I was supposed to lead this post with D.L. Hall, the Orioles' first-round pick in 2017 and my No. 63 prospect coming into the the 2018 season (first in the O's system), but the home plate ump for Hall's start on Thursday night had other plans.
Hall got through 2 2/3 innings in his outing at Wilmington before he was ejected for allegedly arguing balls and strikes, although any dispute -- and he had real reason to be upset, as the ump missed at least two called strikes on breaking balls in that inning -- was so fast that I missed it while writing a note on the hard-hit single Nick Pratto had just hit off Hall. Before the umpshow hit, I did at least get to see Hall working 93-96 with a plus curveball at 79-83 that had real two-plane break, although he was wild and didn't show average command of either pitch. There's nothing in the delivery to say he can't get to average command or control in the future, but for the moment it's just a power approach -- he's trying to blow guys away with velocity and then changes speeds with a curveball that's very tough for A-ball hitters to see. Here's hoping the next time I see him the umpire will let him get through the order a second time.
* Brady Singer had his best professional start to date the same night for Wilmington, although the scouting report was the same as ever -- he's still coming from the same lower slot with a very short arm action, 91-94 with a plus slider at 81-84 that was his primary out pitch against right-handed batters. He did show a changeup, mostly 86-87 but once at 83, which I had not seen from him before, but it's as inconsistent as you'd expect a new pitch to be. If that becomes even a fringe-average pitch it dramatically improves the odds of him remaining a starter, because he needs a weapon for left-handed batters.
* The Royals' No. 1 prospect, lefty Daniel Lynch (No. 53 overall), threw in a matinee on Wednesday and was dominant. It was his best start of the season, too, as he allowed just two baserunners in seven innings. Lynch sat 96 and was 94-97 for six innings, tapering finally in the seventh after a bit of a layoff between innings. He showed a four-pitch mix, including a two-seamer at 92-93 that he used like a secondary changeup, a true change at 85-88 that was above-average, and an above-average to plus slider at 86-89 on which he could vary the angle a little. Both he and Singer filled up the strike zone in their outings -- neither walked a batter, and they punched out 19 in 13 innings over the two outings -- and I don't think either guy belongs in high-A at this point.
* Dean Kremer came to the Orioles as part of the return for Manny Machado last year in the midst of a season where he led all minor league pitchers in strikeouts. He's rehabbing now from an oblique strain that has kept him out all season, including spring training, and was solid in the Wednesday matinee against Lynch, working both sides of the plate with a 90-94 fastball, along with a mid-80s slider that he used in changeup counts and a bigger, 11/5 curveball at 73-76 mph that he'd backdoor to lefties. Everything seems to play up -- hitters clearly don't see the ball well from his hand, given how poorly they reacted (bearing in mind this Wilmington lineup strikes out a lot) -- but it's time for him to get to Double-A as well to see how better hitters will do against stuff that is mostly average to a tick above.
* Cody Sedlock was the Orioles' first-round pick in 2016, but threw just 127 innings total over the past two years around injuries, probably the result of overuse at the University of Illinois and some changes wrought by player development after he signed. (I still don't understand why he made nine pro starts that first summer after such heavy use in the spring.) He does seem healthy again, working 90-93 in his start on Tuesday night with an above-average changeup at 80-84 and two breaking balls -- a slider and curveball -- that could end up average. I don't see a pitch to miss bats here, and his awkward, shotput-like arm action doesn't give me a ton of confidence he can be durable, but at least he's back with average velocity and throwing strikes again.
* Michael Baumann, the O's third-round pick from 2017, started the series opener for Frederick, coming into the start with a 42 percent strikeout rate on the season. He was 90-96 on Tuesday with a cutter that was mostly 88-90, but would drop below that and get a little more slider-like tilt, along with a curveball at 81-82. He had nothing truly plus to explain all the strikeouts, although I could see hitters getting thrown off by his high arm slot. It's a reliever look and repertoire, but as long as he's missing bats at this rate, I'd leave him in the rotation.
* Cameron Bishop signed with the Orioles in the 26th round in 2017 when their fourth-rounder that year, Jack Conlon, failed his post-draft physical, clearing some money for them to go after Bishop after he'd missed the entire spring with a knee injury. (Conlon appeared ready to sign with the Giants, but that fell through, and after a year at Texas A&M, he moved to San Jacinto College this spring, where he's walked over a man an inning and hasn't shown the same stuff as in high school.) Bishop is working out of the bullpen now for Frederick after making five starts to open the year -- perhaps a temporary shift while Kremer is rehabbing -- and was 91-93 in relief of Kremer with a fair slider at 83-84, throwing one changeup in the outing. It's a middle reliever profile, and a little surprising his fastball didn't tick back up in short relief work unless he's deliberately holding back because he's used to starting.
* Lefty Daniel Tillo is the one returning Wilmington starter from last year, and is throwing a good bit harder this year than he did in 2018, 92-96 in the series opener this week, with both his slider and changeup in the mid-80s. He walked a season-high four batters in three-plus innings, striking out just one, and over his past five starts he has just six punchouts in 23 innings against 11 walks. There should be something here, even just a middle reliever who has some value because he's left-handed but has a wide enough arsenal to attack righties, but he has to throw more strikes, and I think he's so far on the first-base side of the rubber that he cedes too much ground to right-handed batters.
* A few weeks ago, I caught the Yankees' No. 1 prospect, Deivi Garcia (No. 61 overall), making his Double-A debut for this year in a day game against New Hampshire, a weird but generally positive outing where he faced 21 batters, struck out 11, walked five, hit one, and gave up a homer, allowing only three balls in play. Garcia was 90-95 and got a lot of swing-and-miss on the pitch despite just average spin rates on it, along with two above-average secondary pitches in a 76-79 mph curveball with two-plane break and real depth as well as a mid-80s changeup that has good fading action away from lefties. He uses all pitches in any situation, which likely helps keep hitters swinging and missing, and there's a little cross-body action to his delivery that probably boosts his deception. The day I saw him, he was rushing through his delivery, and it cost him some command, although he wasn't quite as wild as the walk total implies -- he threw 65 percent of his pitches for strikes that day -- but was worse when he got to three-ball counts. I still see a mid-rotation starter even with this control question and his small frame.
* Right-hander Yennsy Diaz started for New Hampshire and projects as a two-pitch reliever; he was 90-96 with a 76-79 mph curveball that is his best chance for a swing-and-miss pitch, but his changeup was well below average. The lack of a third pitch and below-average fastball life and command all point towards a bullpen role.
* I'm seeing a lot of the Wilmington hitters this year, but their big three -- Nick Pratto, Seuly Matias, and M.J. Melendez -- are all struggling to make contact so far, with Pratto's 36 percent strikeout rate the lowest any of the three has so far. He does look the most advanced and has shown signs of an approach, both in terms of ball/strike judgment and recognizing offspeed, while Matias has looked the furthest behind, guessing constantly and, unfortunately, constantly wrong. Melendez and Matias will show flashes of their power -- Matias' power is a clear 80, and Melendez might have 70 raw -- but they can't get to it enough in games; Matias has struck out at least once in 32 straight games now, with 49 K's in his past 100 plate appearances. All three are still just 20 years old, so I'm not burying anybody here, but the early returns are not promising.