Baltimore Orioles: What Happened To Pitching Prospect Matthias Dietz?

Baltimore Orioles prospect Matthias Dietz is coming off another rough season in A-ball. Is there any hope left for the 24-year-old?

Watching a pitcher warmup is far from the most exciting thing you will witness at a baseball stadium, unless that pitcher is RHP Matthias Dietz out of the Baltimore Orioles system. Typically, if the bullpen is open to the field and vulnerable to batted balls, you will see another pitcher or catcher protect his guys while a new pitcher warms up. It’s a highly underappreciated job.

However, when Dietz warms up, fielders beware of stray pitches finding their way into the field of play.

A second-round pick of the Orioles back in 2016 out of John A Logan Community College in Illinois, Dietz was considered by many outlets to be the top JUCO arm in the draft and a possible fast riser up through the Orioles system. With a fastball that topped out at 98 mph and a slider that projected to be an above-average major league pitch, Dietz had the makeup of an effective late-inning reliever who could rack up the strikeouts.

Unfortunately, now four seasons into his professional career, things haven’t panned out for Dietz.

In his first full season back in 2017, Dietz went 3-10 with a 4.93 ERA, .282 average against, and a 92/50 K/BB ratio in 129 innings. The walks that plagued his short debut stint returned as a member of the Delmarva Shorebirds rotation, but his 6’5″ frame and powerful fastball kept him on the list of intriguing pitching prospects in the Orioles system.

Dietz appeared to be turning a corner in 2018 as he started the year back in Delmarva. The righty made 13 starts, going 6-2 with a 3.56 ERA and increased his strikeout rate nearly 8%. However, his walk rate also increased, from 3.47/9 IP to 4.93/9 IP.

He finished 2018 in High-A with the Frederick Keys, but saw his numbers skyrocket. Dietz posted a 7.98 ERA (7.74 FIP), a 9.16 BB/9 IP rate (not a typo), all while his strikeout numbers dropped by 10%, down to just 13.8%.

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Maybe with a new wealth of information available and a new plan of development in place down on the Orioles farm system, Dietz can finally harness his abilities to become an effective bullpen piece.

Year one didn’t see much success on that front. Dietz made 18 appearances (two starts) with the Frederick Keys, going 1-8 with a 10.29 ERA and sky-high 2.29 WHIP. In 35 innings, Dietz walked 51 Carolina League hitters, saw plenty of warmup pitches fly onto the field, and struck out just 39.

If there was a bright spot, he limited opponents to a .223 average and allowed only two home runs, that doesn’t come close to making up for his disastrous command and walk numbers.

Overall, Dietz is 11-29 with a 5.63 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, and .265 average against in 77 minor league appearances (289 IP). He may have missed significant time due to injuries last season, but his numbers continue to steeply decline and he appears stuck in High-A ball.

It’s very difficult to have much optimism for a 24-year-old coming off a season in which he walked 13.11 batters per 9 IP last season, but the arm is impressive and, as of right now, the Orioles aren’t ready to give up on him. If he can’t figure out soon, it’s hard to imagine Dietz with the organization for much longer.

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