So once upon a time about a year ago, Adrian Marin tripled off of Joey Gallo.

Clearly, that triple made Gallo give up pitching and move to third base. Okay, not really. (BA’s write-up mentions that triple, though – that’s how good it is. WATCH THE VIDEO.) Marin was born in 1994, making everyone who reads this feel pretty old, and he, too, is from the south of Florida, much like another shortstop prospect who’s done quite well for the Orioles named Manny Machado. Although Marin doesn’t have the projected upside that Machado has, he’s quite good despite being so young. Baseball America says that “scouts are impressed with his maturity and instincts,” always a nice thing to read about a young, newly-drafted kid.

BA thinks that Marin could remain at shortstop, praising his “good actions, hands and feet” and referring to him as a “quick-twitch athlete.” The problem is that J.J. Hardy is currently there, Machado is waiting in the wings, and Jonathan Schoop is in AA Bowie, so there’s currently nowhere for him to play with the big club or in a higher affiliate. Fortunately, this is a very tiny problem since Marin is still extremely young and will likely start things off in Delmarva. He’s got potential, but there’s no reason to rush him through the system since the Orioles are loaded in the shortstop department, so he’ll be allowed to develop naturally and at his own pace.

Which is good. You know what happens when prospects get rushed and aren’t ready.