Stowers on Gunnar, plus other notes and another No. 1 farm ranking

If the Orioles decide soon to make the call to bring top prospect Gunnar Henderson to the major leagues for the first time, they’ll be getting a player who has impressed both prospects analysts and his own teammates.

Outfielder Kyle Stowers, who got his own call to rejoin the Orioles on Friday, has been a teammate of Henderson much of this year at Triple-A Norfolk.

He provided a ringing endorsement of the talents and more that Henderson would bring to the Orioles.

“He is a special individual,” Stowers said before Sunday’s game in Williamsport, Pa. “Obviously, his athletic ability is impressive. But also, how strong he is. You know he is a special talent. What I’ve been impressed with and I’ve been around him since 2019 is every time there is a gap when I see him, he comes back leaps and bounds better than he was before. The rate at which he has progressed has been incredible.

“The first time I was actually on a team with him in affiliate ball (was this year) but just so impressed with the talent and even more so how he handles things. Even though they are not as frequent, when he would have a tough game, he is the same guy. Consistently getting himself ready and his prep work is the same every day. He is always in good spirits, and I think it is things like that that make me believe the sky is the limit for him. He is just a guy you want to root for. Such a good kid and so mature for his age.”

Through Sunday’s Norfolk game, Henderson is batting .298/.416/.542/.958 in 105 games this year between Double-A and Triple-A with 24 doubles, six triples, 19 homers and 75 RBIs.

He has gone 4-for-11 his past two games with the Tides with a double, homer and seven RBIs.

Henderson is now ranked as MLB’s No. 1 prospect by Baseball America and No. 2 by MLBPipeline.com.

As for Stowers, he went 2-for-7 with two RBIs in his first two games since rejoining the Orioles over the weekend, before his rough night Sunday when he struck out four times in Williamsport, Pa.

But he’s excited to both be back in the majors and this time join the club during a playoff push.

“This is what you dream about, competing for a playoff spot at the highest level,” he said. “You can’t ask for anything more as a player. So just trying to yes, soak it all in, but also do the best I can to find a way to help the team wherever I can plug in. So many great guys here having awesome years. Just want to help in some way.”

Stowers may be underrated a bit on defense. He is solid with the glove at all three outfield spots and made a throw home Friday with 92 mph velocity.

“I personally think so (that my defense is underrated),” he said “I’ve been competent in all three spots in the outfield. You know I’ve always been a believer in my defensive abilities. I think coaches oftentimes will come up to me with ‘I didn’t know you could defend.’ I think it is a bit underrated, but I have always been confident in the field.”

At 63-58 (.521) the Orioles, at this pace, would finish with a final record of 84-78.

The Orioles have now played 100 games since May 1, going 56-44. That .560-win percentage would produce 91 wins over a full year.

Shortstop Jorge Mateo’s huge three-run double in the eighth on Sunday night was the latest example of how Mateo has really heated up at the plate. He is 4-for-8 his past two games. In 19 games this month, he is batting .338/.392/.618/1.010 with five doubles, a triple, four homers and 16 RBIs. Mateo is batting .316 with an OPS of .937 in 28 games in the second half. He had an OPS of .610 before the All-Star game.

There are a lot of stats we could look at to hammer home the O’s improvement this year but for me the club’s play against the AL East teams is at the top of the list. Yes overall, they are still under .500 versus the East at 27-29 but they are 4-2 in the last six and 15-11 in their past 26 within the division. The Orioles are 9-8-1 in series play in the division, a year after going 3-19-2 in AL East series.

This season the Orioles started 2-8 against the AL East as of April 29. They are 25-21 (.543) since that point.

Still No. 1: It's impressive that catcher Adley Rutschman graduated from prospect status and is no longer eligible for prospect rankings, yet the Orioles farm system is still ranked No. 1. Baseball America recently ranked the Baltimore farm No. 1 and MLBPipeline.com released these new organizational ratings last night. The O's were No. 1 on their ratings midseason 2021, No. 1 in the winter and are still No. 1.