Some infield playing time at Aberdeen and what is new at the Yard

ABERDEEN - With a roster that includes three Orioles top 30 prospects in his infield and two that primarily play second base, new high Single-A Aberdeen IronBirds manager Roberto Mercado may need to do some shuffling of his young talent when the new season begins on Friday at Jersey Shore.

Last summer the Orioles selected Connor Norby in the second round out of East Carolina, No. 41 overall. Every start he made last season between the Rookie-level Florida Complex League and low Single-A Delmarva was at second base. He batted .264/.380/.405/.785.

In January, when the O’s announced their latest class of international signees, they added 22-year-old Cuban-born infielder César Prieto from the Cuban baseball pro ranks. He was signed to a $650,000 bonus and last year batted .403/.463/.579/1.042 and showed amazing bat control, drawing 31 walks with just 11 strikeouts. During the 2020 season, he had a 40-game hitting streak. He also has played a lot of second base.

But during an IronBirds practice last night at Ripken Stadium, Mercado said that Prieto showed him during spring training that he can move around the infield. The skipper said he plans to get both these players on the field a lot.

“Prieto will be moving around the infield,” said Mercado, who is beginning his first year in the O’s organization. “He’s a guy that is athletic, and we saw it over the last five weeks. He can play second, short and third. Which gives us some opportunities to give guys a day of rest. That is a big plus for us. We’re going to move some guys around as well throughout the year. But Norby is going to be primarily at second base and that is where his focus is going to be.”

Mercado described Prieto as “locked in” and added that he is quickly learning English, getting pointers from other players, and said the chemistry has come fast for the international player and his IronBirds teammates.

With a roster that includes two top 10 O’s prospects in outfielder Colton Cowser and third baseman Coby Mayo, the IronBirds should score some runs. The Aberdeen roster right now features 11 draft picks from 2021, including Cowser and Norby.

After many of these same players got promoted to Delmarva mid-August last year, the Shorebirds then went 20-10 the rest of the way and scored 7.5 runs per game. So now Birdland is excited to see what this group can do after moving up to this level.

“I saw them for five weeks (in camp) and there is a lot of potential,” Mercado said of his squad. “That’s a word that gets thrown around and we want to see them produce when it’s gametime. They’ve been itching to play. Spring training, they got their work in and they’re ready to go now. I don’t want to make any predictions, but it’s a special group of guys and I look forward to seeing what they do out there.”

Aberdeen is expected to use right-handers Jean Pinto and Ignacio Feliz in a pitching tandem on opening night Friday, but as of last night, the team had not yet decided which hurler would pitch first. Pinto went 2-2 with a 2.30 ERA last season between the O’s two FCL teams and Delmarva. Baseball America ranked him as the club’s No. 29 prospect, while FanGraphs.com had him at No. 28.

New at the Yard: In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Oriole Park, fans can explore historic memorabilia and never-before-seen photos from the last three decades. These will be part of the 30th Anniversary Exhibit. Or should we say several exhibits that fans can see this year behind home plate on the main concourse.

“We have 10 panels (exhibits) that highlight different players, different moments, just different things that happened over the course of 30 years here at Camden Yards,” said Bill Stetka, the Orioles’ director of team alumni and team historian. “We have one panel that talks about the beginning (of the park), one about our impact in the community, we have two that relate to Cal Ripken, three that display the early years at Camden Yards and three on the last decade. They will be interchanged during the course of the year. It will be an ever-changing exhibit. The exhibits will be open for all games, fans can wander through and take pictures and look at all the exhibits.”

Other exhibits on display include one featuring the bats of Ryan Flaherty, J.J. Hardy and Nick Markakis from May 10, 2012. The three set an American League record, becoming the first trio with back-to-back-to-back homers to start a game.

There is an exhibit with the final out ball and champagne bottle from Sept. 16, 2014, when the O’s won to clinch the AL East title, the club’s first home clinch since 1969.

Tides walk off: Triple-A Norfolk trailed Charlotte 5-0 in the sixth last night but rallied to win 6-5. The Tides scored twice in the ninth. Jahmai Jones’ RBI double tied the game at 5-5 and Robert Neustrom’s single was the game-winner for Norfolk, now 1-1.

And from yesterday, click here for pics and update on the new left-field wall at the Yard and click here for the rundown on what looks like the club’s final opening day roster.