1:57pm: The Orioles have formally announced Mountcastle’s promotion. In a corresponding move, Chris Davis was placed on the 10-day IL due to patellar tendinitis in his left knee.
11:40am: The Orioles are calling up top prospect Ryan Mountcastle for his MLB debut, as first reported by Jason La Canfora of 105.7 The Fan (Twitter link). The 23-year-old slugger was the No. 36 overall pick in the 2015 draft. He’s already on the 40-man roster, so they’ll only need to clear space on the 28-man roster to accommodate him (although the corresponding move could still include a 40-man subtraction, of course).
Mountcastle has ranked among the organization’s best prospects since the time he was drafted out of high school. He has at times ranked among the game’s 100 best prospects according to outlets like Baseball America, MLB.com, Baseball Prospectus, etc. — and he’s currently just on the outside of FanGraphs’ Top 100, sitting at No. 111.
Questions persist about just where on the field Mountcastle will play. He was drafted as a shortstop but has slid down the defensive spectrum — first moving to third base and then spending time at first base and in left field last year in Triple-A. There are far fewer questions, though, about the slugger’s promising bat. Mountcastle followed up 2018’s .297/.341/.464 slash (121 wRC+) in a pitcher-friendly Double-A setting with a .312/.344/.527 slash (117 wRC+) in Triple-A last year. He doesn’t walk much but also doesn’t strike out at an alarming rate and has never batted worse than .281 in a full professional season.
It’s possible that Mountcastle will supplant the struggling Dwight Smith Jr. as the team’s primary left fielder. Smith has posted a woeful .222/.306/.365 batting line in 72 plate appearances this year and wasn’t much better in 2019 when he hit .241/.297/.412. Given that Smith himself has graded out as a poor defender in left, there may not be a dip in glovework at all, and Mountcastle is a clear part of the organization’s future (which cannot be said of Smith).
Mountcastle could also be worked into the corner infield and designated hitter mix, but regardless of the position listed next to his name on the lineup card, it would behoove the Orioles to get him regular at-bats through season’s end. The hope is that Mountcastle will be a fixture in the lineup for years to come, and now that we’ve passed the point where he’d qualify as a Super Two or reach free agency after “only” six years instead of seven, there’s little reason for the O’s to keep him down at the alternate training site. Assuming Mountcastle is in the big leagues to stay, he’d be controllable through 2026 and arbitration-eligible after the 2023 season.
It is, of course, also worth noting that the O’s are just a game below .500 after a surprising start to the season. They’ve dropped five straight and are currently on the outside looking in on the playoff picture, but slotting Mountcastle into the lineup can’t hurt their odds of making a Cinderella run at this year’s expanded playoff format.
FINALLYYYYYY
I’ve been high on this kid even as someone who’s a fan of another team. Honestly think he’s a super underrated prospect that could be an above average bat for years.
If you haven’t added him yet, what are you doing reading this…add him.
But he has to beat out Chris Davis.
Davis has two seasons worth $46 million remaining on his current deal. He’s responsible for about a third of the team’s payroll and will be receiving $1.7 million paychecks annually until 2037
????????????????
Did you just google Chris Davis for the first time and copy paste the first result from nbcwashington.com? (A: Yes)
Yes, that’s what responsible commenters do. Look at at least one other reference before commenting. It is a solid way to be more informed. Wish everyone tried it.
nbcwashington.com/news/sports/nbcsports/like-it-or….
And you still got the details of his contract wrong after researching. He won’t be getting $1.7MM for 15 years in addition to $46MM. The next two years he will be paid $17MM, not $23MM. A responsible commenter would print facts, not errors.
Do I hear the next Bobby Bonilla?
It shouldn’t matter how much he is making, if he is hurting his teams chances of winning consistently, he should be released. Since 2018 he is by far the worst player in the entire league with an OPS+ 50 and striking out 40% of the time. The guy plays the most offensively demanding position in the league. His bat speed is atrocious, I guess he really helped the team last year….get the #2 draft pick and #1 the year before.
Right. It’s a sunken cost.
About time. Giving Dwight Smith/Valaika ABS out in LF is unacceptable. I don’t even need to talk about giving Davis Abs…..A long time coming. I wonder who is going out?
unacceptable…lol
His 25% K rate (with few walks) in AAA and below average fielding scare me. Big League pitchers will eat that ratio up.
Let’s hope that he can learn some plate discipline and get better at fielding. Otherwise…..
He was the IL MVP last year. Not sure a 25% K rate means much when you barrel the ball up the other 75% of the time
Definitely matters. Guys who K 25% in AAA tend to K at higher clips in the majors. It’s a definite red flag.
But you just posted “about time”…lol, stop making this so easy
Nelson Cruz has a fairly low walk rate and a 25 percent strikeout rate, and he’s doing fine.
BTW, I looked up Mike Trout on baseball reference, and went to ratios, and Mike Trout’s strikeout rate has jumped 6 percent from last season 20 – 26%. Just something to keep in mind as the season goes on.
Nelson Cruz changed. Plucking outliers isn’t really helpful. Most players don’t become significantly better hitters into their 30’s like he did.
Says the guy who posted 1) about time (Mountcastle was called), and 2) red flag, red flag (Mountcastle strikes out too much and doesn’t walk enough)
Pick a side!
Also, exactly when and how did Nelson Cruz change? lol dude
Am I wrong for saying that Mountcastle is one of the few prospects who actually deserve to be called up this season and stay?
Yes, but only technically. A lot of the other ones also deserve to.
About two weeks late. Better late than never.
Davis to the “IL”?
Hahahahaha…nailed it!
It’s about time
This is a good move. 1-5 the O’s are pretty strong. ANYTHING they can get from 6-9 is a bonus. In the future, mountcastle and mancini could be decent together. They have similarities in their games and could be decent together once Davis is gone for good. It’s time to boot LeBlanc from the rotation. Akin is already on the 40 man and is deserving of a few starts. Kremer would be a nice addition to the pen as well. Small “fixes” for this season. When Iglesias comes back that will be a pretty big lift.
Any chance the Os didn’t draft Martin because they didn’t want 2 higher end prospects without a true position?
I’d think not taking Martin had more to do with Scott Boras than anything else.
And I don’t blame them one bit.
Honestly wasn’t overly impressed with Martin. Seems like a good ball player but not great. Position less is fine in today’s game but I think he had limitations to his game. I wasn’t enamored with Herstad either. Asa Lacy would have been my pick.
His name is Heston Kjerstad, not “Herstad.”
And no, that is not his nickname.
Good for Baltimore, man.
I wonder if Davis is injured or “injured”. Uh?