Kjerstad recounts his small world moment

Heston Kjerstad won't claim that he never forgets a face, but the young outfielder was certain that he recognized one of the players who showed up in Sarasota last month to work out at the minicamps for hitters.

The stranger wasn't at the fall instructional camp. He wasn't in the organization until January.

Who was this guy?

A little detective work revealed his identity and proved again that it's a small baseball world.

Kjerstad already lived the coincidence of being teammates with outfielder Colton Cowser on USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team in July 2019, before the Orioles made them consecutive first-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 drafts. What were the odds?

One of Team USA's opponents in North Carolina was the Cuban National Team that featured infielder César Prieto, who received a $650,000 bonus from the Orioles last month as part of their $6.3 million international signing class.

Prieto reported to Sarasota for workouts and to get acclimated to life in the U.S., and he remains at the complex. The Orioles must assign him to one of their affiliates, and early indicators point toward low Single-A Delmarva, though it isn't official.

As a 21-year-old in the Cuban National Series in 2020-21, Prieto slashed .403/.464/.579 with 21 doubles, seven triples, seven home runs and 51 RBIs in 360 plate appearances, with 31 walks and only 11 strikeouts. He received high marks for his bat-to-ball skills, speed and gap power, and FanGraphs.com described him as "the best pure hitter in Cuba."

Low cost, low risk, with a chance to be a fast riser in the system.

"He's really good," Kjerstad said.

"He was on the Cuban team when it came over, which is really crazy. I rode on the elevator with him because we were staying at the same hotel. And then he shows up (in Sarasota) and I was like, 'This kid looks familiar.'

"Colton Cowser and I were on the same team and we tracked it down. Colton sent me a picture of him in a group photo we took and I was like, 'OK, that makes sense.' Would have never expected that one."

The small world keeps spinning.

The USA Baseball Collegiate National Team closed out the eighth Annual USA versus Cuba International Friendship Series with a 10-2 win at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Cowser was named MVP after leading the club with a .438 average and six runs scored in five games, and tying for the lead in hits with seven.

Baseball America's Carlos Collazo ranked the top prospects on that team and placed Cowser 16th. Kjerstad, who batted .395/.426/.651 with three doubles, a triple and two home runs over 14 games with Team USA, was seventh behind Arizona State first baseman Spencer Torkelson, Vanderbilt infielder/outfielder Austin Martin, Texas A&M left-hander Asa Lacy, Louisville left-hander Reid Detmers, Georgia right-hander Cole Wilcox and North Carolina State catcher Patrick Bailey.

Kjerstad doesn't know where he'll be assigned to begin the 2022 minor league season. Same with Cowser, whose first taste of the pros consisted of seven games in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League - where he went 11-for-22 with four extra-base hits - and 25 games with Delmarva.

The choices of clear. A little more experience in low A ball or a promotion to high Single-A Aberdeen.

Cowser is an advanced hitter who turns 22 in March. It's easy to imagine him playing for Double-A Bowie later this summer.

MLBPipeline.com projected his arrival in the majors for 2024. Would you take the under?

When will Kjerstad arrive? What about Prieto? Give me your best guesses.

Speaking of which ...

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