The Orioles didn’t fall behind to the Astros this afternoon. They were tied once and grabbed another lead right away. The margin got tight and they found more padding.

They pitched, played defense and hit in the clutch.

Getting swept in a series just isn’t in their DNA.

Dean Kremer worked seven innings for his 11^th quality start, Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle drove in two runs, and the Orioles held on to defeat the Astros 5-4 before an announced crowd of 22,981 at Camden Yards.

Mountcastle extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a two-run shot off rookie Hunter Brown in the seventh, and the Orioles improved to 71-44. They’re 2 ½ games ahead of the second-place Rays, who play tonight.

Once again this year the Orioles are fielding two teams in the rookie-level Dominican Summer League. They are the DSL Orioles Orange team and the DSL Orioles Black team. Play in the DSL began on Monday of this week.

Through the early part of the year, the Black squad is 2-1 and the Orange team is 1-2 after Thursday's games.

Infielder Luis Almeyda, who got a $2.3 million dollar bonus, the largest ever given out by the Orioles last January, is playing on the Orange roster. Thus far he is 2-for-7 with a double, homer and four RBIs. Infielder Joshua Liranzo, who got the second largest bonus in January at $500,000, is on the Black squad. Infielder José Mejía, signed for $400,000 is on the Black roster and infielder Félix Amparo, signed for $350,000, plays for the Black roster.

DSL ORIOLES ORANGE

Pitchers: Ezequiel Bonilla, Eccel Correa, Francisco Crispin, Esteban Dicent, Cesar Espinal, Pedro Figueroa, Javier Gonzalez, Ledwin Gonzalez, Elias Moscoso, Andrés Parra, Juan Rasquin, Geronimo Rombley, Wilton Rondon, Rafael Suero, Kevin Velasco, Jose Yan.

Sometimes on the international amateur market, because players sign at such a young age, teams can get a big talent off a small investment. Players who may not command a big signing bonus when the deadline to sign players arrives, but then mature fast or grow into solid players quickly and produce much more than their signing bonuses might indicate.

The Orioles sure seem to have such a player in 20-year-old shortstop Frederick Bencosme, a young man that I found has an engaging personality to match a smooth left-handed swing. Signed for the small sum of $10,000 out of the Dominican Republic on Aug. 14, 2020, Bencosme was among the best hitters for average last summer on the Baltimore farm, which, considering the bats they have, is saying something.

In fact, among O’s farmhands with 250 or more at-bats last year, no one outhit Bencosme’s average of .311 between his 59 games at low Single-A Delmarva, two in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League and 12 to end the year with High-A Aberdeen.

He is our No. 2-ranked O’s international prospect as today I unveil more of our top 20 international prospects rankings.

Bencosme has a sweet-looking left-handed swing and some solid contact skills. His strikeout rate was just 11.4 in 2021, when he hit .310 in the Dominican Summer League. It was just 12.4 with a 10.8 walk rate during an impressive 59-game run with the Shorebirds last year. With Delmarva he hit .336/.410/.432/.842. He moved to Aberdeen on Aug. 27. And while he only hit .154 in 12 games with the IronBirds, he would show off that smooth and polished swing in the playoffs, where he had a three-hit game. He projects to start this year as the shortstop at Aberdeen and also mix in some games at second and third base.

For a team looking to build an elite pipeline and support and grow its organization with quality home-grown talent, the last week or so have been good days for the Orioles.

It began a week ago today, when the club announced an international signing class of 27 players, headed up by 16-year-old shortstop Luis Ayden Almeyda. He got a $2.3 million signing bonus, the largest ever handed out by the Orioles to an international amateur. 

The O's class featured 13 players signing for $100,000 or more, and Koby Perez, the club's senior director of international scouting, told reporters the club has about $500,000 remaining from its pool allotment of $5,825,500. They could sign more players through Dec. 15. 

MLBPipeline.com, which ranked Almeyda as its No. 20 international prospect, gave him tool grades of 50 for hitting, running and fielding and 55 grades for power and arm. 

“I’m very excited and blessed,” Almeyda told MASNsports.com in his first one-on-one interview as an Oriole prospect. “I am ecstatic to start out with this organization and develop as a ballplayer and a man as well.

The announcement of 27 international signees by the Orioles Sunday represents their fourth international class under executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias and the club’s senior director, international scouting Koby Perez.

Each year their highest signing bonus has exceeded the previous year. On July 2, 2019, the club’s top signee, in the first Elias/Perez international class, was outfielder Luis Gonzalez at $475,000. Then due to COVID-19, the signing dates were pushed back. On Jan. 15, 2021, the top signee was catcher Samuel Basallo at $1.3 million. That was topped last January by outfielder Braylin Tavera at $1.7 million.

Yesterday the O’s handed out their biggest international bonus yet, adding 16-year-old, right-handed hitting shortstop Luis Almeyda, known to his family by Ayden his middle name, for $2.3 million.

Born in the United States in Patterson, New Jersey, Almeyda’s dad Hector was a firefighter for 25 years. His mother and grandparents were born in the Dominican Republic. Almeyda’s family moved to the Dominican in 2021 and he then qualified as an international signing. His family moved to the DR in part to care for his grandmother, who has Alzheimer’s disease.

At one point he appeared headed for Tampa’s Jesuit High School, but instead of moving to Florida, his family went to the DR. Had he ended up there his entry to pro ball would not have come before the 2025 MLB Draft. Now he gets his bonus and start toward the majors sooner.

The Orioles have announced a large international amateur signing class today of 27 players headed by shortstop Luis Ayden Almeda, age 16, from the Dominican Republic. Almeyda’s signing bonus is $2.3 million, per MLB.com, the largest ever given an international amateur by the Orioles. He becomes the club’s first international signee with a bonus exceeding $2 million.

Last year’s top signee, outfielder Braylin Tavera, did have that distinction until today, signing for a $1.7 million bonus to head up the class announced last January.

Almeyda sets an O’s record and becomes the fourth player to sign for $1 million or more under the regime of executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias and senior director of international scouting Koby Perez. In the 2021 class, they signed catcher Samuel Basallo for $1.3 million and shortstop Maikol Hernandez for $1.2 million.

“I’m very excited and blessed,” Almeyda told MASNsports.com in his first one-on-one interview as an Oriole. “I am ecstatic to start out with this organization and develop as a ballplayer and a man as well.

“It really wasn’t a tough decision. I had my mindset on this team from the start since they started with me. I know that they have one of best farm systems in the minor leagues or maybe the best farm system in the minor leagues. You know, I’m just excited to get on this journey.”

A new international amateur signing period has arrived in Major League Baseball. Later today the Orioles are expected to announce their latest class of international signees. Their class, per reports, will be headed by Dominican shortstop Luis Ayden Almeyda.

A right-handed hitter, the 16-year-old Almeyda, according to Baseball America, will get a bonus of over $2 million. The Orioles have never had an international amateur sign for $2 million or more, and Almeyda’s bonus would easily beat the previous record, set this time last year.

Here are the seven-figure bonuses from the O’s in the last two classes:

$1.7M – OF Braylin Tavera, from Jan. 15, 2022.

$1.3M – C Samuel Basallo from Jan. 15, 2021.

During the 2022 season, the Orioles organization got a lot of props for its farm system and player development operation. Baseball America, MLBPipeline.com and ESPN now rank its system as No. 1. They all placed Baltimore at the top in midseason rankings, the latest we have from the outlets. They could update those soon.

Now comes an MLB Pipeline poll published recently in which the outlet surveyed major league front office officials. That group also has the Orioles as having the No. 1 farm in baseball.

Half of those asked which team has the best farm in baseball responded Baltimore. The Los Angeles Dodgers came next at 21 percent, and Arizona third at nine percent. Of the 30 clubs, nine got votes for the top farm, but no club got nearly as many votes as the Orioles did.

The article states: "The Orioles have ranked as the top farm system in our last three rankings, and it looks like the industry agrees. Even with Adley Rutschman graduated, the combination of high-end prospects just about ready to impact the big league team and depth in the system has them very well-regarded, with the Dodgers not too far behind."

So we have pretty much reached a consensus here with the top outside outlets selecting the Orioles, and many of those execs inside the game doing so as well.