There are former first-round hitters flashing incredible upside. There are talented arms making a case to be added to the 40-man roster. Out in Arizona, there is no shortage of Orioles storylines. 

The group of O’s prospects participating in the Arizona Fall League notably includes duos Vance Honeycutt and Ike Irish, Baltimore’s first-round selections in 2024 and 2025, respectively, and Braxton Bragg and Patrick Reilly, intriguing arms on the road to recovery from Tommy John surgeries. 

Honeycutt, unlike the other three, isn’t working his way back from an injury. He, seemingly, just didn’t want to stop hitting. 

Despite struggling offensively in High-A Frederick for much of 2026, Honeycutt was promoted to Double-A Chesapeake in mid-August. Whether due to mechanical changes, a shift in mindset, a change of scenery or a mix of many factors, Honeycutt took off for the Baysox, slashing .288/.381/.616 in 20 games. His strikeout rate, which sat at nearly 43 percent on the year in Frederick, dropped nearly 20 percent. 

For the Peoria Javelinas of the AFL, the North Carolina product has yet to slow his roll. 

Through five games, Honeycutt has just three hits, but two are home runs. His 10 walks, though, have his on-base percentage up at .565. The center fielder is one of just two players in the league to reach double-digit free passes, and his 1.257 OPS is third-best. 

Though his development offensively didn’t get off to a fast start, Honeycutt is flashing the kind of potential that the Orioles saw in the 2024 draft. The 23-year-old will still need to find sustained success in 2027, but now is the time to get back on the bandwagon. 

Irish would surely be up with Honeycutt in Double-A by now had his 2026 season not get cut short due to a torn meniscus. It’s likely that the Auburn product’s promotion could’ve come in July, a month in which Irish hit .361 with six home runs. But now, he’s making up for lost time. 

Through seven games and 29 at-bats with Peoria, Irish is hitting a ridiculous .414 with 12 knocks, three of which have gone for extra bases. He’s struck out just three times, swiped three bags and has a 1.124 OPS. 

On the pitching side, Bragg and Reilly are intriguing names to watch for multiple reasons. 

The first is, quite simply, that they have showcased great ability. And the second is that the duo is working to demonstrate why they should be added to the Orioles’ 40-man roster, as both are Rule 5 eligible this year. If they aren’t protected, they could be selected by another organization in the Rule 5 Draft. 

Bragg was cruising through the lower levels of the minor leagues in 2025, with a 1.68 ERA between High-A and Double-A in a dozen starts, before going down with an elbow injury that required Tommy John. The right-hander missed the entire 2026 minor league season, so his first outing in the AFL was his first of the year. In that game, Bragg tossed three scoreless innings with three hits, two strikeouts and no walks. 

The right-hander is at an interesting spot in his development. Rule 5 eligible, yes, but Bragg has just nine games of Double-A experience under his belt. Is the talent he flashed pre-injury enough for another team to select him in the Rule 5 Draft? Is it enough for the O’s to feel confident in his place on the 40-man roster? 

The 2027 season will be his age-26 campaign, and that age combined with his potential spot on the 40-man could accelerate his path to the majors. It’s shaping up to be a crucial season for Bragg, one that could be aided by a successful Fall League stint. 

A similar sentiment can be shared about Reilly, though the Vanderbilt product is a bit younger than Bragg and saw some minor league action in 2026. Reilly worked his way back to Double-A Chesapeake to end the year, and posted a 3.63 ERA in eight games with an incredibly impressive strikeout-to-walk rate of 5.00. 

Like Bragg, Reilly has only started one game in the AFL. He struck out six in three innings of work and only walked one, but he did surrender a solo homer. 

Both have the upside of big league starting pitchers, and the Orioles will likely keep them in that role for now. But if both are added to the 40-man, don’t be surprised if they help the major league club out of the bullpen in 2027. 

Development isn’t linear, nor does it solely take place during typical seasons. The four, among a larger group of Orioles prospects in Arizona, are providing plenty of reasons to stay tuned in this October.