Brandon Young's notable pitch adjustment has changed everything for Orioles

Brandon Young's performance throughout the first half of the 2026 season has greatly increased the Orioles' chances of making the playoffs. Heading into the year, a statement like that would probably lead to some loud laughs and a check of your head. But across Young's first 10 starts this season, the tall RHP has become one of the team's most pleasant surprises. However, the early-season success might not be all that surprising to Young himself. After making adjustments to his splitter, he may have legitimately changed the course of Baltimore's season and his MLB career.

For any mid-tier pitcher, developing a strong arsenal of secondary pitches can be the difference between a brief stint in the majors and a long and fulfilling career. For Young, his career looked to be heading for the former after posting a 6.24 ERA and -0.7 bWAR in his rookie season in 2025. But like many professional athletes, Young decided to work on his game in order to keep the dream alive. This included taking a serious look at his pitching repertoire.

As pointed out by Lance Brozdowski of Marquee Sports Network, Young has revamped his splitter into a formidable pitch by greatly altering his grip. The results have led to Young becoming one of the Orioles' most reliable pitchers in 2026. As noted by Brozdowski, the adjustment of Young's splitter grip has taken about 5 MPH off of his pitch's velocity. This has boosted the splitter's effectiveness, especially when played off of the fastball. Young has even gotten 3" of extra drop on his splitter.

While the enhanced splitter has not translated to an increase in swing and misses yet, Young has still forced hitters to expand their zone. In fact, Baseball Savant puts Young in the 89th percentile with his 35.4% chase rate. This has added to Young's effectiveness and allowed him to surrender fewer hits compared to his 2025 season.

Brandon Young's new splitter might have changed the trajectory of his career

As Young finds himself working deeper and deeper into games this year, he has helped take the pressure off an already-taxed bullpen. In his last four starts, Young has gone at least 6.1 innings while allowing three or fewer runs. In his most recent start on June 10, Young offered up his finest outing of the year, surrendering just two hits in seven shutout innings. His pitching hasn't been for nothing either.

Through his first 10 starts this season, Young has notched five wins. Perhaps more importantly, the Orioles as a whole are 9-1 in those starts. As of June 11, the team is currently sporting a 32-37 record. This means that Young has played a direct role in more than 35% of the team's victories on the season. While he may only be boasting a bWAR of 0.7 on the season, he has provided value to a team in desperate need of steady pitching. He has also cemented himself as a staple in the team's rotation moving forward.

With injuries to key starters like Dean Kremer, Zach Eflin, and now Chris Bassitt, Baltimore has needed a pitcher to step up and lead the charge. While many fans thought that pitcher would become Trevor Rogers following his strong 2025 showing, it has been Young who has done everything he can to keep the team's postseason hopes afloat. As Young continues to impress, there is no reason to believe that he won't be able to provide Baltimore with innings and a chance to win every game he starts. And that's all the team could ask for at this point.

Instead of emptying the farm to deal for multiple arms at the deadline, Young's strong performance may have bought Baltimore more time until Kremer makes his return and the rest of the rotation can right the ship. Despite seemingly having little significance to the Orioles' rotation at the start of the season, Young's strong performance and continual improvement has made him the team's most impressive player in the first half. Heading into the summer months, Young's increasing comfort level with the new splitter could be what the Orioles need to claim a coveted Wild Card spot.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow