During his first spring training as a professional baseball player, Vance Honeycutt tried to keep a simple approach. The Orioles’ No. 5 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, soaked in his surroundings—especially when he was brought over to big league camp to serve as an extra player for Grapefruit League games—and aimed for all-around improvement.
“Trying to just stay really focused in the game,” the 21-year-old Honeycutt said in March. “I’m just really trying to be selective and just have fun, work hard, and just try to get better.”
Honeycutt, a first-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, has kept the fun going since beginning the 2025 season with a return to High-A Aberdeen.
On Sunday, Honeycutt collected his first professional home run, swatting a sixth-inning solo shot in Aberdeen’s 11-7 win at Jersey Shore. He went 2-for-3 and reached base four times, improving his slash line to .310/.487/.517 through nine games.
It has been a much better showing than Honeycutt’s first stint at High-A last year, when he went 2-for-20 (.100) over 20 plate appearances for the IronBirds.
Aberdeen’s latest victory also featured a grand slam by Ethan Anderson (Baltimore’s No. 18 prospect), a second-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. It was the first High-A home run for the 21-year-old, who is slashing .375/.474/.563 through eight games.
Honeycutt, Anderson, and infielder Griff O’Ferrall—the O’s No. 7 prospect who was the No. 32 overall pick in the 2024 Draft—are likely to get extended runs at High-A Aberdeen after short stints at the level late last season. They could all be candidates to be promoted to Double-A Chesapeake later this summer.
Here’s a roundup of other top prospects off to strong starts in 2025.
Triple-A Norfolk
Coby Mayo (O’s No. 2, MLB Pipeline’s No. 13 overall) had a huge weekend, reaching base in all eight of his plate appearances across Saturday and Sunday. The 23-year-old corner infielder went deep both days, his second and third home runs of the season.
After a bit of a slow start, Mayo is hitting . 360 (9-for-25) over his past seven games.
Jud Fabian (O’s No. 24) has slugged five home runs over his first 14 games. The 24-year-old outfielder has an .827 OPS despite hitting only .216.
Double-A Chesapeake
Patrick Reilly (O’s No. 10) has a 2.08 ERA in 8 2/3 innings over his first two starts. The 23-year-old right-hander has allowed one run in 4 1/3 innings in each of those outings.
Major League Baseball, its clubs and other partners, and the Jackie Robinson Foundation are once again working together to honor the legacy of the Dodgers icon throughout Jackie Robinson Day on Tuesday.
The tributes will be most prominent on the field. All MLB players and coaching staff will continue the tradition of wearing Robinson’s No. 42 during Tuesday’s games, with each team using a Dodger blue ‘42’ regardless of the club’s normal colors. Players, managers, coaches, and umpires will also wear a ‘42’ patch on the side of their hats.
In addition, players will wear Nike “Breaking Barriers” T-shirts during batting practice, and commemorative base jewels and lineup cards will be used in each game. For fans, royal blue socks and other Robinson-focused items will be available for purchase at stadium retail locations.
Other league-wide plans include a pregame Robinson tribute video produced by MLB Network and featuring former pro softball player AJ Andrews. The video will also be played at MLB.com, MLB Network, MLB’s social platforms, and elsewhere.
Off the field on Tuesday, MLB will host a volunteer event at the league office in which volunteers will put together 200 hygiene kits to be donated to Henry Street Settlement in support of its CONNECT program, which provides support for people facing mental health challenges.
