DSL Orioles 2024

[Frobby]

One thing I found interesting in compiling the above post was all the 2023 bonus babies who didn't thrive in the DSL their first year, but are thriving now. A. Mejia, Morfe, and Amparo all fit in that category.   Then you have Guevara and J. Mejia who posted .800+ OPS numbers in 2023 but were asked to repeat anyway.

[RZNJ]

Baseball America.  30 prospects to know in the DSL.

Elvin Garcia, SS, Orioles

Signed for $500,000 out of the Dominican Republic, the 17-year-old Garcia has shown a promising mix of tools and skills with more physical upside remaining in his 6-foot-2, 165-pound frame. He’s a switch-hitter with good plate discipline and a knack for finding the sweet spot to make contact at a high clip. He’s hitting .370/.507/.611 through 71 plate appearances, drawing more walks (14) than strikeouts (13). Garcia hasn’t homered yet and isn’t a big slugger, but he makes consistent quality contact with a lot of doubles and triples that should start climbing over the fence in the next few years as he layers on more strength. He’s an athletic shortstop with plus speed, a plus arm and smooth actions at the position, along with a high baseball IQ. He’s one of most exciting shortstops the Orioles have signed out of Latin America in years. 
 

Esteban Mejia, RHP, Orioles

The Orioles signed Mejia out of the Dominican Republic for $175,000 in January. The 17-year-old righthander had been up to 93 mph at the time and reached 95 in early spring outings. Now his fastball seldom dips under 93 after making another jump that has him reaching 98 mph and sitting at 93-96. At a listed 6-foot-3, 175 pounds, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him crack 100 mph eventually, but he’s already overpowering hitters in the DSL, where he has a 3.38 ERA in 10.2 innings over four starts, striking out 15 with five walks. Mejia’s fastball was his main pitch as an amateur, but he has quickly developed a slider that he shows aptitude to spin to get a good amount of swing-and-miss.