Checking in with Orioles starter Brandon Young

Brandon Young is scheduled to make his next Orioles start on Monday night against the Tampa Bay Rays as the Orioles look for a four-game sweep. Young has a 9-3 record and a 3.33 ERA. He leads the team in wins and has the lowest ERA among the starters.

In his first season, Young was 1-7 with a 6.24 ERA in 12 starts. On August 15^th, 2025, Young pitched 7 2/3 innings of perfect ball against Houston for his first major league win.

The 27-year-old right-hander was signed in 2020 as an undrafted free agency.

He spoke about his season, career and his love for music. This interview has been edited for clarity.

Question: What’s the reason for your success this season?

Brandon Young: “Just trying to stay consistent, stay the course and keep tacking on to what I’ve been doing.”

Q: What’s the difference between 2025 and 2026 for you?

Young: “I think knowing myself, knowing just who I am on the mound, what I bring to the table, what I bring to the team and what my job is, knowing how I’m going to attack hitters and mentally just way more confident and just knowing I belong here.”

Q: When did you know you belonged here?

Young: “Last year, I knew I belonged. I just didn’t believe it for most of the season. In spring training, just being more comfortable with the guys and just being more comfortable in my own skin. Spring training and that first start in Chicago, just being relaxed, being composed and just being myself. I think that helped.”

Q: This year, they sent you down early in spring training. Was that a surprise?

Young: “Disappointment, but to be surprised, no, not really. For the arms that we had and that we signed in the offseason, obviously I don’t think I did enough last year to have earned that spot. I wasn’t really surprised. I know I had to work for it, and I waited for my opportunity.”

Q: Last year was a difficult one for you. How important was that outing against Houston for you? ‘

Young: “Just to get my first win, for my family and friends, and it’s almost a perfect game, it was really cool, really special and show that I can do this, and I can stack starts. Not like that every time, but I can stack starts where I go deep into games.

“This year, it’s knowing myself, knowing who I am on the mound, what pitches I’m going to throw against guys, trying to be consistent like that.”

Q: The team is 16-4 in games you’ve started. How does that make you feel?

Young: “It feels good. It feels like the team rallies around me. I rally around them. They’ve picked me up countless times throughout the year. It’s a good relationship that we’ve had. I love playing for this team. I love pitching for them. I think they have a good thing going.”

Q: What do you think the team needs to do better in the last six weeks of the season?

Young: “Collectively, play some clean baseball. Pitch, hit, play D. I mean that’s the name of the game. To be honest, I think we just need to continue to play and know what we can do and not try and press and force a win streak on us, just keep one day at a time, staying present. I think that’s what we can do and now look forward into the future.”

Q: You have eclectic tastes in music. Do you like every kind of music?

Young: “I’d say so, other than anything modern really, modern rap, modern pop. I don’t like that at all. Even modern country, pop country, I hate. Anything before the 2000s, I really like. 60s and 70s classic rock is my favorite. I like all the old country.

“A couple of psychedelic groove bands nowadays that I like, but other than that, it’s all old stuff before I was born.”

Q: Did you inherit these tastes from your parents?

Young: “I got that from my dad, and then I got the old country from my grandpa. He also played like George Jones and Alan Jackson, Willie, Waylon, all those guys when I was young. It grew on me.”

Q: Do you play an instrument?

Young: “I play guitar.”

Q: How well?

Young: “On a scale of 1 to 10, like a 3. Been playing since I got [Tommy John surgery], so a few years now.”

Note: Outfielder Vance Honeycutt, the Orioles No. 1 draft pick in 2024 is being promoted from High-A Frederick to Double-A Chesapeake. Honeycutt was hitting .182 for the Keys with 10 home runs and 31 RBIs with 110 strikeouts in 63 games this season.

Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com