Baseball America has released their annual Top 100 Prospects list, and it features three players in the Baltimore Orioles’ organization. Pitcher Dylan Bundy comes in at #10, shortstop Manny Machado at #11, and infielder Jonathan Schoop at #82. BA had this to say about the prospects:
Bundy – Major League ETA 2013. First goal: Beat big brother Bobby to Baltimore. Next: Make the Orioles relevant.
Machado – MLB ETA 2013. Power-hitting shortstop can restore honor to the phrase “Manny being Manny.”
Schoop – MLB ETA 2014. His power potential and infield actions are far beyond his brother Sharlon’s.
The good news for the O’s is that they have improved from last year’s BA list, which only had two Baltimore players on it (Machado at #14 and Zach Britton at #28). The bad news is that par for the course in the American League East this year is four players – Toronto, New York, and Tampa each boast four players on the list, while the O’s and Red Sox have only three each.
While none of these three players are expected to see time in the Major Leagues in 2012, they offer at least a small glimmer of hope for the future of the O’s. We’ll be keeping a close eye on how they fare in the minors this year, as well as how they do in Spring Training. Given the Orioles’ track record of player development lately (especially pitchers), don’t rush to crown any of these guys “savior of the franchise.” Still, don’t be afraid to get at least a little excited about the Bundy-to-Wieters battery coming to OPACY some day soonish.
h/t @MasnSteve
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