In an organization with big-name prospects, some unheralded Norfolk Tides players hope to make their mark

In the 2019 and 2020 major league drafts, a combined 1,377 players had their names called.

Dylan Harris wasn’t one of them.

An outfielder at the University of North Carolina, Harris waited after both his seasons with the Tar Heels, only to be disappointed when he wasn’t selected.

Harris signed a free-agent contract with the Baltimore Orioles and embarked on a professional career against stacked odds, bereft of the second and third chances guaranteed to players with large draft bonuses and lofty expectations.

Just two pro seasons in, the 25-year-old Harris sits at the cusp of the major leagues. And in an organization littered with big-name prospects, he’s not alone among the unheralded.

The Orioles have recently promoted big-name prospects like catcher Adley Rutschman, infielder Tyler Nevin and outfielder Kyle Stowers to the major leagues, giving fans in Baltimore their first glimpses of the heart of the team’s ongoing rebuild.

Even among the likely future stars, there’s room for unlikely ones like Harris. No one understands that better than Norfolk Tides manager Buck Britton, a former 35th-round pick out of an NAIA school who put together a nine-year career in the minor leagues before moving into coaching.

“There’s still a lot of opportunity in this organization,” Britton said. “Obviously, there are some guys that are kind of making a name for themselves in the big leagues. But we’re still very much in a spot where they’re looking for anybody that can help them start to turn this thing around and win games.”

Harris hit .315 in 20 games this season at Double-A Bowie, earning his first promotion to Norfolk in mid-May. He joined a handful of low-round picks on the roster hoping to make names for themselves as well.

At times, Harris has found himself on the same roster as Rutschman, who was selected first overall in that 2019 draft. Rutschman has spent his entire pro career ranked among the most elite prospects in the game, but that doesn’t mean Harris and the others don’t have a shot.

“I think maybe your chances are a little less, but the chances are there,” Harris, a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, said. “You just have to jump on them and be ready when your number’s called. I know you hear those things growing up and stuff, but here, it means the most. There’s high draft picks and stuff, and they’re going to come in and play. But when you get your chance, if you take control of it, you’re right there with them.”

Tides right-hander Morgan McSweeney was a 17th-round draft pick out of Wake Forest in 2019, selected 297 spots after Rutschman.

A 24-year-old Massachusetts native, McSweeney struck out 23 in 18 2/3 innings at Bowie this season before joining Norfolk early this month.

Despite his lower-round status, McSweeney said the Orioles are giving him every chance to make it.

“Oh, absolutely,” McSweeney said. “I think kind of up and down this organization, they give you all the tools you need to be successful and every opportunity in the world. And then at that point, it’s kind of up to your performance and keeping your head down and just working hard. They’ve been awesome to me.”

In the game’s parlance, “sponsored” players are those who have received large draft bonuses, like Rutschman’s record $8.1 million out of Oregon State. For obvious reasons, organizations tend stick with those players longer than those who haven’t commanded large investments.

That doesn’t stop the Orioles from unturning other stones in search of help.

“Yeah, your top prospects are going to get every opportunity, and a lot of times those guys have tools coming out of the draft,” Britton said. “But I think that our development system has gotten a lot better. I think it’s something that we’re going to start taking pride in, is having these guys that are maybe undrafted free agents or lower-round guys that do blossom into capable major league players.

“Deep down, I really do root for those guys to have success.”

A former utilityman who did whatever he could to get himself on the field as a player, Britton cites the Orioles’ John Means as the epitome of the non-prospect success story.

Means, an 11th-round pick out West Virginia in 2014, was a fairly obscure left-hander with the Tides in 2018 before he pitched his way to a shot in the big leagues.

Since then, Means has finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, thrown a no-hitter, made an AL All-Star team and become Baltimore’s ace. He suffered a season-ending elbow injury early this year.

“Who was John Means?” Britton said. “And all of a sudden, he becomes John Means, right? I think that’s the beauty of this game ... it’s not always who you expect.”

Both Harris and McSweeney said they feel like they fully belong where they are. Even as they’ve watched teammates depart for Baltimore and every player’s ultimate goal, imposter’s syndrome has never set in.

Triple-A is Triple-A, no matter how players got there. The next stop is the one they really hope to make.

“I think that’s what helps out the most, is seeing those guys leave,” Harris said. “When you’re in Double-A and stuff, you’re like, ‘Man, I feel far away.’ But honestly, my girlfriend and dad and stuff remind me every day how close I actually am. I think it helps to have somebody put it in perspective for you because you really are just a couple of good weeks away or an injury away, of course.”

David Hall, david.hall@pilotonline.com

Inside

More baseball coverage, Pages 3-5