With the 2014 season officially wrapping up in the next few days, Baseball America released the Orioles’ top 10 prospects list Monday with a familiar name once again at the top.
For the third straight year, pitching prospect Dylan Bundy was named the organization’s No. 1 prospect by the publication after the 21-year-old right-hander bounced back from last year’s Tommy John surgery. Bundy made nine starts split between short-season Single-A Aberdeen and Single-A Frederick, going 1-3 with a 3.27 ERA in 41 1/3 innings.
Bundy’s numbers were less impressive at Frederick as he posted a 4.78 ERA in six starts spanning 26 1/3 innings, but the Orioles were encouraged with his overall health despite a minor lat strain that brought his season to an end in mid-August. With a regular offseason ahead of him, Bundy is expected to compete for an opportunity to crack the Orioles’ pitching staff at some point during the 2015 season.
Another pitcher, 2013 first-round pick Hunter Harvey, was ranked as the Orioles’ No. 2 prospect after an impressive season at Single-A Delmarva in which he went 7-5 with a 3.18 ERA and 106 strikeouts in 17 starts covering 87 2/3 innings. A flexor mass strain cut the right-hander’s season short, but executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette has said the 19-year-old will not need surgery.
After making his major league debut in September, first baseman Christian Walker was the top position player on the Orioles’ list at the third spot and impressed with his 53 extra-base hits split between Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk that earned him the organization’s minor league player of the year award. The Orioles still want to see Walker improve more defensively, but his strides in 2014 have made him a candidate to potentially take over for Chris Davis if the first baseman departs as a free agent after next season.
Catcher Chance Sisco and outfielder Dariel Alvarez rounded out the top five as Sisco won the South Atlantic League batting title for Delmarva and Alvarez was named to the Futures Game. Alvarez, 25, has a chance to contribute for the Orioles in 2015 as he possesses strong defensive skills and stroked 55 extra-base hits split between Bowie and Norfolk this past season.
Below is the Orioles’ top 10 list released by Baseball America with the affiliate to which they’re projected to be assigned for the start of 2015:
1. RHP Dylan Bundy – Double-A Bowie
2. RHP Hunter Harvey – Single-A Frederick
3. 1B Christian Walker – Triple-A Norfolk
4. C Chance Sisco – Single-A Frederick
5. OF Dariel Alvarez – Triple-A Norfolk
6. RHP Zach Davies – Triple-A Norfolk
7. LHP Tim Berry – Triple-A Norfolk
8. RHP Mike Wright – Triple-A Norfolk
9. OF Mike Yastrzemski – Double-A Bowie
10. INF Jomar Reyes – Single-A Delmarva
