Hot starts on the farm: Ring, Mountcastle deliver with bats (plus O's notes)

One player is a high draft pick and the Orioles were confident he would do well as he moved up a level on the farm this year. He has so far. Another has basically come out of nowhere. But they both have gotten off to very strong starts with the bat.

The first player is Single-A Frederick shortstop Ryan Mountcastle. He was taken with the 36th overall pick in the 2015 draft. The other is Single-A Delmarva outfielder Jake Ring. He was taken with the 931st pick (in the 31st round) of the 2016 draft.

The 22-year-old Ring, a lefty batter and thrower listed at 5-foot-11 and 175 lbs., quietly had a solid year last season. Playing 51 games in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League and three with Delmarva, he hit .271 with nine doubles, one triple and no homers in 181 at-bats. That's 10 extra-base hits. So far this year, he has 17 extra-base hits in 86 at-bats with the Shorebirds.

In 23 games for Delmarva, Ring is batting .360/.421/.686 with 10 doubles, three triples, four homers, 16 runs, six stolen bases and 21 RBIs. In the South Atlantic League leaders, Ring ranks first in extra-base hits and slugging, second in batting average and RBIs, and third in doubles.

"This guy is a gamer, he's hard-nosed and plays the game the right way. He's got a real nice left-handed swing and he has some athleticism," Orioles director of player development Brian Graham said.

Ring went 14-for-20 during a five-game stretch that began on April 13. So what is a 31st-round draft pick doing putting up these numbers. Is this for real?

"There is definitely pureness to his swing and there's some strength," Graham said. "Mechanically, he is very sound. What he's doing is not a fluke. Now no one hits nearly .400 for the year, but he's off to a good start because he's a good hitter.

"There is bat speed and strength but more importantly there is pureness to his swing. His bat stays in the hitting zone a long time and he uses the whole field to hit. It's a nice swing."

Signed by scout Scott Thomas, Ring is considered a solid/average defender with decent speed. He has played mostly corner outfield but can also play center. O's hitting instructor Jeff Manto liked Ring from about the first look he got at him after that 2016 draft.

"Manto has really liked this kid and his swing and had him on the radar from the beginning even if he didn't have the numbers he has now," Graham added.

Meanwhile the O's always knew Mountcastle could hit. This year, as he moved up from Delmarva to Frederick, his early power display has been impressive.

In 27 games for the Keys, Mountcastle is batting .327/.360/.567 with seven doubles, six homers and 17 RBIs. He hit No. 6 Tuesday night and has homered twice in his last four games.

"He's doing great," Graham said. "He's a young player at a high level. He's a guy with a good understanding of how to hit - everything from his approach to hitting, to swing mechanics, pitch selection, to driving the ball."

Last year, Mountcastle hit 10 homers all season with Delmarva and averaged one every 45.5 at-bats. This season he hits one every 17.3 at-bats. His slugging percentage has jumped from .426 to .567. He leads all O's farmhands and is second in the Carolina League in homers. He leads the league in hits and total bases and is tied for third in runs scored.

At 20, scouts say he has the pitch recognition skills of a much older, more experienced player.

"It is really good for a young player. For a young guy to have his pitch recognition and understanding of the strikezone, it's really impressive. He's just learning from experience facing good competition. He's shown the ability to make adjustments," Graham said.

For the O's, time to regroup: Well all losses count the same for the Orioles, but they come with different levels of frustration. The last two nights they have pretty much pegged the frustration meter at Fenway Park.

From the taunts directed at Adam Jones to baseballs directed at Manny Machado to the ejections last night of Kevin Gausman and Jones, the O's emotions have pretty much boiled over.

Meanwhile, the runs have not been plentiful. In going 16-10, the Orioles have scored three or fewer runs 14 times, going 6-8 in those games. They've scored just four runs over the last two games at Fenway Park. The homers have not been coming much lately. The Orioles have eight games this year where they've hit two or more and they are 7-1. That means 16 games of one or none, going 9-9. Over the last 10 games, they are batting .200 with runners in scoring position.

It's been a rough road trip through New York and Boston. The Orioles are 2-4 on the trip that ends tonight. Do they get some of their frustrations out and win tonight?