Orioles' Anderson shows talent on both sides of the ball in Fall League

MESA, Ariz. – It’s often said that regular-season stats go out the window when October rolls around. The same can be true for prospects who embark upon the Arizona Fall League, an opportunity to flip the script on the past handful of months and rewrite their narrative heading into next year.

Ethan Anderson made quite the first impression Wednesday, cutting down a potential basestealer in the second inning before drilling an opposite-field homer in the eighth for Peoria during its 8-6 extra-inning win over Mesa at Sloan Park.

Any old-school catcher will tell you: throwing out a runner is among the best feelings in the game. But part of the new school is blending all the elements that the modern game delivers, namely the ABS challenge system heading to the Majors in 2026.

Anderson, who made it up to Double-A Chesapeake this season, had not yet run into the nuances of tapping your helmet to challenge a pitch. (ABS technology has been utilized exclusively at Triple-A and in the Single-A Florida State League.)

The learning curves have been many for the 2024 second-rounder, who hadn’t really caught until his junior year at Virginia. Entering ‘25, Anderson had made all of 43 starts behind the dish between college and A ball. Developing a rapport with his pitchers and learning their tendencies have been among his biggest strides, parts of the skill set he looks to continue honing in the Fall League.

“I think I've made huge improvements,” Anderson said. “Players and coaches in our org do a great job of developing catchers. There's a lot of guys in front of me with Adley [Rutschman], [Samuel] Basallo [BAL No. 1/MLB No. 7], Creed Willems. Just trying to pick those guys’ brains when I'm around them. And then the department itself, guys like Jeff Kunkel [Orioles’ Minor League field coordinator] and Ryan Goll [manager at High-A Aberdeen] that really know their stuff and kind of pushed me in the right direction with catching.”

Anderson spent the majority of his first full professional season under the tutelage of Goll in the South Atlantic League. He played 70 games for the IronBirds and ran a .257 average with a .338 on-base percentage but was largely stymied in the extra-base department, home runs in particular. Ripken Stadium, Aberdeen’s home ballpark, is known to suppress power, so while the outcomes weren’t desired, the 22-year-old was able to lean upon the knowledge that he was running into some bad luck.

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It was just one game but Anderson showed he can certainly hammer Wednesday: a 107.2 mph single in the ninth, a 99.8 mph flyout in the fifth, and of course, the 99.5 mph homer.

While no backstop might run to sign up to put on black catcher’s gear and catch 10 innings in the 94-degree Arizona heat, Anderson knows it’ll benefit him in the long run as he continues to hone his craft -- and hitting in that desert air doesn’t hurt either.

Wednesday’s contest had a uniquely Orioles flavor with No. 21 prospect Luis De León continuing his end-of-season dominance in his first start for Peoria. The 6-foot-3 southpaw from the Dominican Republic struck out seven across four frames, consistently ramping his heater up to 98 mph during the first inning before sitting in the 95-96 range for the remainder of his outing.

But for all the excitement around the velo from the 22-year-old, it was the slider that particularly baffled Solar Sox batters. Each of his first four strikeouts came on his 84-86 mph slide piece, and he went back to it a fifth time to close out his performance.

De León finished the regular season on a spectacular run, posting a 1.47 ERA with 59 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings over his final seven starts. Batters hit just .163 against him in that span, mustering just five extra-base hits for a .450 OPS.

“Luis has been amazing all year,” said Anderson, who caught De León nine times during the regular season between Aberdeen and Chesapeake. “Maybe some hiccups at the beginning, but once he's dialed in -- which he has been for the last three or four months -- he's one of the best pitchers I've caught. He throws hard and his stuff moves a ton.”

Anderson wasn’t the only Orioles prospect to go deep as outfielder Thomas Sosa -- who also received a late-season promotion to Chesapeake -- started the Peoria scoring with a solo shot in the seventh.