Orioles Prospects Ike Irish and Joseph Dzierwa Earn MLB All-Star Futures Game Selections

The Baltimore Orioles will be well represented during MLB All-Star Week as two of the organization’s fastest-rising prospects, Ike Irish and Joseph Dzierwa, have been selected to play in the 2026 MLB All-Star Futures Game on July 12 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. The annual showcase features many of baseball’s top young stars, and nearly 87 percent of Futures Game participants have eventually reached the major leagues.

For Orioles fans, the selections highlight another outstanding draft class and reinforce that Baltimore’s farm system remains among baseball’s best.

Ike Irish is turning heads in Frederick

The Orioles selected Ike Irish with the 19th overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft out of Auburn, and the talented left-handed hitter has wasted little time proving why he was one of college baseball’s premier offensive players.

Playing primarily with the High-A Frederick Keys, Irish has become the centerpiece of one of the best lineups in the South Atlantic League.

After Thursday night’s first professional multi-home run game, Irish has raised his season numbers to:

• .265 batting average
• 12 home runs
• 45 RBIs
• 17 stolen bases
• .855 OPS

His combination of power, speed, patience and defensive versatility has made him one of the Orioles’ top overall prospects.

Originally drafted as a catcher, Baltimore has expanded his role by giving him time at first base and in the outfield, increasing his path to the major leagues.

Scouts continue to praise Irish for his advanced strike-zone discipline, smooth left-handed swing and ability to drive the ball to every part of the field. At just 21 years old, he already projects as a potential middle-of-the-order bat.

Joseph Dzierwa dominating every level

If Irish has been the Orioles’ breakout hitter, Joseph Dzierwa has been their breakout pitcher.

The towering 6-foot-8 left-hander, selected 58th overall in the second round of the 2025 MLB Draft, has overwhelmed hitters during his first full professional season.

After beginning the year in Frederick, Dzierwa quickly earned a promotion to the Double-A Chesapeake Baysox, where he has continued to dominate older competition.

Entering the Futures Game break, Dzierwa owns:

• 7-2 record
• 2.48 ERA
• 96 strikeouts in 76.1 innings
• Opponents hitting well below league average
• Fourth-most strikeouts in all of Minor League Baseball

On Thursday night, Dzierwa added another dominant performance by striking out seven hitters over 4⅔ scoreless innings, further strengthening his case as one of baseball’s fastest-rising pitching prospects.

His success comes from elite command of a lively fastball, a sharp breaking ball and the ability to consistently work ahead in the count. The Orioles have been careful with his workload, but every promotion has shown he belongs.

The Orioles’ 2025 draft class looks special

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of these Futures Game selections is that both players came from the Orioles’ 2025 draft class.

• Ike Irish — 1st Round (19th overall)
• Joseph Dzierwa — 2nd Round (58th overall)

Less than a year after being drafted, both have already developed into nationally recognized prospects. Irish is now regarded as one of the organization’s top position players, while Dzierwa has emerged as one of the best left-handed pitching prospects in all of Minor League Baseball.

Bright future for Baltimore

The Futures Game often provides fans with a glimpse of tomorrow’s stars, and Orioles fans should be paying close attention.

Irish has the offensive tools to become an everyday impact bat at Camden Yards, while Dzierwa has developed into a legitimate starting pitching prospect who continues to climb prospect rankings with every outing.

If their development continues at this pace, it would not be surprising to see both players make their major league debuts sometime in 2027.

MSB Take

The Orioles have struggled at the major league level this season, but the pipeline continues to produce elite talent.

Ike Irish is becoming one of the best all-around hitters in Baltimore’s system, and Joseph Dzierwa is developing into the type of homegrown left-handed starter every organization covets. Their Futures Game selections are well deserved and should give Orioles fans another reason to be optimistic about the club’s long-term future.