After consecutive seasons which saw the Baltimore Orioles win 91 and 101 games respectively, they’ve gotten off to a shaky start (26-39) in 2025. The club fired manager Brandon Hyde on May 17th and has gone (11-11) since. The early season struggles have been perplexing when you consider the plethora of talent the club has at its disposal.
EBJ Wins Minor League Gold Glove
Blessed with the No.1 ranked farm system in 2024 led by Jackson Holliday, Coby Mayo and Samuel Basallo, the talk around MLB was that this talented the club would be contenders for years to come. With Holliday and Mayo up in the majors that leaves Basallo as the top prospect in the farm system, and he’s followed by the speedy Enrique Bradfield Jr. whose speed and quickness on the base paths can change a game in a flash. But that’s not all EBJ can do. The talented base thief also flashes a great glove.
Enrique Bradfield Jr., the @Orioles' No. 3 prospect, skies his first homer of 2025 at Double-A 🦪@BaysoxOfficial | @OsPlayerDev | @VandyBoys pic.twitter.com/CnyUxMrTDK
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 5, 2025
When the Orioles used the 17th overall pick of the 2023 MLB Draft on Bradfield Jr., they knew they were getting a demon on the bases, but what they didn’t know was how good he was with his glove. Despite having an 80-grade in fielding and base-running, the latter has been even better than anticipated. For his efforts he was named the club’s minor league Gold Glove winner in 2024.
Enrique Bradfield Jr. Says He’s Chasing Rickey Henderson
Speaking with reporters upon receiving the honor on May 30th, Bradfield Jr. had this to say.
“I’ll chase Rickey one day. That’s the goal one day. That’s the goal.”
That’s definitely lofty goals trying to surpass or even come close to duplicating the success of MLB’s all-time stolen bases leader, who set a big league record swiping 130 bags in 1982.
While Bradfield Jr. has a ton of work to get there, he’s definitely on the right path.
Gotta keep your eyes on the prize, right Enrique?
Enrique Bradfield Jr. receives his 2024 Minor League Baseball Rawlings Gold Glove! pic.twitter.com/hA8vH67aub
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) May 30, 2025
EBJ Is Club’s Future Centerfielder
With the team’s struggling the belief is the club could trade star centerfielder Cedric Mullins, opening up the door for EBJ to man the position in the very near future. Since his promotion to the Double-A Bowie Baysox, EBJ has produced a solid slash line of .277/.382/.383 with two RBI, seven walks and six stolen bases. Last season he batted a respectable (.272) with 74 stolen bases.
