A year after the Orioles selected outfielder Nate George with the 16th pick in the draft, he was named their minor league player of the year.
George didn’t play after he was picked in the 2024 draft. Last season, he hit a combined .337 with an .896 OPS in 87 games with the Florida Complex League Orioles, Single-A Delmarva and High-A Aberdeen. He also stole 50 bases in 75 attempts.
The Orioles’ No. 1 prospect, George began the season with High-A Frederick and had a five-hit game on Wednesday. He entered Saturday’s game hitting .321 with a .798 OPS, a home run, five RBIs and eight stolen bases in 10 attempts.
The 19-year-old spoke before Wednesday’s game at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium in Frederick.
Question: How’s your season going?
Nate George: “It’s going good so far. Obviously, just getting back in the swing of things. I’m really excited with the team that we got here, and the staff. I think in the future this team’s going to be really, really good.”
Q: Besides you, the Keys have plenty of talent. You have Vance Honeycutt and Ike Irish, the last two No. 1 draft picks, Wehiwa Aloy, another No. 1 draft choice from last season, and two pitchers, Joseph Dzierwa and JT Quinn, who were also high draft picks. How does it feel to play on a team with that much talent?
George: “It’s great going out there and playing with these guys. I like to tell people all the time, ‘We’ve got a lot of talent on this team but we also have a lot better people.’
“This is such a good group to be around. We have fun with each other every night, win or lose, and I think that positive energy just radiates off each other. Hitting is contagious and winning is contagious. Being in an environment with such positivity and such a good group of guys helps us out so much.”
Q: How important was the success that you had last year?
George: “It was awesome, and I’m really blessed to have the year that I had, and I’m just looking to carry some of that momentum into this year. Just take it a day at a time and control what I can control. The prospect list, that’s such a blessing to be a part of, but at the end of the day, the job’s not finished, and I still have so much more work I need to improve on, so just keeping the focus more on that and taking it a day at a time.”
Q: What has your time in the Orioles’ organization taught you?
George: “These past couple of years have shaped me into a better man, learning these things from baseball and applying it to my actual life as well. I think it was the best decision as well for me to come here out of high school, especially an org that takes their development very, very serious. They prioritize developing their younger guys, which I’m really blessed to be a part of that. I’m really grateful for the staff and the people and the teammates that surround me and looking to build off that every single day.”
Q: This spring, the Orioles had you come over to play in some Grapefruit League games. What do you learn from those games?
George: “It was cool to be around those guys, seeing how those guys work, how they go about their business and observing and seeing different guys’ routines.”
Q: Did you get any tips from players and coaches?
George: “A little from major league coaches, a lot of it just seeing how these guys go about their business. That was kind of a big thing for me, knowing that I was going to have the opportunity to go over there, not as much being engaged all the time, but also seeing how they go about their business, how intentional they are about their stuff, and that’s something cool that you get to notice with guys like that. They’re really intentional and really have a specific routine they like to deal in.”
Q: Do you have a chip on your shoulder because you were drafted in the 15th round, and not the first? Do you have more to prove?
George: “Absolutely. At the end of the day, I’m a strong believer that everything happens for a reason, and I think that I did go to the Orioles for a reason. I rest in knowing that every day. There’s always going to be a chip on my shoulder, no matter if I’m the first prospect or the last prospect. If I was the first pick or the last pick, that’s not going to change how I go about my business or my work.”
Q: You grew up in Illinois, a place where few major league players are from. What was that like?
George: “I know that there were a lot of guys who got a lot more exposure than me at times. It could get to your head. It could be a little frustrating at times. Going back to my other point, I’m a strong believer things happen for a reason, and I think being an underdog in that sense shaped me into being the man that I am today.”
Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: [email protected]