Wehiwa Aloy Takes His First Professional Season One Step at a Time
Orioles prospect Wehiwa Aloy discusses the challenges and excitement of navigating his first full professional season.
Coming into the 2025 MLB Draft, few teams around the league were prepared to make as much noise as the Baltimore Orioles. With four first-round picks, the Orioles were set to land multiple top talents in the class, and they were prepared to strike when they went on the clock.
Once Draft Day arrived, things did not unfold as teams originally expected. Multiple college players across the league slipped down the board, an interesting trend that worked quite well for the Orioles. This allowed them to land the two best catchers in the draft in Ike Irish and Caden Bodine, while also adding another intriguing talent: Arkansas shortstop Wehiwa Aloy.
During his final collegiate season, Aloy was spectacular. He slashed .350/.434/.673 with 21 home runs and an OPS over 1.100, leading Arkansas to its 12th College World Series appearance. As a result of this tremendous campaign, Aloy took home the Golden Spikes Award, the highest honor for any college baseball player.
The Orioles were absolutely thrilled to land Aloy with the 31st pick in the draft, as he was a name that had played his way into mid-first-round consideration late in the cycle.
Fast-forward to 2026, and 90 games into his professional career, Aloy is validating their excitement every time he steps on the field.
Slugging to Double-A
After the draft last season, Aloy made his way to Low-A for the remainder of the year, where he didn’t skip a beat. He posted a 147 wRC+ with his first two professional home runs across the 20 games he played at the level, serving as a nice acclimation period to the professional stage.
Where things really picked up for Aloy was at the beginning of the 2026 campaign, when he earned the first promotion of his professional career, heading to High-A. He did far more than just hold his own at the new level: he thrived.
Through 84 games as a 22-year-old, Aloy crushed the baseball. He hit 15 home runs and drove in nearly 70 runs while slashing .300/.371/.503 with a 122 wRC+. Not only that, but his improvements in plate discipline served as an indication that he was adjusting to the professional game, as Aloy’s strikeout rate decreased and walk rate increased from his 20-game sample the year prior.
After seeing his electric production to open the 2026 season, the Orioles decided Aloy had seen plenty of time at the level and promoted him for the second time in his professional career. This time, Aloy was headed to Double-A, meaning he was just two steps away from playing at Camden Yards for the first time.
“Yeah, it’s been fun,” Aloy said regarding his first days in Double-A. “We knew each other from Spring Training and, just, continuing to work hard and try to win games, you know?”
Aloy has done just that, opening his Double-A career with a big win over the Altoona Curve, the Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He picked up his first Double-A hit in the 12-2 victory, helping him get even more comfortable at the new level.
Another key piece of his transition to the level is getting to play with a lot of familiar faces from Spring Training, something Aloy emphasized when we spoke in Altoona.
“Yeah, a lot of guys on this team — we met up in Spring Training, you know, got to know each other,” Aloy said when asked if there were many players on the team that he got to know during Spring Training. “And now we’re here all together.”
Aloy capped off his first week at Double-A with one of the best games he’s played in professional baseball to this point. On Saturday, he picked up four hits, recording three doubles along the way. He looked more and more comfortable by the day, staying loose while on the field.
The Challenges of Aloy’s First Season
While the early returns of Aloy’s professional career have been impressive, things haven’t been all sunshine and rainbows. For any player adjusting to pro baseball, they’ll be attacked differently, face better competition, and have to adapt, which is exactly what Aloy has done well.
“Yeah, I mean, the stuff is super good,” Aloy said regarding facing professional arms for the first time. “College prepared me for this, and, you know, just kind of trusting the process and going through my routine each and every day to try to get the best results possible.”
Trusting the habits and routines built in college is incredibly important for collegiate players making this transition, especially as more adjustments become necessary. In Aloy’s case, scouts had some minor swing concerns coming out of the draft. He possessed loud hands, an interesting toe-tap/leg-kick hybrid, and other unique features that immediately stood out from his peers.
These were things Aloy emphasized cleaning up when entering the professional game. When comparing his current swing to his swings from his final season at Arkansas, Aloy has far less movement in his hands, and his toe tap has become far more consistent and controlled. These adjustments have helped him produce better results against velocity, which has been reflected in his numbers.
“Yeah, just keeping a routine and sticking to it each and every day,” Aloy said regarding the message from the Orioles on his swing development. “That’s the only way to kind of just be consistent with my swing, just kind of keeping it simple.”
Although the adjustment at the plate often catches the most attention for players making the jump to pro ball, the defensive side comes with its own challenges. This is especially true for shortstops, as quicker reactions, more consistent throws, and clean footwork are all things that need to be refined.
During his college days at Arkansas, Aloy was often seen ranging all across the “six,” making athletic throws from difficult positions on a regular basis. As a pro, that hasn’t changed, as he’s maintained a strong defensive game at shortstop.
“Yeah, just continuing to gain arm strength throughout the year,” Aloy said when asked about the keys to maintaining a strong presence at shortstop. “During High-A in Frederick, we had a talk with Collin Woody, our manager, and our infield coordinator DJ. Just continuing to long toss, you know, build arm strength throughout the year, and just making plays.”
That’s exactly what Aloy has done, as he’s still making impressive, complicated throws across the diamond look routine.
Looking Ahead
Naturally, for a former Golden Spikes Award winner and first-round pick, there is pressure that comes with playing this game. Especially when first transitioning to professional baseball, the outside noise can often be difficult to ignore.
In Aloy’s case, he’s kept his head down and not let the noise affect him, continuing to go about his day-to-day business.
“Yeah, just enjoying it each and every day, you know?” Aloy said. “Baseball’s a fun game, and, you know, we played it when we were young, growing up. So, just continuing to go out there and be the best version of myself, and just doing whatever it takes to win for the team.”
The idea of being the best version of himself and continuing to do whatever it takes for his team to win is something Aloy has held commendably close, not allowing anything to deter him from the ultimate goal.
In fact, winning in the minor leagues is one of the things Aloy is most excited to experience during the tail end of his first professional season.
“Yeah, hopefully clinching the playoffs for Double-A over here,” Aloy said. “Yeah, just keeping it going, day in, day out, and just winning.”
Currently, Aloy’s team, the Chesapeake Baysox, sits four games back from first place in the Eastern League Southwest Division. As the season continues, there’s a very good chance they find themselves fighting for a Double-A title if things go their way, which would be the ultimate cap on a tremendous first season for the former first-round pick.
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Written by
Jay Staph, a huge baseball fan and stat nerd, founded and ran his own baseball writing website, BSBWrites, at just 16-years-old. With focal points around prospects,…