Delmarva to Baltimore: Looking back at current Orioles who have played for the Shorebirds

The professional baseball season is in full swing, as the MLB is in the midst of its All-Star break before teams begin to focus on the second half of the season. And for the Baltimore Orioles, the 2024 season has been another successful one so far, as they currently sit at the top of the AL East Standings, looking to win the division for the second year in a row.

Anyone who follows the Baltimore Orioles knows just how much their rebuilding process and collection of young talent over the last few years played a pivotal role in getting them to where they are now. And for followers of the Delmarva Shorebirds, they watched many of those same young players start their professional careers on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Here are the current Orioles players that started out with the Shorebirds:

Grayson Rodriguez

Grayson Rodriguez is his second year of playing for the Orioles, having made his debut last season. With an 11-3 record, the 2018 First Round Pick, Rodriguez looks to have carved out a role for himself in the Orioles rotation. Rodriguez played for the Shorebirds in 2019, and represented the team at the South Atlantic League All-Star Game that year.

Colton Cowser

Taken with the fifth pick in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft, Cowser played 25 games for Delmarva, batting .347 and bringing in 26 RBIs. Two years later, Cowser would make his debut for the Orioles last season, and has been a consistent part of the Orioles starting lineup in 2024.

Cedric Mullins

Drafted by the Orioles in the 13th round of the 2015 MLB Draft, Mullins played for the Shorebirds for one season in 2016. He set a record for longest hit streak in Shorebirds history with 19, and would make his way to Baltimore in 2018, becoming an All-Star and winning a Silver Slugger Award in 2021.

Heston Kjerstad

One of the most recent former Shorebirds on this list, Heston Kjerstad had a delayed start to his professional career after being taken second overall in the 2020 draft. After being diagnosed with myocarditis and missing the 2021 season, Kjerstad made his professional debut for Delmarva in 2022, and over the course of 22 games, Kjerstad batted .463 with 37 hits and 17 RBIs. After making his Orioles debut a year later in 2023, Kjerstad has spent 2024 both with the Orioles and the Triple-A team in Norfolk.

Gunnar Henderson

In his last two seasons with the Orioles, Gunnar Henderson has won a Rookie of the Year Award, a Silver Slugger Award and was selected to his first All-Star Game in 2024. One of the crown jewels of the Orioles' rebuild, Henderson was drafted in 2019 and played 35 games for the Shorebirds in 2021. Batting .312 and bringing in 39 RBIs, Henderson showed his star potential during his brief time on the Eastern Shore.

Adley Rutschman

Another one of the top players to come from the Orioles' rebuild, Rutschman was the first overall pick in the 2019 draft, leading the way in the same draft class as Henderson. Rutschman only played 12 games for Delmarva in 2019, and three years later he would make his debut for the Orioles. With back-to-back All-Star selections in 2023 and 2024, Rutschman has established himself as one of, if not the best catchers in the game.

Jordan Westburg

Taken with the 30th pick in the 2020 draft, Jordan Westburg played just 20 games with Delmarva in 2021, batting. 366 with 24 RBIs for the Shorebirds. Westburg made his Orioles debut in 2023, and one year later, he was named an All-Star in his sophomore season.

Ryan Mountcastle

Selected with the 36th pick in the 2015 MLB Draft, Ryan Mountcastle played 115 games for the Shorebirds in 2016. Four years later, the first basemen would make his debut for the Orioles in 2020, and has been a consistent part of the team since.