Just ask some current players on the Baltimore Orioles roster who have spent time down in Tidewater this season.
Infielder Kyle Stowers, now with the big-league team, said the Tides are “legit” with talent everywhere.
“There’s a logjam in Norfolk. Some guys are major league ready,” added Stowers.
Norfolk, at the highest level of the minor leagues, is a mix of talent of young players with high hopes, just a phone call away from the majors, and former MLB players looking for one more crack.
So far this season, Norfolk has been dismantling its Triple-A competition. On Sunday, the Tides defeated Durham, winning another six-game series.
First baseman Ryan O’Hearn, who spent the first two weeks of the season with Norfolk, and was then called up to Baltimore, before being optioned back Thursday, had four hits to lead the Tides on Sunday.
“It’s fun being here,” said O’Hearn. “If you’ve got to be in Triple-A, then this is the kind of team you want to be on. This team is head and shoulders better than every team we’ve played.”
Norfolk’s hot start is not without reason. After Sunday’s win over the Bulls, Norfolk has outscored its opponents by a whopping 102 runs.
The Tides are also pitching well; they have the best earned-run average in Triple-A, 3.57. Norfolk’s starting rotation this season has consisted of four pitchers with Major League experience. Cole Irvin, Bruce Zimmerman, Spenser Watkins and DL Hall have all pitched in the big leagues.
Back to the offense, Colton Cowser and Jordon Westburg are slugging the ball. Westburg is tied for the team lead in RBIs with 28, while Cowser is batting .314 with a club-high 25 walks.
Opposing scouts who have watched the Tides play this season rave about the complete overhaul of the organization’s minor league approach.
Norfolk Manager Buck Britton said the organization is built for sustained success.
“It’s more than just drafting high, it’s the total approach to selecting the right fits, and certainly in player development,” said Britton.
This week for the Tides
After Sunday’s comeback win over Durham, winning 5-4 in front of a huge crowd of over 10,000, the Tides have a league day off Monday.
Norfolk will travel down to Jacksonville to begin a six-game series. The Tides have not announced a starting pitcher for Tuesday’s opener.
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