It took a few weeks, but the 24-year-old infielder checked that box in the Orioles’ 3-2 victory over the Phillies on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park.
Westburg, Baltimore’s No. 3 prospect and the No. 30 prospect in the Majors per MLB Pipeline, opened the scoring when he lined an opposite-field shot just inside the right-field foul pole with one out in the second inning. He jumped on a knee-high sinker over the middle of the plate from Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez, roping it the other way with an exit velocity of 99.9 mph.
Westburg entered Monday’s game slashing .262/.318/.383 over his first 19 games. He had recorded a multihit performance in six of his 15 starts, and he had made 12 appearances at second base and 11 at third. He has also made a pair of pinch-hit appearances and entered once as a pinch-runner.
Westburg, the 30th overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft, moved quickly through the Minor League ranks. He racked up 27 homers and 106 RBIs over 138 games between Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk last season, then hit 18 home runs in just 67 games with Norfolk this season before earning his promotion to the big leagues.
