Orioles pitching prospect's inspirational story could pave way for 2026 breakout

We've all been there. Sometimes you get in a funk and feel like you're never going to get out of it. Everything you do seems to just backfire as you sink deeper and deeper into the abyss. That's exactly what was going on with Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Luis De León.

Signed out of the Dominican Republic for just $30,000, back in 2021, De León didn't come with particularly high expectations. He debuted as a 19-year-old in the Dominican Summer League and posted a 5.14 ERA in 28 innings. Still, his 14.46 K/9 was tantalizing enough for Baltimore to keep him around and see what he could do.

De León would come stateside in 2023, first spending time in the Florida Complex League, and later getting the call to Single-A Delmarva. He began to turn heads. The young lefty posted a combined 2.01 while continuing to rack up strikeouts. He'd start 2024 back at Delmarva and picked up where he left off, logging 28 innings with a 2.25 ERA. That got him promoted to Hi-A Aberdeen, where everything came to a screeching halt.

Luis De León's impressive reversal of fortunes has him on the verge of breaking out for the Orioles

The southpaw is working with a lot of ideal tools. Scouts praise his ideal frame and high-velocity sinking fastball that he combines with an impressive slider and fading changeup for an arsenal that certainly seems like it can play.

However, once he reached Aberdeen, his control eluded him. Walks had always been a concern on the radar with him, but in Aberdeen, they spiked all the way up to 6.34 per nine. At the same time, his strikes dropped below 10 K/9 for the first time in his career, and he was getting hit hard. His 59.2 innings produced a 5.73 ERA.

With that, he'd begin 2025 with a demotion. The 22-year-old was back at Delmarva, but his issues persisted. Speaking with Baseball America (subscription required), De Leon detailed his struggles.

“I cried almost every start. I lost so much confidence. I kept telling myself, ‘Why should I even pitch if it’s just going to go badly again?'” he said.

Lost and feeling his confidence crumbling, De León did what most of us do when we face hard times. He called his mom.

“I used to call her crying all the time,” De León said. “She would remind me to trust in God, to remember what got me here and to keep pushing forward.”

By the end of May, he was back at Aberdeen, and suddenly everything clicked again. His walks fell from 6.55 per nine in Single-A down to 3.88 in Hi-A. In 60.1 innings, he posted a 3.58 ERA and 2.70 FIP. That rebound earned him a promotion to Double-A Chesapeake, where he'd make three starts, pitching 16 innings to the tune of a 1.69 ERA. His 13.50 K/9 was his best mark since his DSL days.

So what happened? Divine intervention? Maybe, but some tweaks to the repertoire helped, too. De León started throwing his slider more and added a splitter to the mix. The slider, in particular, helped him dominate lefties, holding them to a .117 batting average while racking up 41 strikeouts against just six walks.

The success has kept rolling in for De León in the Arizona Fall League. He's now made three starts and thrown 11.1 innings. He's fifth in the league in strikeouts with 15, and his .128 batting average against ranks fourth.

De León says his goal is to make the majors in 2026. The Orioles will need much more help to fix their broken pitching staff, but given his incredible and inspirational turnaround, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him achieve that goal and make a positive impact in the process.