O’s have $545,900 more than their whole draft pool of $10,920,900. Teams are taxed 75% of the overage. If they were to surpass the pool by more than five percent, they would forfeit a draft choice. They cut it close because five percent of the O’s pool is $546,045 dollars. If my math is right, that is. They would be required to pay $409,425 for the tax overage.
The O’s seem to have spent a lot of money this year to secure the signings of all of their draft picks.
A defeat in Cleveland: Trevor Rogers, a lefty, had a rough start to his O’s career. The O’s lost 10-3 in Cleveland yesterday night despite his giving up five runs in 4 1/3 innings.
The Orioles now sit atop the AL East in a tie with the Yankees after dropping to 65-45. In their last 12 games, the Orioles have suffered seven losses. Since June 21, they have a -39 run difference and are 16–20.
Since 1994, the Orioles have a 35-73 (.324) record at Progressive Field in Cleveland.
The O’s lost by seven or more runs for the eighth time this season last night.
The Orioles have dropped seven of their last eleven games versus Cleveland and are 1-3 on the season. In the previous 45 games against the Guardians, they are 15-30.
After going 1-for-2 with a double and a walk last night, Colton Cowser’s hitting streak reached 14 games. He now has an OPS of.790. His current hitting streak has seen him bat 20 for 52,.385/.441/.673/1.114, with four home runs and thirteen RBIs.
With his home run yesterday night, Anthony Santander now has 32, one less than his career best of 33 from two years ago. Since June 1, he has hit 23 home runs in 54 games, nine in 15 games, and three in his past five games. Santander is now hitting in those 54 games.282/.335/.643/.978.
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