Minor League Podcast: A spotlight on the Aberdeen IronBirds and the O’s 2017 draft class

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Today kicks off our Minor League Podcast series on each Orioles’ affiliate, how the teams performed in 2017 and what they can look forward to in 2018.

This one is sort of a combination podcast – a look at the Aberdeen IronBirds last season, but it’s also a more in-depth discussion about the 2017 Orioles’ amateur draft and the players who began their professional careers either for the Gulf Coast League Orioles (rookie league) or at short-season Aberdeen last year.

Adam Pohl, host of our Minor League Podcast and the voice of the Bowie Baysox, solicits the help of BaltimoreBaseball.com’s minor league reporter Dean Jones Jr., to take a closer look at the most recent Baby Birds.

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There were several members of the 2017 draft class that stood out for the IronBirds last season, including pitchers Zac Lowther and Michael Baumann and hitters Ben Breazeale (pictured above) and Trevor Craport.

Pohl and Jones also discuss 19-year-old lefty DL Hall, the club’s top pick in the 2017 draft out of a Georgia high school, and his truncated (five starts) beginning as a pro in the Gulf Coast League.

Many of the players that Pohl and Jones discuss in this podcast aren’t on the collective radar yet of Orioles’ fans. But some have the chance to land there fairly quickly.

So, if you want to hear more about how last year’s draft class fared, and what could be expected from some of those members this year, check this one out.

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And, remember, we’re going to hit each level in the next few weeks. The next one up after this will be the Delmarva Shorebirds, whom Pohl believes could end up being the most intriguing affiliate for the Orioles in 2018.

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Dan Connolly

Dan Connolly has spent more than two decades as a print journalist in Pennsylvania and Maryland. The Baltimore native and Calvert Hall graduate first covered the Orioles as a beat writer for the York (Pennsylvania) Daily Record in 2001 before becoming The Baltimore Sun’s national baseball writer/Orioles reporter in 2005. He has won multiple state and national writing awards, including several from the Associated Press Sports Editors. In 2013 he was named Maryland Co-Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. And in 2015, he authored his first book, "100 Things Orioles Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die." He lives in York, with his wife, Karen, and three children, Alex, Annie, and Grace.

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  • Great job at the Hot Stove Event last evening Dan. The crowd of 100+ were treated to interesting and insightful commentary from you and Mel and some classic 80's Orioles stories from Scott McGregor. Well done! Looking forward to next year!

    • Thanks so much. It is always a great time and for an excellent cause. And Scotty was exceptional.

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