2023 Bowie Baysox

[Frobby]

This year’s Baysox look like a pretty dull group.  Following this morning’s loss, their record is 6-14, tied for worst in the Eastern League.  Going into play today, the Baysox ranked last in runs/game (3.53) and OPS (.637).  Their pitchers ranked a decent 4th/12 in ERA (3.65) but 7th in runs allowed/game (4.37).   As you might surmise, their defense has been shoddy, with the second worst fielding percentage in the EL (.966), the second most unearned runs and an okay CS% (22%}.

The offense has two good prospects, Heston Kjerstad (.992 OPS after today’s game) and Coby Mayo (.863).   Cesar Prieto has looked okay (.833) and maybe he could carve out a Hanser Alberto-type career for some team, but probably not the O’s with all our IF depth.  Zach Watson is in his third stint with Bowie, and while he’s doing better this time around (.736), I think his prospect days are behind him.  Second-tier prospects Johnny Rhodes (.601) and Dont’a Williams (.599) have not impressed.  

On the pitching side, Justin Armbruester leads the starters with a 1.40 ERA in 19.1 innings. Chayce McDermott, who pitched today, has a 2.86 ERA in 20.1 innings with 12.0 K/9.  Highly regarded Cade Povich is at 3.71 in 17.1 innings with 14.3 K/9.  Carlos Tavera has been disappointing so far, 6.30 ERA in 10 innings.  

Overall, there are pockets of good talent here but it’s a pretty thin team, especially when you look at all the talent that passed through Bowie last year.  Here’s hoping that Beavers, Fabian and Holliday can play well enough to get promoted to Bowie and make things more interesting later this year.  


 

 

Edited May 2, 2023 by Frobby

[Yossarian]

This post is holding up well.  There are only three position players on this team that look like potential major leaguers: Kjerstad, Mayo, and Prieto.  Bowie seems like the weakest team in the system. 

[emmett16]

1 minute ago, Yossarian said:

This post is holding up well.  There are only three position players on this team that look like potential major leaguers: Kjerstad, Mayo, and Prieto.  Bowie seems like the weakest team in the system. 

Agree.  They should get a talent infusion in the second half of the year.  Imagine Holiday, Beavers, Fabian,  Basallo, and  Willems could end there if they all continue to play well.  
 

Prieto looks like he’s out on some muscle. 

[Frobby]

8 hours ago, emmett16 said:

Agree.  They should get a talent infusion in the second half of the year.  Imagine Holiday, Beavers, Fabian,  Basallo, and  Willems could end there if they all continue to play well.  
 

Prieto looks like he’s out on some muscle. 

I don’t think there’s any chance that Willems or Basallo make it to Bowie this year.   

[emmett16]

40 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I don’t think there’s any chance that Willems or Basallo make it to Bowie this year.   

You don’t think with a good showing they can end there as a final placement?   
 

I hoped they would be in Aberdeen by end of June and with a a solid July/august could be promoted for last month of season for a taste of what’s to come next year.  

[Just Regular]

Kjerstad and Mayo are 4th and 10th in the league in wRC entering the weekend.

As with any Bat entering AA and in a long long term sense knocking off rust, its nice seeing Kjerstad's K rate among the league's 10 lowest, out of 83 qualified.    Cesar Prieto is doing crazy Luis Arraez type stuff there.

Some more sample always nice, but I think by Memorial Day with continued production this strong it'll feel like time wasting if Kjerstad and Prieto don't get AAA.

[Frobby]

1 hour ago, emmett16 said:

You don’t think with a good showing they can end there as a final placement?   
 

I hoped they would be in Aberdeen by end of June and with a a solid July/august could be promoted for last month of season for a taste of what’s to come next year.  

I think because of their defensive responsibilities they will be moved more deliberately than an IF/OF prospect would.  Of course, I have no idea what the Orioles’ evaluators think about their defensive skills or their ability to move up fast while making the necessary progress on the defensive end.  I’m just giving my uninformed opinion. 

[Frobby]

15 minutes ago, Just Regular said:

its nice seeing Kjerstad's K rate among the league's 10 lowest, out of 83 qualified.    Cesar Prieto is doing crazy Luis Arraez type stuff there.

Some more sample always nice, but I think by Memorial Day with continued production this strong it'll feel like time wasting if Kjerstad and Prieto don't get AAA.

Good to know about Kjerstad’s K rate, I hadn’t been following that.  

In both cases, whether they move up may depend on what’s happening with the players already in AAA.
 

[emmett16]

28 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I think because of their defensive responsibilities they will be moved more deliberately than an IF/OF prospect would.  Of course, I have no idea what the Orioles’ evaluators think about their defensive skills or their ability to move up fast while making the necessary progress on the defensive end.  I’m just giving my uninformed opinion. 

Thanks, I value your opinion which is why I asked.  I'm not very well versed on how they move guys up or what they look for before promotions (short of the offensive requirements to handling pitching).  I know they like to get ~200 ABs.  Was hoping they could get their 200 in Aberdeen and be in Bowie at end of year, if all things went as well as possible.  

[Just Regular]

The big three Orioles Bats up to 2-3-5 in Eastern League wRC+ with recent hot runs, and Povich's 40% K rate league best.

The team is still league worst, so maybe they can commiserate with Trout and Ohtani about Stars and Scrubs roster life.     I guess it might be a not ideal roster Jackson Holliday will arrive to at some point.

[btdart20]

What's the deal with Adam Hall and Collin Burns? 

 

[Billy F-Face3]

Tonight, Houston Roth is scheduled to pitch. Does anyone know who will start tomorrow's (Friday Jun 2) game?

[Frobby]

4 hours ago, Billy F-Face3 said:

Tonight, Houston Roth is scheduled to pitch. Does anyone know who will start tomorrow's (Friday Jun 2) game?

Should be Armbruester on Friday, Povich on Saturday.

[Billy F-Face3]

1 hour ago, Frobby said:

Should be Armbruester on Friday, Povich on Saturday.

Thanks! 

[Frobby]

Monthly check-in on the Baysox.  Their record now is 17-29, having gone 11-15 since May 2 when I started this thread.  Kjerstad (.933 OPS), Mayo (.908) and Prieto (.877) continue to take, and T.T. Bowen (1.001) has supplied a much needed fourth bat since joining the Baysox on May 16.   Not much else going on offensively.  

On the pitching side, dull but steady Justin Armbruester is quietly plugging along with a brilliant 1.40 ERA but an unsexy 7.0 K rate, while his polar opposite, Cade Povich, bounces back and forth between great starts and terrible ones, so that his pedestrian 4.50 ERA is mismatched with a 13.7 K/9.    

There are a number of guys at Aberdeen who may be in line for promotion to Bowie, not the least of whom is Jackson Holliday.  The team could use some reinforcements.