Holliday Remains At Top of Orioles Top 30 Prospect Rankings
The Baltimore Orioles have retained their status as the best minor league season in baseball and its latest Top 30 prospect rankings from MLB Pipeline reflect it.
The Orioles’ No. 1 prospect remained Jackson Holliday, the shortstop of the future who is trying to show the Orioles that he’s ready for a Major League job, even though he was their first-round pick less than two years ago.
The son of former Major League star Matt Holliday is having an impressive spring. Just Tuesday, he clobbered a leadoff double off one of the best pitchers in baseball, Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler, and went 3-for-4 in the game. He already has more spring at-bats than any other Orioles player (21) and has an OPS of .983.
In other words, he may not be at the top of these prospect rankings for long. If he makes the Majors and plays for about a month, he’ll graduate and the No. 2 prospect on the list would likely slide up to No. 1.
The No. 1 in waiting is catcher/first baseman Samuel Basallo, who is No. 2 but working his way through an injury that will likely delay his 2024 debut in the minors. Like Holliday, he is one of the Top 100 prospect in baseball.
So is Colton Cowser, an outfielder who hit a walk-off home run in his spring training debut and had a cup of coffee in the Majors last season. He is No. 3 in the O’s rankings.
Third baseman Coby Mayo, also in the Top 100, is No. 4, followed by another Top 100 player, outfielder Heston Kjerstad, at No. 5.
The Orioles are stacked up top, but if some of them graduate this season the rankings could shift fast.
The rest of the Top 10 included outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr., infielder/outfielder Connor Norby, outfielder Dylan Beavers, pitcher Chayce McDermott and pitcher Cade Povich.
Prospects ranked Nos. 11-20 included pitcher Seth Johnson, infielder Mac Horvath, outfielder Jud Fabian, outfielder Braylin Tavera, infielder Max Wagner, infielder Leandro Arias, pitcher Trace Bright, pitcher Luis De León, pitcher Jackson Baumeister and shortstop Luis Almeyda.
Prospects ranked Nos. 21-30 included pitcher Justin Armbruester, third baseman Joshua Liranzo, outfielder Thomas Sosa, outfielder John Rhodes, pitcher Alex Pham, outfielder Hudson Haskin, pitcher Juan Nuñez, shortstop Frederick Bencosme, pitcher Carter Baumler and catcher Creed Willems.
