It’s been an up-and-down season for the Bowie Baysox, who sit 9.5 games out of first place in the Eastern League Southwest with a 40-46 record.
First-year manager Roberto Mercado, who spent the previous two seasons as the skipper for High-A Aberdeen, has had the opportunity to work with quite a few promising young players in the Orioles’ farm system the past few seasons.
Mercado joined Glenn Clark Radio July 12 to discuss just a few of those prospects he’s been managing this season.
Samuel Basallo
No player has drawn more attention in Bowie this season than MLB Pipeline’s 12th-ranked prospect. Mercado had nothing but good things to say about Basallo, the 19-year-old signed by the Orioles out of the Dominican Republic in 2021.
Basallo has impressed Mercado with his maturity, coachability and willingness to learn and improve. And of course, his freakish athletic tools and his gaudy numbers help.
The towering 6-foot-4 catcher has slashed .274/.338/.449 with 12 homers and 38 RBIs in 75 games. Although Basallo experienced some growing pains, Mercado knew that would come with the territory.
“Nineteen-year-olds are usually [learning from their mistakes] in college,” Mercado said. “He’s doing that in Double-A.”
The question on most fans’ minds has been whether Basallo will stick with the organization long term. He plays the same position as big league star Adley Rutschman and could be dangled as a win-now trade chip.
Mercado believes Basallo would be an effective major league catcher, giving his arm a 70 on the 80-grade scale. But he also thinks he could slide to other positions if need be.
“We preach a lot of versatility in our organization, and he’s athletic enough to play first base as well,” Mercado said. “I’ll be honest with you, I could see him playing right field if they needed him to as well. He’s that athletic and he’s that mobile.”
Dylan Beavers
Baltimore’s No. 6 prospect has turned in a bit of a down year numbers-wise. His .237 batting average pales in comparison to his .274 career minor league average.
But the 6-foot-4 outfielder still reached base in 58 of Bowie’s first 70 games, which Mercado called “absurd,” and believes Beavers has a path to becoming an effective major league player.
“He gets the job done,” Mercado said. “If he’s not getting hits, he’s finding a way to get on base for us.”
Trace Bright
Bright’s most bankable trait is his strikeout ability. He has fanned 12 batters per nine innings in his three minor league seasons, including 13.8 in High-A last season. He has 87 punchouts in 73.2 innings at Bowie in 2024.
The 23-year-old righty has been inconsistent since the Orioles selected him out of Auburn in 2022. His career ERA sits at 3.93, while his 2024 figure is a bit above that at 4.15. His record in 17 starts is a paltry 0-9, but Mercado pushed back on that.
“Stuff is electric,” Mercado said. “The wins and losses, we couldn’t care less about that. … We don’t really lock in on that. It’s more the stuff, pitching in good locations and executing their pitches.”
Jud Fabian
A 6-foot-1, 195-pound outfielder, Fabian was described by his manager as an elite defender who can play all three outfield spots. He was primarily a center fielder in his four seasons at Florida, but Fabian has moved between left, right and center with the Orioles.
Baltimore’s 11th-ranked prospect has good pop, having hit 24 homers across High-A and Double-A in 2023 and 13 so far this year. Mercado said Fabian’s next step is learning to stay disciplined and swinging only at pitches in the zone.
Seth Johnson
Still working his way back from 2022 Tommy John surgery, Johnson has “improved every outing” in his 16 appearances with Bowie, according to Mercado. With 57 strikeouts in as many innings and a 2.84 ERA, the 25-year-old looks the part of a potential big-league pitcher.
Mercado said the Bowie staff is working with Johnson on mastering his two-strike approach in addition to a right-on-right changeup. His walk rate is fairly high at 5.4 per nine innings, but he has allowed just one free pass in his last two starts.
“The fastball velo and everything else plays,” Mercado said. “He looks like a big leaguer, it’s just gaining that experience and continuing to develop every day.”
For more from Mercado, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credits: Joe Noyes