2023 Minor League Team Of The Year: Norfolk Tides

Image credit: Jackson Holliday (Photo by Mike Janes/Four Seam Images)

When the 2023 season began, Baseball America singled out Triple-A Norfolk as having the most talented minor league roster.

With six Top 100 Prospects on the Tides’ Opening Day roster—righthander Grayson Rodriguez, third baseman Jordan Westburg, shortstop Joey Ortiz, second baseman Connor Norby, outfielder Colton Cowser and lefthander DL Hall—Norfolk had more Top 100 talent than all but five MLB teams had in their entire organizations.

But talent alone doesn’t guarantee wins on the field. Norfolk made sure its on-field production was as impressive as its long-term potential, making them our 2023 Minor League Team of the Year.

Norfolk won seven of its first eight games. The Tides finished April with a 19-7 record, alone atop the 20-team International League. By June 1, their 38-16 record was the best in the league by 5.5 games. The Tides topped their division for every day of the 2023 season.

And the team did it while pushing players to the majors. Rodriguez, Westburg and Hall all moved up to Baltimore—and their replacements were equally impressive. 

Third baseman Coby Mayo and outfielder Heston Kjerstad became lineup stalwarts. And then in early September, 19-year-old shortstop Jackson Holliday joined the team. Drafted No. 1 overall in 2022, Holliday had begun the season in Low-A, but he was going to end it trying to help the Tides win an IL and Triple-A championship.

Even as the names of the players in the lineup kept changing, the Tides kept winning. Norfolk finished the year 90-59 (.604), the best record in the league. 

In the IL championship series, Norfolk lost the opener to Durham but bounced back to outscore the Bulls 14-2 in the final two games of the series. Mayo homered in both Games 2 and 3, while Holliday homered in Game 3 to give Norfolk its first title since 1983.

The Tides then added one more title. Facing the Pacific Coast League-champion Oklahoma City Dodgers in a one-game finale, Norfolk fell behind early before a Cowser grand slam gave the Tides the lead. 

A two-run, ninth inning home run by Norby also proved important when Oklahoma City rallied for four runs in the bottom of the ninth. But Joey Krehbiel struck out Ryan Ward to give the Tides a 7-6 victory and the Triple-A national title.

“The team was very talented, but the mentality of the group is what set the team apart,” Orioles farm director Matt Blood said. “Almost all of the starting nine was capable of playing in the big leagues, but they stayed patient and grounded where they were. They continued to work and get better, and they played really well all through the season.” 

Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson had given Norfolk fans a glimpse of the Orioles’ future on their way to the majors in 2022, but this year’s Tides team is the first since 2015 to post a winning record.

“I mean, it’s been a wild ride, to be honest,” Norfolk manager Buck Britton said. “But I think once when (head of baseball operations) Mike (Elias) and them came in, they had a plan. They stuck to their guns, and they’ve really executed. 

“They’ve done a really nice job of bringing in not only talented players, but high-character players. And you’re starting to see that take off now in the big leagues. I don’t even think they imagined it would happen this fast.

“But after last season, you know, it’s kind of what happens when you give young, talented guys a bunch of confidence. And it’s just kind of what you get.”

In 2022, the Orioles surged to an 83-79 record and just missed an American League wild card. Buoyed by full seasons from Rutschman and Henderson and frontline performances from righthander Kyle Bradish and closer Felix Bautista, Baltimore surged to the best record in the AL in 2023.

“We’ve been very fortunate that these guys have really created bonds, even outside of the game,” Britton said. “They’re really good friends. We have a really good environment in the clubhouse and throughout the organization. And I think there’s a sense of responsibility that I have to be the best player I can be.”