Prospects are one of the most exciting things about baseball, and they’re one of the most important factors on any team. Here are the five best prospects in the Baltimore Orioles’ system this year.

Prospects are one of the most exciting and simultaneously frustrating aspects about major league baseball. Every team in the MLB has a handful of prospects that they believe are the future, that they believe can be the stars of their team, but not every one turns out that way, and few fanbases are more aware of that than Baltimore Orioles fans.

For every Mike Trout and Gary Sanchez of the world, every Kris Bryant and Mookie Betts, there’s twice as many players who you’ve never heard of that were total busts. Orioles fans know of plenty of “can’t miss” prospects we’ve missed over the years (we’ve even written about it).

Next, we’ll take a look at the five best prospects currently in the Baltimore Orioles system. These guys may not be coming up this year, but as it stands right now, they’re the five players most likely to have a major impact on the Orioles in the coming years.