Lough elevates his play, plus minor league notes on Rosa and Reyes
When the Orioles acquired outfielder David Lough in December, it appeared that they added a speedy outfielder with an excellent glove and one that maybe was ready to help a good team at the big league level.
In 2013, Lough batted .286 in 96 games for Kansas City. He finished eighth in the American League Rookie of the Year voting and led all rookies in Wins Above Replacement (WAR).
O's fans didn't see Lough play that well for them early in this season. But as the 2014 season is winding down, Lough's season is taking off.
Better late than never.
Lough batted .197 in 117 at-bats before the All-Star game. He has hit .351 in 57 at-bats since the break.
In his last six games, Lough is 7-for-14 with a double, triple, homer and five RBIs. Last night, he had two hits, stole a base, scored a run and drove one in.
In 14 games this month, Lough is 10-for-28 (.357) with two homers, six RBIs, a .679 slugging percentage and a 1.066 OPS.
Lough's improved play may earn him a spot on the Orioles playoff roster and his service time status may earn him a spot on the 2015 Orioles.
Lough is not even arbitration-eligible yet, so he'll play next season near the league minimum in salary. That is good value for a player that can bring some of his skills to the team.
He is also 28 and at the age where, as Buck Showalter says often, some players begin to find it and come into their own as big league players.
The Lough down on David right now is that he turned around his season in the last few weeks and showed glimpses of the player the Orioles thought they had acquired in December.
From the minors: The Orioles' Garabez Rosa has replaced outfielder Dariel Alvarez on the roster of the Glendale Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League. AFL games begin Oct. 7.
There is no issue or injury with Alvarez. But he just became a father and he had over 500 at-bats this season between Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk, so the Orioles are fine with Alvarez skipping the AFL.
The 25-year-old Rosa was recently signed to a 2015 Orioles minor league contract. This past season, he played 124 games for Bowie, batting .282 with 27 doubles, a triple, 11 homers and 69 RBIs.
Rosa may have a shot at the majors in the future because of some pop in his bat and his ability to play several infield and outfield positions. He is expected to be used at several positions in the AFL.
Meanwhile, 17-year-old third baseman Jomar Reyes was ranked the No. 18 prospect in the Gulf Coast League by Baseball America this week.
While some young kids from the Dominican Republic like Reyes might have spent this past summer in the Dominican Summer League, the O's thought Reyes could handle the GCL and he sure did. In 53 games, Reyes batted .285 with four homers and 29 RBIs. In 21 games in August, he batted .338 with seven doubles, two homers, 17 RBIs and an .899 OPS.
Reyes drew rave reviews from some of the club's minor league staff. They were impressed by his plus arm and plus raw power. They feel he is already among the club's top 15 prospects. Reyes is 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds. Yeah, real good size for just 17. The Orioles signed him to a $350,000 bonus in January.
Back in February, I wrote this profile of Reyes during spring training in Sarasota.
Lough batted .197 in 117 at-bats before the All-Star game. He has hit .351 in 57 at-bats since the break.
In his last six games, Lough is 7-for-14 with a double, triple, homer and five RBIs. Last night, he had two hits, stole a base, scored a run and drove one in.
In 14 games this month, Lough is 10-for-28 (.357) with two homers, six RBIs, a .679 slugging percentage and a 1.066 OPS.
Lough's improved play may earn him a spot on the Orioles playoff roster and his service time status may earn him a spot on the 2015 Orioles.
Lough is not even arbitration-eligible yet, so he'll play next season near the league minimum in salary. That is good value for a player that can bring some of his skills to the team.
He is also 28 and at the age where, as Buck Showalter says often, some players begin to find it and come into their own as big league players.
The Lough down on David right now is that he turned around his season in the last few weeks and showed glimpses of the player the Orioles thought they had acquired in December.
From the minors: The Orioles' Garabez Rosa has replaced outfielder Dariel Alvarez on the roster of the Glendale Desert Dogs of the Arizona Fall League. AFL games begin Oct. 7.
There is no issue or injury with Alvarez. But he just became a father and he had over 500 at-bats this season between Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk, so the Orioles are fine with Alvarez skipping the AFL.
The 25-year-old Rosa was recently signed to a 2015 Orioles minor league contract. This past season, he played 124 games for Bowie, batting .282 with 27 doubles, a triple, 11 homers and 69 RBIs.
Rosa may have a shot at the majors in the future because of some pop in his bat and his ability to play several infield and outfield positions. He is expected to be used at several positions in the AFL.
Meanwhile, 17-year-old third baseman Jomar Reyes was ranked the No. 18 prospect in the Gulf Coast League by Baseball America this week.
While some young kids from the Dominican Republic like Reyes might have spent this past summer in the Dominican Summer League, the O's thought Reyes could handle the GCL and he sure did. In 53 games, Reyes batted .285 with four homers and 29 RBIs. In 21 games in August, he batted .338 with seven doubles, two homers, 17 RBIs and an .899 OPS.
Reyes drew rave reviews from some of the club's minor league staff. They were impressed by his plus arm and plus raw power. They feel he is already among the club's top 15 prospects. Reyes is 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds. Yeah, real good size for just 17. The Orioles signed him to a $350,000 bonus in January.
Back in February, I wrote this profile of Reyes during spring training in Sarasota.
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