Over the past several years, the Orioles have worked to stockpile prospects via the Draft, international signings and trades, bolstering their Minor League system into one of the sport’s best. These days, Baltimore’s system sports headliners like Adley Rutschman but also considerable depth, in the form of exciting players who have the chance to grow into the club’s Top 30 rankings -- and impact big leaguers -- in the near future.

Consider it the result of Baltimore’s expanding efforts in the international market, after years of eschewing Latin America under previous regimes. All summer at Orioles.com and MLB Pipeline, we’ll be spotlighting these prospects, many of whom are on the verge of beginning their professional careers in earnest.

In this installment, meet outfielder Mishael Deson:

Age: 18
DOB: 7/7/2002
Hometown: La Romana, Dominican Republic
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 195 lbs
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Position: OF
Prospect ranking: Unranked
MLB ETA: 2025
MLB comp: Cameron Maybin

What’s his backstory?
Deson was born in La Romana as the youngest of five siblings. He was inspired to play baseball by his older brother, Alegabriel, the family’s middle child. He followed Alegabriel to the field whenever he could, sometimes waking up as early as 7 a.m. to beg his brother to let him tag along.

“A lot of times, he would say no,” Deson said through team translator Ramón Alarcón. “But some days he would say, ‘Want to come to the game with me? Great, you carry my bag.’ I already had baseball fever, so I would carry his bag all the way from my house to the field.”

That enthusiasm remains plain to see, with evaluators praising Deson’s energy and infectious personality since arriving in pro ball with the Rockies in 2019. It’s also made Deson a magnet for nicknames. At Colorado’s Dominican complex, the lanky Deson went by “Plastic Man,” because of his ability to stretch leads on the basepaths, and “Spiderman.”

Why Spiderman?

“Because I move a lot,” Deson said with a smile. “In the outfield, on the bases. It was because all of that energy I play with. And sometimes, I would pass that energy to my teammates.”

What are his tools? (20-80 grading scale)
Hit: 40
Power: 45
Run: 50
Arm: 45
Field: 45
Overall: 40

Scouting report
As a teenager, Deson caught the eye of current Orioles first-base coach Anthony Sanders, who was then coaching in the Rockies' organization and lobbied on Deson’s behalf. Colorado signed Deson for $300,000 and sent him to the Dominican Summer League, where he amassed 17 extra-base hits and stole 23 bases in 2019 in his first taste of pro ball. He's filled out significantly in the two years since, adding close to 40 pounds to what was a lean, wiry frame many expected him to grow into with time. The O's bet on that happening when they acquired him from the Rox in the Mychal Givens trade at the '20 Deadline.

Lanky, athletic and projectable, Deson is known more for his smorgasbord of tools rather than any elite one. But what stands out is his speed on the basepaths and in the outfield, where his energy, long strides and good arm are assets. Deson’s instincts defensively and on the bases have also improved during his time in pro ball, especially under Sanders’ tutelage in Colorado. Deson is seen as someone with a chance to stick in center field long term, who could also play any of the three outfield positions if necessary.

Offensively, Deson is a right-handed hitter with a developing approach but the raw ingredients scouts can dream on. His DSL experience makes him a little more advanced than many of Baltimore’s newer international signees, who didn’t play in 2020 due to the pandemic. But he’s still so young that it remains to be seen what kind of offensive player he could be. The body leads scouts to believe that he can grow into more power as he matures, especially if he learns to leverage his lower half and refines his approach. Deson also earns high marks for his makeup and work ethic. All told, he’s an upside play, with a chance to contribute in the Majors at all three outfield spots.

How did he arrive in the organization?
Deson already had an ally in the Orioles organization when he arrived in 2020, with Terrin Vavra and Tyler Nevin as part of the Givens trade: Sanders, who left Colorado to become Baltimore’s first-base/outfield coach earlier that year. Vavra and Nevin were -- and remain -- better known commodities writ large, and both are ranked in the O's Top 30 prospects list, per MLB Pipeline. But Sanders was thrilled to be reunited with Deson, and the two still text regularly.

“He’s just a really big kid a lot of people can project a lot of positive things on,” Sanders said. “Once anybody gets to meet him for the first time, he’s a real gentle giant. He’s a real good kid. He has faith and he’s got his head on right.”

What are they saying about him?
“We were able to get him as the third piece in the Mychal Givens deal, and to be honest with you, he might have the highest upside of the guys in that group. He has a chance to be a five-tool player. … If he ends up as the guy we think he can be, he’s not going to hurt you anywhere. He can help you on the basepaths, help you defensively, help you with some power.” -- O’s international scouting director Koby Perez

2021 outlook
After the trade, the Orioles didn’t get their hands on Deson until their Dominican academy reopened for training in 2021. Deson was part of the first wave of prospects to return, then progressed to extended spring training in Florida with an eye toward debuting in the Gulf Coast League this summer. There, he could join No. 29 prospect Luis Gonzalez in the same outfield.

“I am happy person everywhere I go. But on the field, it’s like I feel even better. This is something I love, something I have loved all my life,” Deson said. “I want to make to the Majors as fast as possible, and I am working for it.”