FREDERICK, MD. (WBFF) — The path to Baltimore no longer goes through Aberdeen. Rather, the Frederick Keys will replace the IronBirds as the organization’s High-A affiliate beginning next year, returning to the farm system they spent three decades in before Major League Baseball shrunk the minor leagues five years ago.
Perhaps no one will benefit more from the change than Orioles hitting prospects.
Ripken Stadium is a daunting challenge for young sluggers, many of whom spend their first full seasons in professional baseball there as they look to establish a baseline. Doing so can be tricky in Aberdeen, where the dimensions (404 feet in the left-center and right-center field gaps) have historically tripped up promising hitters.
“If it’s in the air and it’s not down the lines, it’s probably caught,” said infielder Griff O’Ferrall, Baltimore’s second first-round pick in 2024. “It’s a tough park in that aspect. The gaps are hard to get to. Sometimes you think about that.”
Read the full story on the Baltimore Sun.