On December 12th, the RailCats signed Baron Radcliff, an outfielder. Baron was born in Lansing, Michigan, but graduated high school in Georgia. Baron can play all three outfield positions and is a left-handed batter. By the time the season starts, Baron will be 26.

After high school, RadCliff was selected in the 40th round by the Atlanta Braves in the 2017 Draft but elected to attend Georgia Tech to play three years of college ball. After his three years of college ball, RadCliff was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 5th round of the 2020 Draft. Baron would play in the Phillies organization from 2021 to 2024, where he played at every level from Rookie Ball to Double-A. After being released partway through the 2024 season, he signed with the Washington Wild Things of the Frontier League.

Looking at the 3 years of college Baron played. In 2019, he was selected to the 2019 All-ACC 2nd Team. He played in 112 games, had 330 at-bats, 59 runs scored, 78 hits, 16 doubles, 2 triples, 19 home runs, 73 RBIs, 6 stolen bases, 65 walks, and 135 strikeouts. He slashed a .236/.359/.470 for an OPS of .829.

Baron Radcliff played a total of 306 games in the minors over the course of 4 seasons. He played 110 in Double-A, 104 in High-A, 86 in Single-A, and 6 games in Rookie Ball. I’ll be giving you his Double-A stats. He played in 110 games, with 375 at-bats, 36 runs scored, 71 hits, 12 doubles, 16 home runs, 29 RBIs, 2 stolen bases, 1 caught stealing, 43 walks, and 176 strikeouts. He slashed a .189/.272/.349 for an OPS of .621.

He finished the 2024 season with the Washington Wild Things of the Frontier League. He played in 16 games, 33 at-bats, scored 3 runs, 5 hits, 1 double, 2 home runs, 5 RBIs, walked 6 times, and struck out 12. He slashed a .125/.282/.364 for an OPS of .646.

It’s hard to judge a player by just looking at his stats. The numbers do say some things, but they never tell you the whole story. Baron played a lot of games in Double-A, and his basic hitting numbers may not impress you. But there has to be more to the story with Baron. He seems like a batter who can bring the power but may have to be more patient at the plate. With him being a left-handed batter, his sneaky good power could be unlocked at The Steelyard, with the bullpens now being out in right field.

Baron helps out with the lack of power from the left side, as I believe the ‘Cats need more power from the left side versus the right. I believe Baron could be that one guy whose numbers tell you one thing, but if he figures out being more patient at the plate, he’ll be a real fun player to watch in the batter’s box and could make the Rowdy RailCat Cowbell Crew really happy sitting in those right field seats!

WELCOME TO THE SOUTHSHORE!