ORGANIZATION REPORTS

American League

● Shawn Dubin’s unique journey leads to a spot on the Astros’ roster PAGE 43

● Athletics masher Lawrence Butler showed off improved skill in 2021 PAGE 44

● A young Blue Jays shortstop looks to build on his DSL debut PAGE 45

National League

● D-backs shortstop Ryan Bliss makes a habit of surprising people PAGE 46

● Brewers lefthander Ethan Small unveils new grip on his slider PAGE 47

● Padres hire hitting coach Michael Brdar away from division rivals PAGE 49

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

Righthander Tommy Wilson barely had time to process that the Mariners selected him in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft before he was changing teams again.

Seattle sold the 25-year-old Wilson to the Orioles in a transaction that was arranged earlier in the day.

Wilson was the Mets’ 19th-round pick in 2018 out of Cal State Fullerton. He had a 2.35 ERA in 10 relief appearances in 2021 with Double-A Binghamton, striking out 18 batters in 15.1 innings.

The Orioles arranged to acquire him after filling their 38-man Triple-A roster during the draft.

“It was wild, for sure,” Wilson said. “It’s definitely cool to get picked and to know that there’s organizations out there that value my talent and who I am as a player and a pitcher.”

Wilson also was grateful that he was healthy again. He didn’t make his first appearance of 2021 until June 24 and returned to the injured list in early September.

Wilson’s familiarity with analytics will increase with the Orioles, who can build on his understanding of the data that already made him more aware of his strengths and weaknesses.

“I didn’t really know much about spin rates and vertical break, all this stuff, until pro ball, and even now I’m still learning, as many of us are,” he said. “I’ve heard fantastic things about the Orioles organization in regard to analytics. I’m definitely curious to hear what they have to say about my stuff, my mechanics and whatnot.”

Wilson’s father is actor Thomas F. Wilson, who played high school bully Biff Tannen in the “Back to the Future” movies. The younger Wilson never wanted to act, preferring to step on a mound rather than into character.

“Any time I end up in a new place, whether it’s college or with the Orioles, everybody ends up finding out,” Wilson said of his actor father. “It’s the same reaction everywhere I go.”

—ROCH KUBATKO

BOSTON RED SOX

In 2019, lefthander Brandon Walter had an undistinguished profile.

The University of Delaware starter was still rebuilding arm strength following Tommy John surgery in 2018. He was throwing mostly in the mid-to-high 80s with underwhelming numbers.

Still, Red Sox area scout Reed Gragnani saw several promising qualities, including a projectable 6-foot-3 frame, command and feel for pitching, an above-average changeup as well as a good cutter.

The cutter was actually a slider without tilt, but Walter generated enough whiffs and weak contact overall to suggest deception. Boston drafted him in the 26th round and signed him for $35,000.

When the 2020 season was canceled, Walter diligently worked out on his own, using the opportunity to improve his strength and conditioning. His velocity steadily improved and the power on his secondary pitches did the same.

When Walter arrived in spring training in 2021, the 24-year-old was filled with anticipation.

“It was kind of like I had this secret,” Walter said. “I couldn’t wait to show everybody.”

He did just that, with a fastball topping out at 94-95 mph along with a quality slider and changeup. Walter opened the year in the Low-A Salem bullpen but dominated so much that the Red Sox built his workload.

He eventually shifted to the rotation in Salem, followed by a promotion to High-A Greenville.

Walter forged a 2.92 ERA in 89.1 innings at the two levels. Among minor league pitchers who threw at least 80 innings, Walter ranked in the top 10 in strikeout rate (36%) while allowing a .199 average.

Walter’s pitch quality matched that of anyone in the Red Sox system in 2021.

With a strong likelihood that he opens 2022 in Double-A, Walter has a chance to solidify the promise he showed in his breakout 2021 season.

—ALEX SPEIER

CHICAGO WHITE SOX

The White Sox addressed an immediate need with their third-round pick in 2021, landing Maryland righthander Sean Burke.

“It was a situation where the scouts’ evaluation aligned with what we were seeing from a pitch data standpoint,” said Chris Getz, Chicago’s assistant general manager and director of player development.

“Although Sean’s production wavered during his college season, the pitch data remained strong. That made us even more convicted to select him.”

With the Terrapins in 2021, Burke appeared in 14 games (13 starts) and recorded a 3.27 ERA. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound righthander had 107 strikeouts in 74.1 innings but he also issued 42 walks.

Considering Burke missed the entire 2019 season recovering from Tommy John surgery and was limited to four starts the following year due to Covid-19, he’s finally in a spot to take off.

Following a quick stop in the Arizona Complex League, the 22-year-old made five starts for Low-A Kannapolis and pitched to a 3.21 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 14 innings.

Like at Maryland, Burke still has to do a better job locating the strike zone. He walked 10 in his short stint with Kannapolis.

“His fastball command is an area of focus,” Getz said. “His miss is often up, which can be successful for swing and miss, but he needs to be in the zone more.”

When he returns to Kannapolis in 2022 for what the White Sox hope is a brief stay, Burke should be much better