Apr 30, 2026; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Brandon Young (63) pitches in the second inning against the Houston Astros at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images
Question: Do you think Brandon Young has a place now and in the future with our rotation? From: Bill Connor
Answer: Bill, I think Brandon Young definitely has a place in the rotation now. He is one of the five best starters currently on the team. That could change when Dean Kremer comes back. I also think he’s shown enough potential for him to be a part of the starting rotation in 2027 and beyond.
Question: I’ve been following baseball since the mid ’70s. It seems like it is more common for guys, especially pitchers, to go up and down to the minors for very short periods of time. Have the rules changed? Or was I just not paying attention. From: Charlie Charnigo
Answer: Charlie, you were paying attention. In 1983, the year the Orioles last won the World Series, they used 14 pitchers. So far this year, they’ve used 26 pitchers, including one position player.
Starters don’t pitch nearly as deep into games as they did then and more relief pitchers are used. Teams will use both pitchers and position players for short periods of time and then send them to the minors. There’s more platooning and using pitchers situationally now.
Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.
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