O's minors system gets inaugural Minor League Baseball Sportsmanship Award

The Orioles' minor leagues have come a long way under the Mike Elias regime to become the No. 1 ranked organization in the majors. The O's no longer claim the top spot, but they do remain as one of baseball's top farms.

Today, they got another, different honor.

The Orioles organization was named the recipient of the inaugural MiLB Sportsmanship Award. This award is presented to the Major League Baseball organization whose Minor League personnel best exemplify MiLB’s commitment to fostering a culture of sportsmanship and professionalism on the field.

The four organizations that were finalists for the 2024 season were Arizona, Baltimore, Miami and Milwaukee. 

Per a Minor League Baseball press release, "Baltimore’s four affiliates – Norfolk, Bowie (now Chesapeake), Aberdeen and Delmarva – set the standard for exemplary sportsmanship while maintaining a competitive environment for player development without undue interruptions from on-field conflicts. Remarkably, no player, manager, or coach in the Orioles system missed a game due to a suspension for on-field conduct in 2024."

“From top to bottom throughout the season, the Orioles organization stood out for their professionalism on the field and the respect shown to umpires, opponents, and fans,” said Michael Hill, MLB’s senior vice president of on-field operations. “We appreciate their efforts and are pleased to recognize them with this well-deserved honor.”

Added O's director of player development Anthony Villa: “We pride ourselves on building a strong learning environment that helps people grow and believe that displaying exemplary behavior is an important aspect of that standard. We are proud to be recognized by Minor League Baseball with the inaugural MiLB Sportsmanship Award as this is a credit to our players, our coaches, our support staff and everyone in between, showcasing their positive energy and the effort they bring to their jobs every single day.”

The O's recently announced the addition to their farm of former big league catcher Tim Federowicz, who was hired to manage their Triple-A Norfolk club with Buck Britton joining the O's coaching staff. Federowicz, 37, managed Triple-A Tacoma (Mariners) in 2022 and Triple-A Toledo (Tigers) this past season. He retired as a player in December 2021.

If you are already looking ahead to the start of the 2025 minor league seasons, Triple-A Norfolk opens at home March 28 versus Durham. Double-A Chesapeake opens April 4 at Altoona. That same day, High-A Aberdeen opens at home versus Hub City and Single-A Delmarva is at Salem.

Speaking of Delmarva, the Shorebirds announced today that O's skipper Brandon Hyde will be the guest speaker at the Shorebirds’ 22^nd annual Hot Stove banquet on Jan. 30 from 6-9 p.m. at the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center in Salisbury.

For more information and to purchase tickets, fans should call 410-219-3112 or visit theshorebirds.com.