Joe Mahoney

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #13 prospect in 2012
  Mahoney put himself on the Orioles' radar in 2010, earning organization minor league player of the year honors and reaching Double-A after getting himself in better shape. He couldn't build on that success in 2011, in part because a strained quadriceps limited him to 323 at-bats. He did make up for some of that lost time in the Arizona Fall League, where he hit. 325/.360/.542. Mahoney offers offensive upside, with the ability to make contact as well as drive the ball. He needs to be more consistent at the plate, as his swing can get long at times because of mechanical flaws that cause his back side to break down and get him off balance. He's an average defender at first base, but he needs to show more consistency there. He's an average runner when healthy, but leg problems have meant he hasn't gotten much of a look in left field. His arm would play fine there. Mahoney looks like a solid bat, though he'll need to be more than that to find an everyday role as a corner player. Baltimore wants to push him to Triple-A Norfolk to see if he's ready to take another step forward with his bat.
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  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #11 prospect in 2011
  Mahoney seemingly came out of nowhere in 2010, earning honors as the Orioles' minor league player of the year, but in reality his emergence had been years in the making. He showed good power in college at Richmond but remade his swing in pro ball, improving his balance, getting his hands in better position and becoming less stiff. Since the 2008 season, when he endured a torn quadriceps, he has lost more than 40 pounds and now shows fringe-average speed. Mahoney is a contact-oriented hitter with good command of the strike zone. He shows raw power in batting practice and is working to tap into it in games. Some scouts think his stroke remains too stiff to succeed against major league pitching. Mahoney has become a solid defender at first base and will get more time in the outfield this season to increase his versatility. He has an average arm. He left winter ball in Venezuela after one game with a sprained right wrist, and then doctors found a meniscus tear in his right knee, requiring arthroscopic surgery in October. He may return to Bowie to open the season and will have to prove 2010 year wasn't a fluke, but Baltimore showed it believes in him by adding him to the 40-man roster.