In just over one year of pro ball, six position players from the 2025 Draft class selected from the high school ranks have ascended to High-A — four of whom rank among the Top 100 prospects in baseball. Jaiden Lo Re is part of the former group, but not the latter … for now.
It’s been a banner first campaign for Lo Re, who hit his way from the Florida Complex League to Single-A Delmarva in early June. By late August, he was ready for a new challenge, getting the bump to High-A Frederick for the club’s South Atlantic League playoff run. Through it all, the 2025 fifth-round pick has hit .323 over 86 games and propelled himself up to No. 19 on the Orioles’ Top 30 Prospects list.
“It’s been absolutely surreal,” said Lo Re. “I couldn’t ask for a better season.”
In addition to the gaudy batting average totals, Lo Re has also run a remarkable 53/34 BB/K ratio (1.56), the highest mark of any teenager in the Minors who appeared in full-season ball during 2026. The Arizona native describes the sometimes-selective, always-engaged approach as a “happy medium of being aggressive, but also being smart with plate discipline.”
A major component of that has been that when Lo Re swings, it’s rare he doesn’t make contact. His 4.8 percent swinging-strike rate is 11th-best among 765 Minor Leaguers who have had at least 350 plate appearances this season. But pitching gets more difficult as you move up the organizational ladder, as the 19-year-old has seen firsthand. While he homered in his Frederick debut Aug. 25, he went 3-for-20 in the following seven games as pitchers began to locate their stuff with an increased frequency.
But being around collegiate hitters like Ike Irish (BAL No. 5/MLB No. 100), Wehiwa Aloy (BAL No. 8) and RJ Austin both in spring camp and during the season has been beneficial to Lo Re as he acclimates to playing competition that is on average three years older than him.
“They faced failure in college,” said Lo Re of the aforementioned trio, “and it’s just given me a different look on baseball. Honestly, I never failed growing up. In high school, I dominated. I was able to dominate in the FCL and Single-A, and it’s like, ‘OK, now things are a little bit different [at High-A]. It’s OK to struggle, you’re learning from that.’
“They’ve been nothing but a great help to me and have helped me have a better mindset about that stuff.”
Strikeouts have long been anathema to Lo Re, who preaches a contact-oriented approach. That’s bared true during his debut season, as his 9.5 percent K rate is the lowest among all Orioles Minor Leaguers with at least 200 plate appearances.
“From a young age, that’s what my dad taught me,” said Lo Re of avoiding punchouts. “I was never the biggest guy on the field, so I really focused my game on line drives, making hard contact and running the ball out. When you put the ball in play, they’ve got to do two things: they got to field it and they got to throw it.
“My dad always loved watching Tony Gwynn and guys that hit above .300. I’ve really taken that into pro ball and I just feel like that’s what separates me from a lot of guys — the low strikeout rate, the high walk rate and just getting on base.”
That sparkplug nature is intrinsic to Lo Re’s game. He’s not viewed as a burner on the basepaths, but he’s used his heady in-game instincts to rack up 26 stolen bases.
COMPLETE ORIOLES PROSPECT COVERAGE
At the lower levels of the Minors, there can often be a bit of a logjam positionally, especially at the premium spots; Lo Re has countered that by making at least 16 starts at each of second base, third base, shortstop and center field, never starting at the same spot in three consecutive games after leaving the complex.
“I’ve always been the type of guy where I just want to play — get in the lineup and wherever I’ve got to play, I’ll play,” said Lo Re. “I grew up as an infielder, and in Spring Training, they told me, ‘Hey, we’re going to try to put you in the outfield once a week or so just to get you more games, more at-bats.’ It’s fun to go out there and learn new positions.”
Just over a year after leading Corona Del Sol to an Arizona 6A state title, Lo Re will once again be a part of a playoff push, this time with Frederick. He may have begun his season with the goal of spending his entire first pro campaign with Delmarva, but after finding success at every turn, he’ll have a chance to end it with a ring at a higher level.
“Just flip the switch every day no matter what happens and just keep going out there and playing baseball,” said Lo Re. “It’s fun. Playing a game for a job, it’s just an absolute honor and a blessing.”