Orioles top infield prospect Jordan Westburg is off to a great start this season with Triple-A Norfolk, and he is hoping to be called up to play for the Orioles in the future.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound infielder is hitting .333/.395/.593 with eight home runs and 29 RBIs for the Tides entering play May 9.
“[It’s] a good time to be a Baltimore Oriole,” Westburg on Glenn Clark Radio May 2. “It’s exciting to see the big league club off to such a good start. We’re off to a great start here in Norfolk. So there’s some exciting baseball being played around the organization right now.”
Westburg, 24, was raised in Texas and played college ball at Mississippi State University. He was selected by the Orioles with the 30th overall pick of the 2020 MLB Draft. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he did not make his professional debut until 2021 with Low-A Delmarva.
Westburg has succeeded at every level of the minors since then, including with Norfolk since last June. This year, the Tides have been playing Westburg at multiple positions, including the outfield. Westburg mentioned how playing the outfield can be challenging, but having different opportunities helps keep the game interesting.
“All I’m focused on is just making sure that wherever I’m at in the lineup that day, I’m getting my work in there. I’m making sure I’m challenging myself to feel comfortable there, especially now playing a little bit of outfield, it’s completely new for me,” Westburg said. “It keeps the game from getting monotonous. It’s definitely a new challenge for me. It’s something I’m looking forward to.”
Westburg keeps his head down and does his best to perform every day while blocking out what he can’t control. Bouncing around to different spots does not affect him mentally, as he views it as an opportunity to challenge himself to feel comfortable in all positions.
“In order for me to play my best, I have to be locked in, I have to be focused, I have to be diligent about my work and really concentrate on what I’m doing,” Westburg said. “And I just think that focus then carries over to the offensive side of the game.”
Westburg’s power numbers have ticked up this year. He says the power has always been there, but by becoming a better hitter, he has been able to get to that power more often.
Still, Westburg isn’t worried about his numbers, as those can fluctuate. He is more focused on sharpening his approach against different pitchers and learning from his failures in the box.
“All I focus on is just learning. If I feel like I’m learning, then I feel like the numbers will take care of themselves,” Westburg said. “I definitely trust in my abilities. I think I know who I am as a hitter, and I’m just going to let the numbers be where they [are] at the end of the year.”
The Orioles have many quality infielders in the organization, and there are only so many spots at the major league level. Westburg says he does not let that overwhelm him, as that will only affect his ability to be a good teammate and person.
Westburg trusts his ability to become a big league baseball player and doesn’t worry about all the quality infielders in the organization.
“There’s just this unknown that a lot of us baseball players can go down in a rabbit hole and lose ourselves, so I try not to focus on any of that. I think it’s just an exciting time,” Westburg said. “I think for all of us, we can only be where your feet are and just continue to push, continue to grind, continue to try to do everything we can to help the organization we’re in, and whatever happens is going to happen.”
This is Westburg’s third full year with this organization, and he notices a growing level of excitement. Adding more and more talent has put the Orioles in a place where they can value winning at the major league level above anything else, according to Westburg.
That could mean Westburg is moved at some point for help at the big league level, but he is excited about the direction of his career and the club regardless.
“I trust in my abilities,” Westburg said. “I’m going to continue to play the game hard. I would like to think that I’m good enough to be a professional baseball player, whether that’s for the Orioles — who I come up with and could really enjoy playing in Baltimore — or whether it’s for somebody else, just because that’s how the cards are dealt.”
For more from Westburg, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Scott Sears