ORGANIZATION REPORTS

American League

• A White Sox lefty makes a big impression while becoming the first 2020 draftee to reach the big leagues PAGE 47
• A 19-year-old Royals lefthander draws a crowd with triple-digit heat at instructional league PAGE 48
• A towering Twin finds success without elite velocity PAGE 49

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

The Orioles scouted righthander Garrett Stallings while he was the Friday night starter at Tennessee. The 23-year-old was on their radar long before he joined the organization.

Stallings followed the Orioles as a kid living in Virginia, attending games at Triple-A Norfolk and Camden Yards. His interest dates back even further.

The pairing came to fruition when the Orioles traded shortstop Jose Iglesias to the Angels on Dec. 2 for Stallings and 19-year-old Venezuelan righthander Jean Pinto.

“I was very excited when I was informed I was going to Baltimore,” Stallings said. “I played a few games there in high school. Being a little kid, I couldn’t believe how fast those pitchers were throwing. Getting a chance to play there myself would be a dream come true.

“I think I was around 7 or 8 and went with my brother, mom and some friends. I’ve even got a picture of it, me in my Orioles shirt. Me and my brother had a uniform on. I think it was a cool experience now that I’m with the Orioles, being my first experience and seeing the game at the highest level.”

The Angels drafted Stallings in the fifth round in 2019. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound righty hasn’t stepped on a mound as a professional after going 8-5, 3.33 with 106 strikeouts in 102.2 innings as a junior, but the Orioles did their homework on him.

They didn’t need to see any more games before seeking him in a trade. And the Angels were the right fit for Iglesias with their vacancy at shortstop.

“We were impressed with (Stallings) then,” Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said, “and while he has not officially played professional baseball because he was shut down after throwing 100 innings at Tennessee—which the Angels do with their draft picks—we got to scout him in person and also video and data this year through (the Angels’) instructional league.”

“I think it’s another great starting pitching prospect to add to what’s becoming a very impressive stack up in our system.”

—ROCH KUBATKO

BOSTON RED SOX

It’s hard to know exactly what instructional league performances meant and to distinguish the steps forward that were real from those that might prove a mirage.

Numerous pitchers, after spending quarantine working out and freed of the wear and tear of a season, arrived throwing harder than they had in the past, and it will require a more normal minor league setting to evaluate whether those gains stick.

Nonetheless, among Red Sox pitchers who showed up in instructional league, none showed more dramatic improvements in stuff than.