PITTSBURGH — Baltimore fans aren’t the only ones who have made keeping tabs on Triple-A Norfolk part of their daily routine.
Orioles players have, too.
The eye-popping numbers are all over Gunnar Henderson’s Instagram timeline. James McCann said he and a few other players on the team bus were laughing while looking at a Tides box score last week. Colton Cowser is texting his buddies in Norfolk every night after they inevitably score 10-plus runs again.
“It’s pretty crazy what they’re doing down there,” Henderson said. “I don’t know if we’ve ever seen anything like that. It’s just an insane team to have down there. It’s a lot of guys that deserve to be on MLB rosters, so it’s a pretty good problem to have. It just shows the caliber of guys that we have in the system.”
The Tides (7-2) are off to a scorching-hot start to the season, and the club’s top prospects are forming their own murderers’ row that minor league pitching staffs are fearing. The top five hitters in Norfolk’s lineup — Jackson Holliday, Connor Norby, Heston Kjerstad, Coby Mayo and Kyle Stowers — are powering the Tides to monstrous offensive performances.
“It’s very impressive what they’re doing,” McCann said. “The talent there is incredible. You just can’t help but smile when you see what they’re doing.”
Norfolk clobbered the Durham Bulls (Rays) in two games on opening weekend and dismantled the Charlotte Knights (White Sox) last week. The Tides, who won the Triple-A national championship last year, have scored 100 runs — 43 more than any other International League team — for an average of 11.1 per game. They’ve scored 10-plus runs six times, including a 26-run outburst Wednesday, and five or more in six frames, headlined by a 10-run first inning Friday.
The five prospects atop the order are all dominating, each sporting an OPS over 1.000. The Norfolk Five — Holliday, Norby, Kjerstad, Mayo and Stowers — have combined to go 77-for-200 (.385) with 17 doubles, one triple, 20 home runs, 24 walks and 72 RBIs.
Kjerstad, who Baseball America ranks as the sport’s No. 43 prospect, is leading all qualified hitters in Triple-A with a 1.548 OPS. He and Stowers, perhaps the two sluggers whose development in the minors appears past complete, are tied for the IL lead in homers with six. Stowers, who debuted in 2022 and made the Orioles’ opening day roster in 2023, blasted three long balls Wednesday.
The IL’s hits leaderboard is dominated by Tides players. Kjerstad leads with 18, while Norby is second with 17 and Mayo is third with 16. Norby is a former top 100 prospect who has fallen out of such status through no fault of his own, as the 23-year-old easily led the IL in hits last year while posting an .842 OPS. Mayo, the No. 24 prospect in baseball, is perhaps the best power bat in the system.
Kjerstad also leads all of professional baseball with 25 RBIs, including a 5-for-7, 10-RBI performance Wednesday.
“I don’t even know how many times that’s happened in the big leagues,” McCann said in amazement. Only seven times in MLB history has a hitter recorded five-plus hits with 10 RBIs.
Oh, and then there’s Holliday, the crown jewel of MLB prospects who controversially didn’t make Baltimore’s opening day roster. The 20-year-old is tied for the league lead in walks with 11 while posting a .490 on-base percentage and a .605 slugging percentage.
Of course, it’s not just those five. Peyton Burdick, Maverick Handley, Nick Maton and Ryan McKenna are all raking, too. But the top five batters in the order are doing the majority of the damage.
The five prospects all entered spring training with hopes of breaking camp with the big club. For varying reasons, none of them did, but they didn’t sulk. They know the best way to get out of Norfolk is to hit, and they’ve done just that.
Orioles Triple-A affiliate Norfolk Tides’ incredible start to season, by the numbers
“They could’ve been disappointed, but it’s not how those guys’ characters are,” said Cowser, who made the team over Kjerstad and Stowers, two of his good friends. “They love going out there, they love playing. It seems like they’re going out there just trying to stay ready.”
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said he’s never seen a Triple-A team get off to a start like the Tides have. He’s also impressed with the way the youngsters have handled the adversity of starting the year in the minors
“You want them to take it the right way and prove people wrong and work on the things that we ask them to work on and do it with a great attitude and be driven. And our guys have done that, really for the last few years,” he said. “It’s not easy to watch the big league club when you’re in the minor leagues and you feel like you should be there sometimes. You can feel disgruntled. But our guys have always taken it the right way and done everything they can to get here.”
But their paths to Baltimore are still unclear. Stowers and Kjerstad have already played in the majors and could both be back in the majors soon, although in replace of whom is unknown. Holliday appears next in line whenever the Orioles’ brass deem he’s ready as he’s working on his second base defense and approach versus left-handed pitching. Mayo would likely be next as a highly touted prospect, and Norby’s route might be dependent on an injury.
There’s also the possibility that a few of them are traded to another organization for pitching — perhaps bullpen help — to bolster the major league club. Prospects DL Hall and Joey Ortiz were shipped to Milwaukee for Corbin Burnes and both are in the major leagues — Hall as a member of the Brewers’ rotation and Ortiz as a utility infielder.
No matter how the logjam is sorted out, the future is bright in Baltimore. With each stunning box score, it gets even brighter.
“What you want to have is a long-lasting run in the playoffs,” Henderson said. “We’re being really well set up for that.”
What’s next?
A third and final home opener and three reunions.
After a day off Monday, the Orioles (5-4) head to Boston (7-3) for both clubs’ first American League East division series of the season. Tuesday is the Red Sox’s home opener, which will be Baltimore’s third after its own opening day and Pittsburgh’s on Friday.
Corbin Burnes was moved up one day to start Tuesday, swapping places with Cole Irvin, so the ace didn’t have too much rest from his previous start Wednesday. That lines up Burnes to start Sunday at Camden Yards against his old team. The Milwaukee Brewers travel to face the Orioles in a three-game series, and Burnes’ reunion won’t be the only one. Hall is in line to start Friday, while Ortiz will appear at some point over the weekend.
What was good?
The pitching.
It wasn’t perfect, but the Orioles pitched well enough to win every game last week. The only time they allowed more than four runs was in the 11-inning game Saturday. They allowed fewer than four three times. The staff gave up an average of 3.5 runs per game and pitched to a 2.78 ERA across the six games.
What wasn’t?
The weather and the bats.
Five of the six games featured either rain or sub-50-degree wind chill, and only once did the Orioles record more than 10 hits. Baltimore batters went 40-for-201 (.199) and were even worse with runners in scoring position, going 8-for-47 (.170).
The weather won’t get much better in Boston, but the Orioles need the bats to.
On the farm
The attention is on Norfolk — and rightfully so.
But the other three Orioles affiliates all began their seasons this past weekend. Double-A Bowie scored 19 runs Saturday. High-A Aberdeen received stellar pitching from prospects Jackson Baumeister, Carter Baumler and Deivy Cruz — a trio that combined to nine in seven innings without allowing an earned run — on Sunday. And several members of the 2023 draft class, including pitcher Blake Money (four innings, one run, seven strikeouts), impressed for Low-A Delmarva.
Orioles at Red Sox
Tuesday, 2:10 p.m.
TV: MASN
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM