Orioles are throwing more darts on pitchers in MLB Draft starting now

It may not feel like it, but earlier this week, the Baltimore Orioles selected their highest-drafted pitcher of the Mike Elias era. Baltimore had four top-37 picks in the MLB Draft, and used all of them on position players. Ike Irish falling to the O's at No. 19 was too good of a value to pass up on. The team clearly felt the same way about Caden Bodine, Wehiwa Aloy, and Slater de Brun, a group of players sure to inject some life into the Orioles' farm.

With their next selection, though, at No. 58, Baltimore selected Joseph Dzierwa, a 6'8 left-handed pitcher out of Michigan State. Dzierwa took the crown of the O's highest-drafted pitcher from Jackson Baumeister, who was the 63rd overall selection in 2023 and later traded to the Tampa Bay Rays as part of the deal that brought Zach Eflin to Baltimore.

Pitchers Orioles drafted this year have a chance to play a big role in their future

Dzierwa's profile is an interesting one. Slightly against the grain of typical O's pitcher selections, Dzierwa flashed great command with the Spartans, walking just over two batters per nine innings last season. Usually, Baltimore finds itself drafting "stuff guys" with room to grow on the command front. According to MLB Pipeline, the tall lefty's fastball tends to sit around 90 to 93 mph, down a few ticks from a typical Orioles prospect.

However, if Dzierwa can find consistency sitting 93-94 mph, it would make for a great compliment to a changeup that Pipeline grades at a 60. If a tall left-hander succeeding in the big leagues with a 93-94 mph fastball and a great changeup reminds you of anyone, it's because it's been the formula for success for Trevor Rogers. Pipeline notes Dzierwa's high floor, too, calling him a "near-certain starter."

Conversely, the O's next pick, JT Quinn, comes with some more question marks. The 69th pick last night, Quinn is a 6'6 righty out of Georgia that has flashed a 98 mph fastball in sporadic starting opportunties. According to Pipeline, Quinn served as a swingman this year, finding more success than he did in his first two seasons at Ole Miss. His profile seems to be trending in the right direction.

Dzierwa and Quinn, as second-round picks, still had some question marks that caused a drop out of the first round. But the Orioles still took a chance on them, more of a chance than they have taken on pitchers in recent memory.

The O's have found success with later-round picks, such as 14th-rounder Michael Forret and 8th-rounder Braxton Bragg. But this year's draft shows a willingness to push more chips into the table.

Under Mike Elias, four pitchers have been selected by Baltimore within the top-100 picks. After last night, four of them have been over the last two seasons. They still aren't being picked in the first round, but the Orioles are showing a willingness to commit more resources to arms.

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