Orioles prospect Ike Irish likes to hit, and he's doing a lot of it in the AFL
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Though some scouts considered Ike Irish the best all-around offensive player in the 2025 college class, the Orioles' No. 5 prospect didn't exude that upside at the start of his pro career.
The 19th overall pick in last year's Draft out of Auburn, Irish broke into pro ball by batting .230/.296/297 in 20 games at Single-A. He recovered to post a 1.039 OPS in High-A during the first month of this season, then slumped to a .521 mark and struggled to make contact in May.
Irish never questioned his ability but admitted that some frustration did set in.
"I don't think it was ever doubt," said Irish, ranked No. 95 on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list. "It was like, man, I just know I need to get a lot better ... For me, it was just making that little adjustment, just getting my feet back under me and remembering to take a deep breath and remembering that I can swing it a little bit."
Irish can swing it more than a little bit from the left side of the plate. He controls the strike zone reasonably well, hits balls hard to all fields and exhibits 25-homer potential. He heated up in June and July, played in the All-Star Futures Game and slashed .286/.388/.528 with 16 homers in 76 games before tearing the meniscus in his left knee while sliding into second base in July.
The injury led to season-ending surgery, but Irish's recovery went so well that the Orioles asked him if he wanted to make up for some lost at-bats in the Arizona Fall League. It was an easy decision for Irish to make and he has continued to rake on the developmental circuit, batting .328/.439/.507 with more walks (13) than strikeouts (12) in 18 games with the Peoria Javelinas.
The backstop on a 2022 high school national championship team from Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary's, Irish DHed as a freshman at Auburn, played mostly catcher as a sophomore and then spent most of his junior season in right field. After dividing his pro debut between catcher, first base and right field, Baltimore decided to move him out from behind the plate last winter.
Irish had showed the hands to become an average receiver and framer, and he displayed solid arm strength as a catcher. While remaining there would significantly enhance his positional value, it also would take a toll on him physically and detract from this bat.
"I'm kind of relieved that I'm done with catching," Irish said. "I like to do one thing and that's I like to hit. That's what we kind of came to was we believe in the bat a lot, and let's just let the bat play, and positionally, hey, we'll figure it out. It's more about let's bang and then the cards will fall where they may. Let's just free up the bat."
During the Minor League season, Irish made 25 starts in right field, 22 at first base, 13 in left field and 11 at DH. With the Javelinas, he has played nine games in right and five at first.
Escaping the wear and tear behind the plate has helped Irish get a little quicker, and he'll flash solid speed once he gets going. He stole 20 bases in 76 Minor League games this season after swiping 19 in 160 college contests, and he's nabbed five bags so far in the AFL.
"This year, I've reshaped my body a little bit," Irish said. "I've slimmed down a little bit and to be honest, I don't know where I've gotten my speed from. I've never been a burner and I still don't think I'm a burner, but I think I can swipe a few now."