ORGANITSATION REPORT
American League
• An old stance helps make an Angels prospect new again PAGE 48
• A 17-year-old Athletics outfielder’s loud pro debut hints at future potential PAGE 49
• New slider gives a Rangers pitching prospect an edge PAGE 50
BALTIMORE ORIOLES
The Orioles had three easy decisions at the Nov. 20 deadline to finalize rosters for the Rule 5 draft. They were assured of protecting first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, lefthander Keegan Akin and righthander Dean Kremer.
They also chose to protect 22-year-old outfielder Ryan McKenna, which required them to look past some of the numbers at Double-A Bowie and lock into the qualities that continue to intrigue.
McKenna appeared in 135 games with the Baysox and slashed .232/.321/.365 with 26 doubles, six triples and nine home runs. He also stole 25 bases.
Speed and defense separate McKenna from many of the other players in the Orioles’ system. The righthanded hitter has small-ball skills and a little pop.
A scout from outside the organization noted how McKenna played “a big league center field.”
“For me as a player, the gifts that I’ve been given, it’s always been a part of my game to be able to do those things,” McKenna said. “I take pride in that and being able to produce in different areas. I need to be more consistent with my tools, but I know I can produce in a lot of different areas. That is a focus for me.”
McKenna, a fourth-round pick in 2015 out of high school in Dover, N.H., had no idea whether he would be protected or left exposed in the Rule 5 draft.
“I knew it was my Rule 5 year,” he said. “You have it in the back of your mind, but you can’t control that stuff. I thought there was definitely a chance.
“I love the Orioles organization, and they’ve been good to me. I was definitely excited to hear they were willing to take that chance on me and put me on the roster. It’s a happy moment when you find out.”
Austin Hays is penciled into center field next season and Anthony Santander and Trey Mancini are the likely choices at the corners, but McKenna will compete for a reserve spot in camp. He might have to repeat a stint at Bowie if the Triple-A Norfolk outfield is too crowded, but he’s inching closer to making his major league debut.
—ROCH KUBATKO
BOSTON RED SOX
Lefthander Kyle Hart tops out in the low 90s, doesn’t have a single pitch that grades as plus and he turned 27 in late November. In other words, he is not exactly the profile of a typical 40-man roster addition.
Yet Hart has defied type by combining an awareness of the direction of the modern game and its analytics with old school feel for the art of pitching to assert himself as part of the organization’s depth equation.
The Red Sox signed Hart for $5,000 after drafting him in the 19th round as a fifth-year senior out of Indiana in 2016. He received a medical redshirt after having Tommy
