King George: Orioles' top-ranked prospect collects career-high five hits at High-A
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In the span of a few short hours, Nate George turned a so-so start to his season into something much better.
The O's No. 1 prospect racked up a career-high five knocks and drove in three runs to pace a 20-hit attack in High-A Frederick's 18-2 romp over Wilmington on Wednesday night at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium.
MLB's No. 82 prospect began his evening inauspiciously with a strikeout in the opening frame, but he and the Keys were just getting started. George singled in each of his next five at-bats, cashing in with a two-run knock in the sixth inning and another run-scoring hit during a nine-run seventh.
The 19-year-old capped his first five-hit game as a pro with an eighth-inning line drive up the middle, eclipsing his previous high of four set last May 22 in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League. George scored three times and swiped his seventh base of the year while tallying more hits in six plate appearances than he had in his previous five games combined.
He joined George Lombard Jr. (NYY No. 1/MLB No. 27) as the only Top 100 prospects to tally five hits in a game this season.
While stats can swing wildly so early in the year, George's past few games have been impressive. After his average dipped to .212 on April 17, the Illinois native has hit safely in four consecutive games, going 9-for-18 (.500) with six runs, five stolen bases and four RBIs. The hot stretch has hiked his average 102 points to .314 and his OPS has jumped nearly 200 points, from .539 to .743.
Taken in the 16th round of the 2024 Draft out of Minooka High School, George didn't make his pro debut until last season but hit the ground running, literally and figuratively. The 6-foot, 200-pound outfielder slashed .337/.413/.483 with 50 stolen bases in 87 games across three Minor League levels in 2025.
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Joseph Dzierwa (BAL No. 12) continued to impress during his first month as a pro. The 2025 second-rounder was the beneficiary of Frederick's offense, but he did plenty of heavy lifting early.
Dzierwa allowed one earned run and struck out nine over five innings, giving him 26 K's in 23 frames this season to go along with a 2.35 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP.