Jaiden Lo Re has spent his first full season in pro ball doing just about everything right, and the Orioles’ 2025 fifth-round pick has climbed fast because of it.
Lo Re moved from the Florida Complex League to Single-A Delmarva in early June, then got another jump in late August to High-A Frederick for the club’s South Atlantic League playoff run. In 86 games, he has hit .323 and pushed himself up to No. 19 on Baltimore’s Top 30 Prospects list.
“It’s been absolutely surreal,” said Lo Re. “I couldn’t ask for a better season.”
The numbers behind the breakout are just as eye-catching. Lo Re has posted a 53/34 BB/K ratio, the best mark of any teenager in the Minors who appeared in full-season ball during 2026. The Arizona native called his approach a “happy medium of being aggressive, but also being smart with plate discipline.”
He has also made contact at a high rate when he does swing. His 4.8 percent swinging-strike rate ranks 11th among 765 Minor Leaguers with at least 350 plate appearances this season.
Still, the move up the ladder has brought tougher pitching, and Lo Re has felt that already. He homered in his Frederick debut Aug. 25, then went 3-for-20 over the next seven games as pitchers began to find the zone more consistently.
Even with that adjustment period, Lo Re has leaned on the older college bats around him, including Ike Irish (BAL No. 5 / MLB No.
100), Wehiwa Aloy (BAL No. 8) and RJ Austin. He said spending time with them in spring camp and during the season has helped him handle the growing challenge of facing competition that is, on average, three years older.
“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 never been part of Lo Re’s identity. He’s built his game around putting the ball in play, and that has shown up in a 9.5 percent strikeout rate, the lowest among 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 style has also shown up on the bases. Lo Re is not considered a pure burner, but he has still stolen 26 bases by playing with good instincts.
He has also done whatever it takes to stay in the lineup. At the lower levels, where positional crowding can be an issue, Lo Re has handled at least 16 starts at second base, third base, shortstop and center field. After leaving the complex, he never started at the same position in three straight games.
“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.”
A little more than a year after helping Corona Del Sol win an Arizona 6A state title, Lo Re is back in a playoff chase, this time with Frederick. He started the year hoping to spend the whole season with Delmarva, but after producing at every stop, he now has a shot to finish 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.”
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