Ryan Mountcastle

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #5 prospect in 2021
  Hitting: 60. Power: 60. Run: 50. Fielding: 40. Arm: 30.
  Track Record: A tour around the diamond that began at shortstop and included stops at third base and first base eventually delivered Mountcastle to where he belonged: the heart of the Orioles’ major league lineup. Now a left fielder, Mountcastle took the team’s mandate to improve his plate discipline and defense and, in August, earned what was a productive callup to Baltimore.
  
  Scouting Report: Mountcastle’s work to add strength to what began as a lanky frame and produce more loft with his swing has created an offensive profile built for the modern game. He delivers all-fields power and a swing geared for hard contact in all parts of the zone. Mountcastle’s elite hands and good bat speed allow him to cover the whole plate and then some, though the team is trying to harness that and have him focus on where he can do the most damage. In left field, Mountcastle’s deceptive athleticism will allow him, with experience, to make the necessary plays at a position where his well below-average arm won’t be punished.
  
  The Future: Mountcastle’s potential at the plate was always enough to make him a first-division regular, especially as a left fielder or first baseman. There’s little stopping him from being at least that for the 2021 Orioles.
• 
  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #5 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: A pure hitter who grew into power with a career-high 25 home runs in 2019, Mountcastle's bat has played at every level. He's been an all-star in each of the last three seasons, and his standout 2019 earned him the Triple-A International League's MVP award. But seemingly every promotion has come with a position change. Originally a shortstop and then moved to third base, Mountcastle played first base and left field in 2019.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Mountcastle's swing has always been his premier asset. His loose but quick hands allow him to adjust to whatever he's seeing and make him a potentially plus hitter. Offseason work to improve his swing path and add strength only boosted that outlook. While he's more of an above-average power threat than an on-base threat, Mountcastle showed an improved situational approach in 2019 to show he's not just a masher. The Orioles believe Mountcastle's well-below average arm will play better with the different arm swing required from left field, but the farther he moves down the defensive spectrum—being average anywhere is a stretch—the more pressure is put on his bat.
  
  THE FUTURE: Mountcastle is on the cusp of his major league debut in 2020. His bat is that of a firstdivision regular, but he has to find somewhere to play.
• 
  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #3 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: It's fitting that the Orioles' compensatory pick for losing Nelson Cruz to free agency after the 2014 season resulted in another pure hitter. Mountcastle won the Carolina League batting title in 2017, and showed few ill effects from a fractured wrist once he settled in at Double-A Bowie.
  
  Scouting Report: Mountcastle's fluid hands and developed frame make him a hitter with power, not the other way around. Both can be plus skills going forward, and he'll need every bit of his bat to boost a defensive profile that's below-average anywhere on the diamond. Mountcastle has made a specific effort to get himself into counts where he can drive the ball, and so far it's paid off. A shortstop when he signed, Mountcastle slid over to third base in 2017. Even with improvement there in 2018, Mountcastle remains well below-average there and projects to left field or first base. Mountcastle's biggest hurdle to a defensive home is his well below-average arm. Scouts don't believe he can handle any position in the dirt that requires him to throw regularly. Left field or first base is his most likely long-term home, but even left field will be a stretch because of his arm.
  
  The Future: Mountcastle's bat will make him an everyday big leaguer, but his value will be tied to where he plays. The farther down the defensive spectrum he goes--and scouts believe his arm would be a liability even in left field--the more pressure he'll have on the bat. He can hit his way into the major league conversation in 2019 from Triple-A Norfolk.
• 
  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #2 prospect in 2018
  Signed for a below-slot $1.3 million in 2013, Mountcastle has looked like a bargain because of his powerful bat. After hitting .281 with 10 home runs in his full-season debut at low Class A Delmarva in 2016, he won the Carolina League batting title (.314) at high Class A Frederick in 2017 with a minor league-leading 51 extra-base hits at the time of his promotion to Double-A Bowie. Mountcastle shifted from shortstop--where he had committed 13 errors in 82 games and showed a well below-average arm--to third base when he joined Bowie. Early reports indicate the momentum taking him toward first base on most plays from the hot corner helps his arm tick up, although it will always limit him. Because of his lack of arm strength, many scouts believe he's eventually ticketed for left field or first base. Mountcastle's plus raw power, advanced approach and plus hit tool will carry him, but he'll face added pressure because of his defensive profile. He gets good extension in his righthanded swing to attack the ball and hit with power to all fields, and he has shown ability to recognize spin and stay with pitches. While Mountcastle's defensive future is in doubt, his above-average offensive potential makes him the most promising bat in the system, and he could become an everyday player, regardless of his position. He'll be back at Bowie to start 2018.
• 
  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #3 prospect in 2017
  The Orioles made Mountcastle the 36th overall pick in the 2015 draft and signed him for $1.3 million, which was about $400,000 under slot. He spent his first full season at low Class A Delmarva, where he hit .281 to rank 11th in the South Atlantic League while being one of the SAL's youngest players. Mountcastle has similar hitting skill as top prospect Chance Sisco, but from the right side and with more power potential. He has a mature approach and good understanding of the strike zone. He recognizes offspeed pitches, has a two-strike approach and makes adjustments within games and at times within at-bats. His bat speed is plus, he stays inside the ball well and he showed improved pull power as the season progressed. Club officials expect him to develop at least above-average power eventually. On defense, scouts are convinced he will have to move off shortstop and likely wind up in left field, mostly due to a well below-average arm. He's an average runner with the speed to handle the outfield. The Orioles kept him at short throughout instructional league. Mountcastle is set to move to high Class A Frederick in 2017. The main question he faces, for both 2017 and the future, is his future position. His most likely landing spots, left field and first base, will require his power to develop for him to be a regular.
• 
  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #7 prospect in 2016
  The Orioles selected Mountcastle with the 36th pick in the 2015 draft and signed him to an under-slot bonus of $1.3 million. He hit .500 with 22 steals as a high school senior, then played well in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League during his pro debut. Mountcastle has above-average bat speed with solid power potential. One scout called him a potential special bat who could one day hit in the middle of the order. He hit the ball gap-to-gap in the GCL with a short, natural swing and showed the ability to turn on plus fastballs. Mountcastle has solid strike-zone discipline and impressed Orioles scouts as an amateur with the ability to make adjustments during an at-bat. He plays with confidence and swagger, one scout said. He has average speed. Baltimore plans to develop Mountcastle as a shortstop, though some scouts project him move to left field. He has a quick release with good hands but a below-average arm. He has a good game clock to compensate for his lack of arm strength. Mountcastle should begin the 2016 season at low Class A Delmarva, where he will be challenged to withstand the long season and to continue to progress with the bat.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #122 prospect in 2015 draft
  Scouts coming into the Orlando area to see Brendan Rodgers don't have to travel far to see another top high school infielder on the same trip. Mountcastle plays about 20 miles away from Rodgers and, while he doesn't have the massive upside of the class' top player, he is a solid prospect in his own right. Mountcastle stands out most for his hitting ability. He has tremendous bat speed leads to elite exit velocity when he squares balls up, giving him above-average power. He has a loose swing and does a good job of making adjustments to make consistent contact. Defensively, Mountcastle isn't as advanced. He plays shortstop in high school, but won't stay there at the next level, whether that's the minor leagues or Central Florida, where he's committed for college. He's played some third base in the past, but his below-average arm strength makes left field a more likely landing spot.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked International League #7 prospect in 2019
  Mountcastle can hit, period. His 162 knocks led the IL and earned him its MVP award. He’s hit better than .280 in each of his five pro seasons and is now on the cusp of the big leagues. The bigger question is: Where will he land on defense? His well below-average throwing arm all but relegates him to DH or first base, where he played 84 of his 110 games. Twenty-six more games were spent in left field, where his arm can also be hidden easily. He socked a career-best 25 homers in 2019, which will help him profile more easily at either of those two defensive spots.
• 
  Ranked Eastern League #15 prospect in 2018
  Mountcastle’s scouting report has long been the same: He’s going to hit, but there’s almost no chance he sticks in the infield. After his first full test at in Double-A, the reputation stayed the same. He impressed evaluators with the bat as a 21-year-old in the EL, but still did not show an arm strong enough to stick at third base, where he’d moved after spending the first part of his pro career at shortstop. One opposing manager said his team bunted toward Mountcastle all the time to try to exploit the holes in his game. A move to left field or first base seems likely. His offense, however, is a different story. Scouts believe he’s capable of being a middle of the order bat who can hit for both average and power.
• 
  Ranked Carolina League #17 prospect in 2017
  Evaluators in the Carolina League stressed two things about Mountcastle. First, he can really, really hit. Second, he's not going to play shortstop. He was the seventh-youngest player in the league entering this season, and he was the only player to finish with a batting average better than .300 and led the league with an .885 OPS. Some opposing managers saw in Mountcastle a tendency to chase pitches out of the zone, but he'd also hit those pitches a good amount as well. As he continues to refine his knowledge of the zone, scouts see the potential for a player who hits .300 with 20 or more home runs. On defense, Mountcastle's future likely lies in the outfield. His arm action will prevent him from playing either shortstop or third base (which he played after a promotion to Double-A Bowie), and his below-average speed won't help either. Fortunately, his offensive pedigree will work out just fine in left field if and when he makes the transition.
• 
  Ranked Florida Complex League #15 prospect in 2015
  Where Mountcastle ends up in the field remains in question, but he has consistently made a strong impression with his hitting ability. The bat is what convinced the Orioles to draft Mountcastle 36th overall and sign him for $1.3 million, and it's what drew praise in the GCL. Mountcastle has excellent bat speed and a knack for squaring up the ball. With a loose, quick swing, he can keep his hands back and tune up good velocity. He can turn on plus fastballs on the inner third and also use right-center field when pitchers attack him away. When a pitch is in the strike zone, Mountcastle can do damage, with good leverage in his swing and above-average raw power. He's an aggressive hitter who is prone to chasing off the plate, so he will have to tighten up his strike-zone discipline. A high school shortstop, Mountcastle stayed at the position in the GCL but won't be there for long. His hands are fine and he doesn't play out of control, but despite solid-average speed, he lacks the quickness and range for shortstop. He got into a better pre-pitch setup to get better jumps off the bat in the GCL. He doesn't rush his throws, but his arm grades as well below-average, so a move to third base would be difficult. Some think he might be able to become a tall, angular second baseman in the mold of the Rockies' D.J. LeMahieu, while others think he's destined for left field.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #63 prospect in 2021
• Ranked Baseball America's #90 prospect in 2019
• Ranked Baseball America's #71 prospect in 2018

• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  Hitting: 60. Power: 60. Run: 50. Fielding: 40. Arm: 30.
  Track Record: A tour around the diamond that began at shortstop and included stops at third base and first base eventually delivered Mountcastle to where he belonged: the heart of the Orioles’ major league lineup. Now a left fielder, Mountcastle took the team’s mandate to improve his plate discipline and defense and, in August, earned what was a productive callup to Baltimore.
  
  Scouting Report: Mountcastle’s work to add strength to what began as a lanky frame and produce more loft with his swing has created an offensive profile built for the modern game. He delivers all-fields power and a swing geared for hard contact in all parts of the zone. Mountcastle’s elite hands and good bat speed allow him to cover the whole plate and then some, though the team is trying to harness that and have him focus on where he can do the most damage. In left field, Mountcastle’s deceptive athleticism will allow him, with experience, to make the necessary plays at a position where his well below-average arm won’t be punished.
  
  The Future: Mountcastle’s potential at the plate was always enough to make him a first-division regular, especially as a left fielder or first baseman. There’s little stopping him from being at least that for the 2021 Orioles.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  Hitting: 60. Power: 60. Run: 50. Fielding: 40. Arm: 30.
  Track Record: A tour around the diamond that began at shortstop and included stops at third base and first base eventually delivered Mountcastle to where he belonged: the heart of the Orioles’ major league lineup. Now a left fielder, Mountcastle took the team’s mandate to improve his plate discipline and defense and, in August, earned what was a productive callup to Baltimore.
  
  Scouting Report: Mountcastle’s work to add strength to what began as a lanky frame and produce more loft with his swing has created an offensive profile built for the modern game. He delivers all-fields power and a swing geared for hard contact in all parts of the zone. Mountcastle’s elite hands and good bat speed allow him to cover the whole plate and then some, though the team is trying to harness that and have him focus on where he can do the most damage. In left field, Mountcastle’s deceptive athleticism will allow him, with experience, to make the necessary plays at a position where his well below-average arm won’t be punished.
  
  The Future: Mountcastle’s potential at the plate was always enough to make him a first-division regular, especially as a left fielder or first baseman. There’s little stopping him from being at least that for the 2021 Orioles.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: A pure hitter who grew into power with a career-high 25 home runs in 2019, Mountcastle’s bat has played at every level. He’s been an all-star in each of the last three seasons, and his standout 2019 earned him the Triple-A International League’s MVP award. But seemingly every promotion has come with a position change. Originally a shortstop and then moved to third base, Mountcastle played first base and left field in 2019.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Mountcastle’s swing has always been his premier asset. His loose but quick hands allow him to adjust to whatever he’s seeing and make him a potentially plus hitter. Offseason work to improve his swing path and add strength only boosted that outlook. While he’s more of an above-average power threat than an on-base threat, Mountcastle showed an improved situational approach in 2019 to show he’s not just a masher. The Orioles believe Mountcastle’s well-below average arm will play better with the different arm swing required from left field, but the farther he moves down the defensive spectrum—being average anywhere is a stretch—the more pressure is put on his bat.
  
  THE FUTURE: Mountcastle is on the cusp of his major league debut in 2020. His bat is that of a firstdivision regular, but he has to find somewhere to play.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: A pure hitter who grew into power with a career-high 25 home runs in 2019, Mountcastle's bat has played at every level. He's been an all-star in each of the last three seasons, and his standout 2019 earned him the Triple-A International League's MVP award. But seemingly every promotion has come with a position change. Originally a shortstop and then moved to third base, Mountcastle played first base and left field in 2019.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Mountcastle's swing has always been his premier asset. His loose but quick hands allow him to adjust to whatever he's seeing and make him a potentially plus hitter. Offseason work to improve his swing path and add strength only boosted that outlook. While he's more of an above-average power threat than an on-base threat, Mountcastle showed an improved situational approach in 2019 to show he's not just a masher. The Orioles believe Mountcastle's well-below average arm will play better with the different arm swing required from left field, but the farther he moves down the defensive spectrum—being average anywhere is a stretch—the more pressure is put on his bat.
  
  THE FUTURE: Mountcastle is on the cusp of his major league debut in 2020. His bat is that of a firstdivision regular, but he has to find somewhere to play.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  Track Record: It’s fitting that the Orioles’ compensatory pick for losing Nelson Cruz to free agency after the 2014 season resulted in another pure hitter. Mountcastle won the Carolina League batting title in 2017, and showed few ill effects from a fractured wrist once he settled in at Double-A Bowie. Scouting Report: Mountcastle’s fluid hands and developed frame make him a hitter with power, not the other way around. Both can be plus skills going forward, and he’ll need every bit of his bat to boost a defensive profile that’s below-average anywhere on the diamond. Even with improvement at third base, where he moved in 2017, Mountcastle remains well below-average there and projects to left field or first base. Even there he wouldn’t be additive defensively thanks largely to a well below-average arm. The Future: Mountcastle’s bat will make him an everyday big leaguer, but his value will be tied to where he plays. The farther down the defensive spectrum he goes—and scouts believe his arm would be a liability even in left field—the more pressure he’ll have on the bat. He can hit his way into the major league conversation in 2019 from Triple-A Norfolk.
• December, 2018 Scouting Report
  Mountcastle can hit, period. His 162 knocks led the IL and earned him its MVP award. He’s hit better than .280 in each of his five pro seasons and is now on the cusp of the big leagues. The bigger question is: Where will he land on defense? His well below-average throwing arm all but relegates him to DH or first base, where he played 84 of his 110 games. Twenty-six more games were spent in left field, where his arm can also be hidden easily. He socked a career-best 25 homers in 2019, which will help him profile more easily at either of those two defensive spots.
• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  Mountcastle missed the first the first month of the season after a non-displaced wrist fracture, but has done nothing but hit since returning to the Bowie lineup. He struggled some there last summer at an age-advanced level while moving from shortstop to third base, though his advanced feel for hitting has shown in 2018. Mountcastle continues to work at his new position, but it’s unclear where he can capably defend at the major league level thanks to his well below-average arm.
• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: Signed for a below-slot $1.3 million bonus in 2013, Mountcastle has looked like a bargain because of his powerful bat. After hitting .281 with 10 home runs in his full-season debut for low Class-A Delmarva in 2016, Mountcastle won the Carolina League batting title for high Class-A Frederick, hitting .314 with a minor league-leading 51 extra-base hits at the time of his promotion to Double-A. Scouting Report: That promotion came with a move from shortstop--where he had committed 13 errors in 82 games and showed a well-below-average arm--to third base. Early reports indicate the momentum taking him toward first base on most plays from the hot corner helps his arm tick up to below average. Many scouts believe he's ticketed for left field or first base. Mountcastle's plus raw power, advanced approach and plus hit tool will carry him, but he'll face added pressure because of his defensive profile. He gets good extension in his righthanded swing to attack the ball and hit with power to all fields, and has shown ability to recognize spin and stay with pitches. The Future: While Mountcastle's defensive future is in doubt, his above-average offensive potential makes him the most promising bat in the system, and he could become an every-day player regardless of his position. He'll be back at Double-A Bowie to start 2018.
• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: The Orioles made Mountcastle the 36th overall pick in the 2015 draft and signed him for $1.3 million, which was about $400,000 under slot. He spent his first full season at low Class A Delmarva, where he hit .281 to rank 11th in the South Atlantic League. Scouting Report: Mountcastle has similar hitting skill as top prospect Chance Sisco, but from the right side and with more power potential. He has a mature approach and good understanding of the strike zone. He recognizes offspeed pitches, has a two-strike approach and makes adjustments within games and at times within at-bats. His bat speed is plus, he stays inside the ball well and he showed improved pull power as the season progressed. Club officials expect him to develop at least above-average power eventually. On defense, scouts are convinced he will have to move off shortstop and likely wind up in left field, mostly due to a well below-average arm. He's an average runner with the speed to handle the outfield. The Orioles kept him at short throughout instructional league. The Future: Mountcastle is set to move to high Class A Frederick in 2017. The main question he faces, for both 2017 and the future, is his future position.