Minor league notes on league top 20s, Chance Sisco and Tanner Scott

Baseball America has been rolling out its top 20 prospects list for each minor league over the last several days. They have not published the Triple-A league lists yet, but so far through the Double-A level, the Orioles have had just five players make the top 20s.

Four of those were off the short-season Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds team when they ranked players from the New York-Penn League.

The O's top draft pick from June, Illinois right-hander Cody Sedlock, was ranked No. 5 in that league with lefty Keegan Akin No. 12, outfielder Austin Hays No. 14 and lefty pitcher Alexander Wells from Australia at No. 20.

Held to nine starts of three innings with the IronBirds, Sedlock pitched to an ERA of 3.00. Over 27 innings, he gave up 16 hits with 13 walks and 25 strikeouts. Sedlock showed a fastball that worked in the low 90s but also touched 96 and 97. Buck Showalter will like this: Sedlock already holds runners well and was timed at 1.2 seconds to the plate.

Akin had the best numbers of the Orioles' draft picks with the lefty pitching to an ERA of 1.04 with seven walks to 29 strikeouts over 26 innings. He did not allow a run over his last 20 innings with Aberdeen. The Western Michigan University product was a second-round pick and No. 54 overall selection.

The right-handed hitting Hays had an impressive pro debut, batting .336/.386/.514 for Aberdeen. He hit both left-handed (.343) and right-handed pitchers (.333). There are some scouts who feel his overall package of tools tops DJ Stewart, the Florida State outfielder who was the O's top draft pick in 2015.

The 19-year-old Wells went 4-5 with a 2.15 ERA and that ranked third in the New York-Penn League. Over 62 2/3 innings, he walked just nine with 50 strikeouts. He allowed two runs or fewer in 12 of 13 starts and was a New York Penn League All-Star.

Catcher Chance Sisco, the Orioles' 2016 minor league Player of the Year, was rated the No. 16 prospect in the Double-A Eastern League by Baseball America. Earlier this year, he was ranked No. 85 on Baseball America's midseason top 100 list and he homered in the All-Star Futures Game for Team USA.

Sisco finished this year fourth in the Eastern League in batting at .320 and first in on-base percentage at .406. Fans keep asking if he could replace Matt Wieters if he leaves via free agency. My sense of it is that Sisco will see the majors at some point in 2017, but seeing that happen on opening day or expecting him to be the full-time starter next year may be ambitious. He reached Triple-A this year, but only for the last four games of the season. More seasoning and development could be needed.

Still, he made solid strides defensively this year and he clearly realizes that he won't get to Baltimore unless he can handle the defensive side of the position. He said as much during this July interview this season. He told me that point was hammered home to him during his first major league spring training invite last February in Sarasota.

Late this season, O's bullpen lefty Donnie Hart provided an optimistic report on Sisco's defense and game calling. Hart played with Sisco with Single-A Delmarva and also this season with Bowie. Ironically, he talked to me about Sisco just days before Sisco was named the O's minor league Player of the Year and he himself was named the Pitcher of the Year on the farm in September.

Tanner Scott to start: O's left-handed pitching prospect Tanner Scott, who can touch 100 mph with his fastball, is headed again this year to the Arizona Fall League. He will pitch there as a starter, but that is not any role change for him. The Orioles just like this better for Scott in the AFL as he will throw two- and three-inning outings and get more work in. Plus, he'll have a bullpen session between starts and relievers seldom throw between outings. This just gets the 22-year-old lefty more work against quality hitters.

In 64 1/3 innings between Single-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie in 2016, Scott went 5-4 with a 4.76 ERA and he gave up 40 hits (just one homer) with 57 walks and 81 strikeouts.

The control and command of his fastball/slider combo continues to be a challenge, but he made some strides there and he remains one of the club's better prospects. You keep working with a lefty that touched 100 mph in most of his outings this year.

Scott pitched in the AFL last year and was named to league's Top Prospects team when he pitched to an ERA of 2.00. The AFL begins play on Tuesday and the games continue through the championship game on Nov. 19.

Scott and the rest of the Orioles will play for the Peoria Javelinas and short-season Single-A Aberdeen pitching coach Justin Lord will be one of the team's two pitching coaches. Scott will be joined by right-handed pitchers Stefan Crichton, Jesus Liranzo and Jimmy Yacabonis along with catcher Austin Wynns, infielder Adrian Marin and outfielder Stewart.