Minor League Baseball

Baltimore Orioles Prospect Nestor German Earns Praise After Debut Season

Nestor Cortes is set to be ranked among the top 30 prospects in the Baltimore Orioles' farm system entering 2025, despite being an 11th round draft pick in 2023.
Sam Connon|
Washington, DC, USA; A Baltimore Orioles hat and glove rest on the dugout rail during a game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park.
Washington, DC, USA; A Baltimore Orioles hat and glove rest on the dugout rail during a game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

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Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles have been praised for their consistency at the top of drafts in recent years, but their front office has found diamonds in the rough as well.

On Tuesday's episode of the "MLB Pipeline" podcast, experts Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo previewed some of the most interesting prospects who will be making their debuts on their organizations' top 30 lists in 2025. The official preseason lists won't be published until next week – March 3, in the Orioles' case – but a few players seem to have spots locked up already.

Right-handed pitcher Nestor German – far from a household name – will be among the top 30 prospects in Baltimore's farm system, per Mayo.

German was the Orioles' 11th round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft coming out of Seattle University. Across 195.0 college innings, German posted a 6.37 ERA, 1.585 WHIP and 6.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

The righty didn't make his professional debut until 2024, and there wasn't much fanfare that came along with his arrival.

Then, German strung together a dominant season between Single-A Delmarva and High-A Aberdeen. Across 21 appearances – 12 of which were starts – German went 3-3 with a 1.59 ERA, 0.937 WHIP and 11.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

Mayo praised German for his ability to miss bats with his fastball, curveball, slider and splitter alike, as well as his improved control compared to his college days.

If German can prove 2024 wasn't a fluke, the 23-year-old may just find himself on a big league track.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and other "On SI'' baseball sites. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for “UCLA on SI’’ and won awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for “New England Patriots on SI’’ and was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Follow Sam on Twitter @SamConnon.

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