It’s not easy to do what Ryan Mountcastle is attempting to do.
He’s 20 years old. And the former supplemental first-rounder in 2015 is playing at Double-A Bowie now. And he’s trying to learn a different position.
How hard is it to get to Bowie as a position player by age 20? Well, the previous three to do it this decade are Manny Machado, Jonathan Schoop and Chance Sisco.
That’s pretty good company.
Mountcastle received the promotion to the Baysox after hitting .314 with 35 doubles and 15 homers at High-A Frederick. He hasn’t had the same success so far at Double-A, where he’s batted just .184 with two walks and 23 strikeouts in his first 105 at-bats.
But given his age and the level of play, just being at Double-A is a big step.
Adam Pohl, the voice of the Baysox, sat down with Mountcastle this week for our “Minor League Podcast.”
Mountcastle spoke about the transition to Double-A and about the success he had at Frederick. They also discussed Mountcastle’s switch from shortstop to third base, where he has made five errors in 25 games at a position he had played just three previous times in his pro career.
“I feel good over there so far,” Mountcastle told Pohl. “I mean, I’ve still got some more work to do, but for right now (considering) how many games I’ve played there basically in my life, I feel pretty confident.”
In the second part of the Pohl’s podcast, he talks with BaltimoreBaseball.com’s minor league reporter Dean Jones Jr., about various players in the Orioles’ system.
That includes updates on DJ Stewart, Alex Wells and a few of the new draftees succeeding at Short-A Aberdeen.
If you’re curious about Mountcastle, or the rest of the O’s minor leaguers, give this a listen:
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