Baltimore Orioles’ Hottest Prospect Could Be Called Up
Updated: Jun 27, 2023
The Baltimore Orioles are getting ready to host the Cincinnati Reds for a three-game series after concluding their weekend with the series win over the Seattle Mariners. One of their top prospects could be set to join the team according to mlb.com. That prospect is shortstop Jordan Westburg.
Baltimore Selected Jordan Westburg out of Mississippi State with the 30th overall pick in 2020. He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the pandemic. Westburg made his debut for the Baltimore organization with Low A Delmarva in 2021. There he batted .366 with five doubles and three home runs in 20 games before being promoted to High A Aberdeen.
Westburg played 62 games with Aberdeen where he batted .286 and recorded 16 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, and 41 RBIs. He finished 2021 with Double-A Bowie where he batted .232 in 30 games. In 2022, Westburg split time between Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk. He averaged .265 with 39 doubles, three triples, 27 home runs, 106 RBIs, and 70 walks with the two clubs.
He opened this season with Norfolk and played well. Through 67 games, Westburg is batting .295 with 15 doubles, 18 home runs, and 54 RBIs. His slugging percentage has improved to .567, while his .939 OPS is also much better than last year. Westburg has gotten experience with different positions around the infield including shortstop, third base, and second base.
What Could Jordan Westburg bring to Baltimore?
Westburg entered the year ranked No. 66 among the top 100 prospects in baseball, according to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. He is a strong and athletic infielder with legitimate power that has really showed up in games. He can drive the ball to all fields and hit the ball out anywhere, though the over-the-fence pop shows up more to his pull side. He can play various positions around the infield and the corner outfield.
If Baltimore wants to call him up, they must clear up a spot on their 26-man and 40-man rosters. Once they do, they’ll have another future star on the team. Westburg would be the first 2020 Orioles draft pick to join the big league club. Expect him to play several different positions, so he is not taking too many at-bats from one player, but Adam Frazier and Jorge Mateo could lose the most playing time.
Baltimore sits in a good spot in the American League standings. They are 47-29 and four and half games back from the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays.
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