3 best Orioles development stories of 2024 season

The 2024 season did not come to the ending that we were all hoping for but there was still a lot to celebrate. The Baltimore Orioles finished the regular season with the third best record in the American League, they made the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time since the late 1990's, and we saw a lot of growth and development from younger Orioles. But the major leagues wasn't the only level that got to see progress.

The Orioles have done a terrific job finding talented young players and nurturing them as they develop. Possibly the best example of that is Alex Pham. The O's drafted Pham in the 19th round of the 2021 draft as a reliever. He was a bullpen arm all four years of college, posting more saves in that time (11) than starts (7). Pham remained in the bullpen in his first two seasons in the Orioles' system but was given a chance to start in 2023 and he seized that opportunity.

In 2023 Pham started 19 of his 26 appearances, and he started in all 27 of his appearances in 2024. Over that time, Pham has registered 268 strikeouts in 231.0 innings. He is able to the throw five pitches for strikes and actually gets left handed hitters out better than righties. The move to starter has elevated Pham from a 19th round draft pick to the organization's 25th overall prospect.

These 3 Orioles prospects took giant leaps forward in 2024

Pham's battery mate in Bowie is another Baby Bird who has recently been making headlines with his play in the Arizona Fall League. After mashing 17 home runs for the second straight season, Creed Willems has been tearing the cover off the ball. The Birds saw something special in Willems when they drafted him in the eighth round out of high school. They also gave him an above market deal to keep him from going to college, a far stray from their normal draft targets.

Left handed hitting catchers are few and far between in the major leagues but the Orioles seem to have a stock pile. Willems batted a career-best .243 this season, including .262 after being promoted to AA Bowie. He's also hitting .293 through 13 games in the AFL. This kid has all the makings of a future MLB star but his path is blocked by one of the best catchers in the majors and one of baseball's top overall prospects. Right now Willems is the Orioles' #22 prospect.

Jumping up three more spots to the Orioles #19 prospect, Brandon Young has gone from undrafted to just one step away from Camden Yards. Young spent two seasons in junior college and lost most of his senior year to the COVID pandemic, but the Birds decided to take a chance on the 6'6 righty and it is paying off so far. Young doesn't overpower hitters but uses a four pitch mix to rack up the K's. He struck out 132 batters in 111.0 innings last season, including 96 K's in 89.0 innings after being promoted to AAA Norfolk.

These players are just some of the examples of how great the Orioles developmental system is. They have taken players with very different levels of success and put them on the path to success. It's never easy to develop a prospect into a quality major leaguer. It's even harder when the players aren't expected to be stars, but the Orioles farm system continues to produce at the highest level.