Hoes has Productive, Healthy Season with Baysox

The day after he was drafted by the Orioles, L.J. Hoes headed to Bachman Park in Glen Burnie to take batting practice.

He was not suiting up for any team belonging to the Orioles, since he had yet to sign with Baltimore.

The Bowie native, instead, was simply allowing Baltimore scout Dean Albany and others with a summer amateur team to see the kind of hitting stroke that made him a third-round draft choice out of St. John's High in Washington, DC that June day in 2008.

Albany, who had scouted Hoes for several years, had a message that day for the resident of Mitchellville. "I need you to sign and get into the (Orioles) system," said Albany, well aware Hoes had a scholarship offer to play Division I baseball at the University of North Carolina.

And that is what Hoes did: instead holding out for perhaps more money and delaying his pro debut, he signed quickly enough that he was able to play 48 pro games that year for an Orioles' minor league team in the Gulf Coast League.

That decision may pay dividends when Hoes heads to spring training in Sarasota, FL in a few months. He began this season with high Class A Frederick of the Carolina League, then was promoted to the Class AA Bowie Baysox of the Eastern League.

He hit .305 with six homers and 54 RBIs in 344 at bats with Bowie after hitting .241 with three homers and 17 RBIs in 158 at bats with Frederick.

"It showed I am capable of playing a whole season," he said. Bowie ended the season Monday with a 3-2 win over visiting Erie, but the Baysox just missed the playoffs as the third-place team in its division.

Hoes, 21, a right-handed hitter, in a few weeks will head to the Arizona Fall League, which is reserved for some of the top prospects from every Major League organization.

"I want to go out there and get better," said Hoes, standing in the Baysox clubhouse during this past weekend's series. "It will be great competition."

Hoes has an eye on a possible spring training invite to the big league club? "It would be a great honor," he said.

"L.J. has always been advanced for his age," said Albany, while watching the Orioles play Tampa Bay last week. "He played a lot of infield in high school and when we drafted him our system was not very deep with middle infielders."

John Stockstill, the director of player development for the Orioles, told Bowie Patch last week that Hoes figures to see action in left field, third base and second base in Arizona. He played mostly left field after being promoted to Bowie.

Stockstill said that Hoes needs to improve his defense at second base and that Greg Miclat, the second baseman for Bowie most of this season, is a superior defensive player at that position.

If Hoes can hit for power he may be a candidate to play third base or left field at a higher level. At least this season he showed he can play a full season.

In 2009 he took time off to be with his younger sister as their parents had medical issues to deal with. Then last year Hoes missed a few weeks of play as he battled mononucleosis while with Frederick.

But he is back on track as a top prospect after a strong 2011 season. Hoes entered this season as the No. 4 prospect in the Baltimore system, according to Baseball America.

"He has done a great job. He has shown he has some power as well," Stockstill said. "He showed he can play three positions" at the minor league level.