Forgotten Chesapeake/Bowie Baysox
- Grant DeVivo
- Feb 20
- 7 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Ten players that you forgot played for the Baysox
*Cover Photo Credit: John Topoleski
Every player is developed throughout the Minor Leagues, and they have to pass Double-A at some point before reaching Triple-A and eventually the big leagues. Once they graduate the Minors and become a big name at the highest level, we often forget that they were once in the Minor Leagues like everyone else.
Do you remember watching 2023 American League Rookie of the Year Gunnar Henderson with the Baysox in 2022? How about Christian Walker with the Baysox before he made it to the World Series in 2023 with the Diamondbacks?
Yet on the other hand, it is more common to see mystery names roll through the Triple-A level. Many familiar big league names are assigned to Triple-A as they attempt to revive their careers and await a promotion. However, some of those names end up a little bit further down into Double-A. Though it does not happen as frequently, it does on occassion.
Here are ten players, excluding those who went to the Baysox for rehab assignments, that you might have forgotten suited up for the Baysox at one point.
"E-Rod" has hung around the game for nine years as one of the most consistent southpaw starters in the big leagues. However, prior to suiting up for the Red Sox, Tigers, and Diamondbacks, he was a top prospect pitcher in the Orioles' organization. He reached as high as No. 3 in the Orioles' prospect rankings, and he made Double-A Bowie by his age 20 season in 2013. That same year, he ended up posting a 1.291 WHIP in 11 starts for Bowie while striking out 59 batters alongside a 4.22 ERA. He split 2014 with Bowie and Norfolk and was dealt to Boston at the trade deadline for the imposing left-handed reliever Andrew Miller. The rest is history, and he won a World Series with Boston in 2018.
Urrutia was an impressive .350 hitter in five seasons with Las Tunas in the Cuban National Series prior to joining the Orioles. Signed as an international free agent in 2013, Urrutia was assigned to the Baysox to begin his professional career in the states. He wasted no time turning heads as in 52 games with the Baysox, he racked up 37 RBI with a .365 batting average and a .983 OPS. He hit .378 in his first 21 games and got on base in 18 of those games. This monstrous performance led to a promotion to Norfolk and eventually his big league debut. Urrutia had a surprisingly short big league career that saw him hit .272 and his lone big league home run being a walk-off shot to beat the Mets in 2015. He currently plays in the Mexican League.
OF Yusniel Diaz
Known for his excellent bat-to-ball skills, Diaz was the centerpiece of the 2018 trade between the O's and Dodgers for All-Star shortstop Manny Machado. He was quickly named the organization's No. 1 prospect. Upon arriving to Birdland, he spent the remainder of 2018 at Double-A Bowie and got off to a rough start by hitting just .239 with a .732 OPS and 15 RBI. Even amidst injuries 2019 was much better for Diaz as he posted an .807 OPS in 76 games with 11 home runs and a .464 slugging percentage. Injuries and the cancellation of the 2020 pandemic-plagued season continued to hold Diaz back from his full potential and in the following years, he could never truly get it going as the future outfielder the Orioles hoped for him to be. His Major League batting line consists of one at-bat in 2022, which was a strikeout. He will spend 2025 in the American Association of Professional Baseball in Nebraska.
RHP Zach Davis
The Orioles selected Davies in the 26th round of the 2011 draft out of high school, and he rose to become a highly-touted pitching prospect in the makings in the system. During his Minor League development, he made it to Bowie in 2014 and spent the entirety of the season there as the Orioles' No. 14 prospect and as one of Bowie's best starters. He posted a 3.35 ERA and a 1.255 WHIP in 110 innings while striking out 109 batters and walking just 2.6 batters per nine innings. He posted a 2.90 ERA in five starts in July. Davies was traded to the Brewers in 2015 for outfielder Gerrardo Parra, and he has since then enjoyed a steady career in the big leagues with four teams. In five seasons from 2015 to 2019 with Milwaukee, he posted a 3.91 ERA in over 110 starts.
RHP Dillon Tate
The right-handed throwing Californian was the centerpiece of the 2018 trade that sent All-Star closer Zack Britton from Baltimore to the Bronx. Tate originally arrived as a starter, but a 5.75 ERA in 7 starts upon arrival led to a change of plans that involved a conversion to the bullpen. Upon returning from an injury in June of 2019, Tate, who was ranked No. 18 on the Orioles' prospect list, spun a 1.77 ERA in 12 relief appearances. Opponents hit just .169 with a sad .495 OPS against him during that dominant stretch. Tate did so well that he got a big league promotion and made his Major League debut on July 29 at San Diego. He maintained a role in the Orioles' bullpen until last season. His 2022 season was incredible as a 3.05 ERA and an 0.991 WHIP stood out in a bullpen that helped get the Orioles back above .500 for the first time since 2016. Tate is currently a free agent.
OF LJ Hoes
Born in Washington, D.C., Hoes was taken by the O's in the third round of the 2008 draft. Scouts kept a close eye on his base-stealing speed and on-base capabiltiies, and he was named the Orioles' No. 13 prospect for the 2012 season. Hoes had just a cup of coffee at AA-ball in 2010, but he posted great numbers for the Baysox in 2011. He hit .305 with 54 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 96 games. Overall, in three seasons at the Double-A level, he was a .290 hitter with a .790 OPS, 28 stolen bases, and 71 RBI, which is steady production. After a 2013 trade between the O's and Astros involving starter Bud Norris, much of Hoes' big league playing time came in an Astros uniform. He'd play a total of 112 games for them over four seasons, hitting .237. Hoes wrapped his playing career up with a 67-game stint with the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in 2017.
The name Joseph might sound familiar to those 2010s Orioles fans, and that is because Corban is the brother of former Orioles backstop Caleb Joseph. Corban spent several years in the O's system trying to break onto an MLB roster again. During that process, he had some incredible years with the Baysox. He contributed to the 2015 Eastern League championship team by hitting going 8-for-21 (.380) in the Eastern League Championship Series and then 3-for-5 in the championship clincher against Reading. In 2018, he hit .312 in 112 games with 17 home runs and 68 RBI alongside an .878 OPS. In three seasons for Bowie, Joseph was a .305 hitter with 101 RBI. He made it back to the Majors with the Orioles in 2018, but not without putting together a successful run of great baseball with the Baysox for a long period of time.
After a brief nine-game stint in 2011 that saw him hit .500 for the Braves, Richardson, a former Vanderbilt product, spent 2012 in the Orioles' Minor League organization. The speedy outfielder played in 90 games for Bowie, hitting .279 with a .746 OPS and 26 stolen bases. He had a patient batter's eye as he drew 60 walks, which contributed to a very elavated and impressive .415 on-base percentage. It was a short one-year stay with the Baysox, but it was certainly a productive season that is "saved in the archives." Richardson got back to the big leagues with the Yankees in 2013, hitting .313 in 13 games. He would spend the rest of his playing career bouncing around the Minor Leagues and Independent Ball. He has since then been serving as an MLB coach, having most recently been the Mets' first base coach in 2024.
LHP Paul Fry
Fry, a 17th rounder by the Mariners in 2013, was a mid-season acquisition by the Orioles in 2017. He got into seven games with the Baysox that same year, allowing just one run in 12 innings with 18 strikeouts. The following season was a step up, and he posted a 1.105 WHIP and a 2.84 ERA in 19 innings of relief for the Baysox. His 28 punchouts equated to a 13.3 K/9. In a time of opportunities and auditions for the Orioles during their rebuild, Fry got a well-deserved opportunity with the Birds in 2018. He put up a 3.35 ERA in 35 relief outings for the Birds and remained in their bullpen until the 2022 season when he was traded to the Diamondbacks. He worked a total of 176.1 innings as an Oriole logging in a career 4.80 Oriole ERA. He could always get swings-and-misses though, as he posted a career 9.8 K/9 with Baltimore. He is currently a free agent.
The Vegas native was the Orioles' first round pick in 2005. Throughout his up-and-down big league career, he actually had two separate stints with the Baysox. The first one came in 2009 after several years in the lower levels of Minor League Baseball. The prospect hype looked like it was becoming reality as in just 58 games, he clobbered 10 home runs while driving in 45 runs to support a .343 batting average and a 1.018 OPS. In the process of trying to return to the big leagues, Snyder caught a Minors contract with the O's for 2015 and ended up being a part of the Baysox' Eastern League Championship team. He hit .278 with an .824 OPS for the Baysox during the regular season. Overall, he was a .303 at the Double-A level with an .897 OPS and 97 RBI. He was a .240 big league hitter with a .731 OPS in six seasons. Snyder is currently a bullpen catcher for the Washington Nationals.
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