Baltimore Orioles Promising Prospect Shining at Arizona Fall League
One of the only positives that came from the multiple losing seasons the Baltimore Orioles had during their rebuilding process was the ability to load up on elite prospect talent.
They've already seen the benefits with Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson immediately contending for AL Rookie of the Year Awards the past two seasons.
Beyond those two, their farm system continues to be loaded with potential stars, headline by Jackson Holliday who could be making his MLB debut in 2024.
Other prospects are looking to make names for themselves within this loaded prospect pool.
Billy Cook is starting to do that at the Arizona Fall League.
The Orioles' first base prospect got off to a slow start and hit a rough patch before turning things around this past weekend.
He hit two home runs in two days, flashing his power potential that was on display with Baltimore's Double-A affiliate.
Cook is now tied for fourth in the AFL with four total home runs.
"The biggest thing for me is finding an approach that works for me where I don't just put the ball in play, I still do damage. So being a little more selective with the pitches and knowing when I swing in the zone, I will put it in play, but not sacrificing the hard-hit balls just to put it in play and not strike out, " he said.
But strikeouts and getting the ball into play has plagued him so far in the AFL.
He has a slash line of .208/.348/.491 with 22 strikeouts in 53 at-bats. That is in-line with his 2023 performance when he struck out 125 times across 120 games played.
Cook is a very interesting prospect.
He's ranked as the Orioles' No. 27 player in their pipeline and has played everywhere defensively across the outfield and first base.
In his first two full years of professional baseball, he's hit 39 home runs, driven in 146 runs and has stolen 55 bases.
If he's able to cut down on his strikeout numbers and continue to produce the power numbers he's been able to show so far in his career, Cook could find himself playing a role with Baltimore in the upcoming years.
