Orioles Prospect Report: Nick Maton, Brandon Young, Creed's Two Homers, Elio Prado, Edwin Amparo and Juan Rojas

Hope your Labor Day weekends were restful! The Orioles' minor leaguers provided some entertainment over the extended break for many, with some mixed performances across the board.

Norfolk Tides
Tied series with Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 3-3

Every now and then we're due for Nick Maton to pop, which is exactly what happened in Jacksonville. The journeyman went 7-18 with a homer and 8 RBI in his 5 games, sending a subtle reminder to the Orioles brass that they've got a solid, pro-ready outfielder in the wings should another injury pop up.

David Johnson's attempting to send that same message, posting a .280/1/4 line while collecting 1 or more hits in all 6 games. He's been a really steady presence all season in this Tides' lineup and should earn a shot somewhere next spring.

Didn't take long for Samuel Basallo to make his presence known in Norfolk, as the newcomer went yard on Thursday night for the first time in AAA. He'd finish the series 4-23 with 10 strikeouts; not great numbers but predictable in this adjustment period for the 20-year-old. Nice to see that power transfer upward so quickly.

Another high in Justin Armbruester's roller coaster of a year, kicking off the week with six innings of 1 run ball. The ever-volatile righty was in his bag all evening, fanning 12 Jumbo Shrimp while navigating the lineup 2.5 times.

Tucker Davidson had a solid follow-up performance on Wednesday, striking out 8 over 7 strong while surrendering just 2 earned on a Jacob Berry dinger to finish his worst statistical month of '24 on a high note. The 28-year-old has had success as a reliever and a starter this season, as evidenced by his 3.61 ERA through 99.2 frames.

That was much better, Trevor Rogers. The oft-maligned lefty lasted 6 innings Saturday night, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk while adding 5 K's. Still a long way to go, but a much more palatable outing from the Orioles most expensive trade deadline acquisition.

Brandon Young will be pushing Rogers for that spot though, or any spot on the major league roster, after wrapping up the week with 5 frames of quality pitching. Jacksonville slapped him around a little to the tune of 7 hits, but he maneuvered through the trouble expertly, giving up just 1 run on the afternoon. The undrafted Louisiana-Lafayette alum's really come on out of nowhere this season and could be useful come October.

Bowie Baysox
Lost series with Akron Rubber Ducks 0-6

Not the way you want to see the brooms get broken out! The Baysox went into another one of their offensive lulls this week, scoring just 11 runs total on the road trip to Ohio. Hard to win like that.

Creed Willems is so much fun to watch. After an 0-3 AA debut on Tuesday, the fan favorite hit two out of the park the following night. He'd only post two more hits on the week, but he delivered a little action at the plate for at least one evening.

Frederick Bencosme was one consistent bright spot in this Bowie lineup, going 6-18 with a solo home run in six appearances. The 2020 international signee, who'd developed a reputation as a respectable contact hitter, ripped .261 in August-- his best month since April.

Another workmanlike start for Peter Van Loon on Saturday, scattering 4 hits and 2 walks over 4 frames, giving up just 1 run along the way. The 2021 16th-rounder ended the month with a 1-0 record, 1.80 ERA and 12.6 K/9-- although the .260 BAA leaves room for improvement.

Back to form for reliever Dylan Heid. The kid's had a sketchy string of showings in recent weeks, no thanks to some bad defense, but locked down 3 scoreless innings across two appearances versus Akron, lowering his ERA to 1.71 in the process. He's quietly becoming a name that could sneak his way into the bullpen next Spring Training.

Aberdeen IronBirds
Lost series with Wilmington Blue Rocks 2-4

Elio! Mr. Prado's hit the Blue Rocks well all season, a trend that continued last week, as the outfielder went 9-24 with 4 multi-hit games, surprisingly only driving in one. It hasn't been the best season for Prado, but he's a hustle player that we hope can build on this momentum.

Aron Estrada, a newly anointed member of Baltimore's Top 30 prospects, had his best series since joining Aberdeen, going 6-18 with an RBI. The 19-year-old routinely had his average above .300 in Delmarva, so it was only a matter of time until he started figuring out this High-A pitching. Real name to keep an eye on.

Lockdown appearance from Daniel Lloyd on Wednesday night, relieving Edgar Portes after the fourth with IronBirds trailing 2-0. He'd keep Wilmington off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game, giving up 3 hits while racking up that same number of K's. The offense woke up during that stretch, scoring 4 runs to earn Lloyd his third decision win of 2024.

Tough L for Trey Gibson to take Thursday, allowing just 1 unearned run on a single hit through 5 innings. The undrafted starters shined all season but has stood out since his promotion at the beginning of July, posting a 2.45 ERA and .198 BAA across 33 innings. Another sleeper in this deep system.

Zach Fruit stayed sharp Saturday, tossing 4 shutout frames on the evening to lower his ERA below three-- yet another member of that 2023 draft class that's taken meteoric steps on the mound this season.

Shoutout to Tyler Burch, who we traded Freddy Galvis for way back in 2021. How's that for a throwback? Since returning from a mystery injury that landed him on 60-day IL back in March, Burch has gone 5 scoreless over 4 appearances, striking out 5 without allowing a walk. Certainly in the long-game stage right now, but perhaps there's hope for Baltimore to say they won that deal.

Delmarva Shorebirds
Tied series with Salem Red Sox 3-3

Hits galore for Edwin Amparo, collecting one or more in all 5 of his appearances en route to a .400 week. The 19-year-old has had a nice first month in Delmarva, batting .288 since his promotion from the Florida Complex.

First two home runs of Elias Cuevas' career came this weekend, including a three-run shot that nearly clawed the team back on Sunday. His 5 RBI were a team high against Salem.

Austin Overn's first professional long ball came on Tuesday night, the highlight of his 5-20 series. The leadoff man batted .291 during his tenure with the Shorebirds and will now be battling with Aron Estrada for the pole position in the IronBirds lineup tonight.

The 6'6" Ty Weatherly was a beneficiary of that Overn dinger, surrendering just 1 unearned run over 5 strong, ringing up 7 as he went. The righty's allowed just 2 earned runs in 15.2 innings since returning from the IL July 24th-- good for a 1.19 ERA.

Justin Showalter earned his first career save in that Weatherly start, giving up just 1 hit over 3 shutout innings to close out the game, with 5 of his 9 outs coming by strikeout. August was also kind to Showalter, who gave up just 2 earned runs in 17 IP.

Fourth straight strong showing from Juan Rojas, surrendering 2 hits, 2 walks and 1 unearned over 5.1 while tying his career high with 9 K's. The 20-year-old lefty's given up just 1 earned run in his last 4 appearances, spanning 16.1 frames.