O's prospect roundup: Estrada putting together impressive season in High-A

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BALTIMORE -- Many top Orioles hitting prospects have struggled while playing for High-A Aberdeen in recent years. The offensive environments of the South Atlantic League -- including the IronBirds’ home ballpark at Ripken Stadium -- have proven to be challenging.

That makes Aron Estrada what is doing this season all the more impressive.

Estrada (Baltimore’s No. 16 prospect per MLB Pipeline) has put together a solid first two months of the 2025 season. Entering Tuesday, the 20-year-old Venezuelan infielder is slashing .278/.340/.394 with 10 doubles, four triples, one home run, 18 RBIs and 21 stolen bases through 49 games.

It helped Estrada to get a 26-game taste of the High-A level late in the 2024 campaign.

“It was a really good experience for me last year, being able to learn a lot, especially when it comes to discipline,” Estrada said via an interpreter heading into the season. “The game’s a lot quicker the higher you go up. The pitchers in Aberdeen compared to Delmarva have been more experienced, so that makes a difference.”

However, it hasn’t slowed down Estrada, who signed with the Orioles for $175,000 in January 2022, amid the team’s increased focus on the international market.

A switch-hitter who can play second base, third base, shortstop and corner outfield, Estrada may not have too much more to prove at Aberdeen. It seems likely he’ll get a promotion to Double-A Chesapeake sometime later this summer.

Here’s a roundup featuring more of what’s been happening around the O’s Minor League ranks:

Triple-A Norfolk
Catcher/first baseman Samuel Basallo (O’s No. 1 and MLB Pipeline’s No. 16 overall) and outfielder Dylan Beavers (O’s No. 5) each had huge showings last week for Norfolk.

Basallo hit three home runs in four games -- boosting his season homer total to 13, the most on the Tides -- while going 6-for-15 (.400) with five RBIs. The 20-year-old continues to rake, as he owns a .252 average and a .960 OPS through 39 games.

Beavers did a bit of everything last week, hitting .522 (12-for-23) with one double, two triples, two homers, three RBIs and a 1.542 OPS in six games. The 23-year-old is slashing .326/.411/.486 over 48 games this season.

Both Basallo and Beavers could make their MLB debuts for Baltimore later this year.

Double-A Chesapeake
Trey Gibson (O’s No. 14) made his Double-A debut on Saturday, tossing six innings of one-run ball in Chesapeake’s 4-2 win at Akron. The 23-year-old right-hander allowed only one hit and three walks while racking up eight strikeouts during the 75-pitch outing.

Gibson earned the promotion after striking out 67 over 38 2/3 innings at Aberdeen this season.

Braxton Bragg (O’s No. 15) was scheduled to start Saturday, but the 24-year-old right-hander was scratched due to mild right forearm discomfort.

High-A Aberdeen
Vance Honeycutt (O’s No. 4) was scratched from Aberdeen’s lineup on Wednesday as a precaution due to left hip flexor tightness. However, the 2024 first-round Draft pick returned to action this past weekend, playing on both Saturday and Sunday.

The 22-year-old outfielder is slashing .208/.328/.327 with six doubles, four triples, two home runs and 11 RBIs through the first 48 games of his first full professional season.

Michael Forret (O’s No. 7) was reinstated from the injured list last week after missing more than a month due to a low back injury. The 21-year-old right-hander started against Hudson Valley on Wednesday, allowing an unearned run on two walks with two strikeouts over one-plus innings.

Single-A Delmarva
According to a source, the following three prospects are being promoted from the Florida Complex League to Single-A Delmarva: infielders Joshua Liranzo (O’s No. 22) and Luis Almeyda and outfielder Nate George.

Liranzo, 18, signed with the Orioles for $500,000 out of the Dominican Republic in January 2023. He played 50 games in the FCL dating back to last season.

Almeyda, 19, set an O’s international record by signing for $2.3 million out of the D.R. in January 2023. He played 73 FCL games over the past two years.

George was Baltimore’s 16th-round Draft pick out of Minooka (Ill.) Community High School in 2024. The 19-year-old made his professional debut this year and tore up the FCL, slashing .383/.451/.556 with one double, two triple, three homers, 14 RBIs and 13 steals in 23 games.