Question: The Orioles have drafted 57 pitchers from 2021-2025. Have any of these 57 pitched for the Orioles at the MLB level? Are any ranked as current top 30 prospects?
Any evaluation/insights into the Orioles’ pitcher drafting strategy and then subsequent development success or failure during Mr. Elias’ tenure would be appreciated. From: Joe Knepley
Answer: Joe, Mike Elias has been the head of baseball operations since November 2018, and in 2019 drafted Kade Strowd, who pitched in 25 games for the Orioles last season with an ERA of 1.75. He was traded along with two minor league pitchers to Arizona for Blaze Alexander.
In 2020, the draft was shortened to five rounds, and the Orioles selected one pitcher, Carter Baumler, who was lost in last year’s Rule 5 draft. However, Brandon Young was signed as an undrafted free agent, and that has worked out well.
Cameron Weston, who was selected in the 2022 draft, pitched one game for the Orioles. He’s the only pitcher from the drafts you cite who has pitched for the Orioles.
It takes at least five years and perhaps seven to properly assess a draft, and we don’t know whether pitchers from the other drafts will pitch for the Orioles.
Trey Gibson was like Young, an undrafted free agent in 2023, and is their No. 5 prospect. Joseph Dzierwa, who was drafted last year, is their No. 3 prospect. Luis De Léon, who was an international free agent, is their No. 4 prospect.
The other Oriole draftees who are top 30 prospects are right-handers Nestor German (11), Braxton Bragg (12), Levi Wells (13) and JT Quinn (19).
It’s possible that German will pitch for the Orioles later this season. Bragg is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and Wells, who was expected to pitch for the team this season, is recovering from core muscle surgery.
Question: It seems like there have been multiple odd plays occurring in the right-field corner this year on balls rolling around there. Did they alter anything down there this year or am I just imagining this? From: Allen File
Answer: Allen, this is a question of special interest to me. This year, the Orioles moved their press box, and my seat in the old press box was right behind home plate, and I couldn’t see the right-field corner.
My seat in the new press box is just to the left of home plate and affords me a great look at the right-field corner, and a few of us have been wondering about what you’ve been describing.
I’m not aware of any changes to the corner, but I’ll attribute the increased number of balls bouncing in the corner to substandard play in right field.
Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: [email protected]. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.