Baltimore Orioles' Loaded Farm System Makes History
Over the last several years, the Baltimore Orioles have carefully built up one of the best farm systems in baseball. That's translated to success in the big leagues, producing back-to-back winning seasons in 2022 and 2023, including a 101-win campaign and a division title in 2023.
With talented young stars like Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman reaching the big leagues, the Orioles are set to contend for years to come. They still have plenty of prospects waiting in the wings, too, based on the latest rankings from Baseball America.
In fact, it turns out that Baltimore's farm system is historically good.
For the third year in a row, the Orioles once again have the No. 1 prospect in Baseball America's preseason rankings. That's the first time an organization has ever achieved three straight No. 1 prospect rankings since BA began publishing rankings in 1990.
In 2022, Rutschman topped the list. He immediately delivered on his potential, finishing runner-up in AL Rookie of the Year voting that season and making his first All-Star team the following year.
In 2023, Henderson was No. 1. He won AL Rookie of the Year unanimously and finished eighth in AL MVP voting.
Now, it's Jackson Holliday's turn.
The 20-year-old middle infielder rocketed up through the minors last season, rising from Single-A all the way to Triple-A. He hit at every stop along the way, finishing the year with 12 homers, 24 steals and a .323/.442/.499 batting line.
Holliday appears ready to make an impact on the 2024 Orioles. Time will tell if he lives up to the hype and the standard set by his predecessors, but he already looks like a star in the making.
