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

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PODCASTS HERE
iTunes / Google Play

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.

CONTINUE READING BELOW

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.

CONTINUE READING BELOW

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.

Scroll Down to LEAVE A COMMENT

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.

View Comments

  • 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.

Share
Published by
Dan Connolly

Recent Posts

  • Rich Dubroff

Orioles beat Angels’ Grayson Rodriguez, 3-1, with help from newest players

BALTIMORE—Adley Rutschman is already in Boston, getting accustomed to his new team, and his old…

August 5, 2026
  • Mailbag

Questions about Elias and the Rutschman trade | MAILBAG

Question: Mike Elias’ trade of Adley Rutschman seems like an admission of failure, and establishes…

August 5, 2026
  • Rich Dubroff

Orioles adjust to post-Rutschman world; Rogers stays in Baltimore; O’s-Angels lineups

BALTIMORE—A day after the shocking trade that sent catcher Adley Rutschman from the Orioles to…

August 4, 2026
  • Calling the Pen

Calling the Pen: A frank look at the Rutschman trade

Something changed for me in 1966. I had been a baseball fan -- Sandy Koufax,…

August 4, 2026
  • Peter Schmuck

Peter Schmuck: Clearly, inconsistent Orioles failed to make a case for staying the course

There’s no way to be sure what Mike Elias would have done if the Orioles…

August 4, 2026
  • Rich Dubroff

Orioles’ Mike Elias on trading Adley Rutschman: ‘An incredibly emotional moment’

Mike Elias sat for a 28-minute video conference call after the Orioles president of baseball…

August 4, 2026