Booth enters Baseball America’s Orioles’ prospect list at No. 2

A day ahead of his professional debut, Eric Booth Jr., Mississippi high school outfielder who was the seventh overall pick in last month’s draft, entered Baseball America’s Orioles’ prospect ratings at No. 2.

Booth, who’ll play for Single-A Delmarva when they host Salem at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium in Salisbury on Tuesday night, signed with the Orioles for $7,324,700.

Had the Orioles not made the major trade with the Boston Red Sox, sending away three-time All-Star Adley Rutschman, Booth would have been No. 1.

Instead, right-hander Anthony Eyanson, who was the headline prospect in the Rutschman deal and pitched for Double-A Chesapeake on Saturday night, is No. 1. Eyanson is also the leading prospect in the widely followed MLB Pipeline ratings.

MLB.com has not yet adjusted its ranking to include recent draftees.

Left-handed starter Joseph Dzierwa, who’s also pitching for Chesapeake, is No. 3 in the Baseball America poll, followed by Caden Hunter, who’s zoomed through Delmarva, High-A Frederick and joins Eyanson and Dzierwa for a promising Baysox starting staff.

According to MLB Pipeline, Hunter is the 15^thranked prospect.

Outfielder Enndy Azocar, another top prospect acquired in the Rutschman deal who’s now at Frederick, is No. 5 in the BA ranking.

First baseman/outfielder Ike Irish, whose season was ended after a torn meniscus in his left knee last month, is No. 6. Irish was the Orioles’ top draft pick in 2025

Triple-A Norfolk left-hander Luis De Léon, Tides right-hander Michael Forret, reacquired from Tampa Bay in the trade that sent Tyler Wells to the Rays, outfielder Nate George and Keys left-handed starter Boston Bateman round out the top 10.

George hasn’t played since early May due to illness.

Right-hander Kyson Witherspoon, another piece in the Rutschman trade, is No. 11.

Wehiwa Aloy, another Orioles’ first-rounder now at Chesapeake, is No. 15. Ty Head, the Orioles’ second-round draft pick who’ll also debut for the Shorebirds on Tuesday night, is No 16.

Outfielder Jhomnardo Reyes, acquired from Minnesota in the trade for Dean Kremer, who’ll start against the Orioles on Monday night, is 17^th in the prospect rankings.

Reyes is also at Delmarva. A scout who saw Reyes play often in the Florida Complex League believes he has a real chance to play in the majors leagues. He said that while the FCL wasn’t as talented as in recent years, Reyes’ talent was evident.

Norfolk outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr., the Orioles’ No. 1 draft pick in 2023, is ranked 21^st by Baseball America and 14^th by MLB Pipeline. Outfielder Vance Honeycutt, the top pick in 2024 who’s on Frederick’s injured list with a strained left oblique muscle, is not among the top 30 prospects in either poll.

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