This unheralded prospect could be a force in Orioles bullpen down the stretch

The Orioles have had injury issues all year but since the All Star break, the bullpen has become a problem. Earlier in the year when Craig Kimbrel was pitching well, we were able to trust this group of pitchers most nights, and they helped the O's get out to one of the best starts in recent memory.

Things have changed drastically over the last month, and not for the better. Coming into the break, the O's bullpen had posted the 8th most fWAR among all MLB teams and had a combined 3.83 ERA, good for 14th in the league. They weren't the best group but they were a viable one.

Since the break, that same bullpen has pitched to a 5.20 ERA, better than just three other teams. Worse still, the group's 4.25 FIP isn't in the top half, and the bullpen is looking like a major liability heading into the season's final month.

While external options exist but remain limited, there may be one interesting solution waiting in Norfolk. Righty Brandon Young had injury trouble over the last couple years but now that he's back to full health, he's having an excellent season in Triple-A.

Brandon Young could be the next Orioles prospect to debut in Baltimore

In 64 innings across 13 starts, Young has pitched to a 3.38 ERA with a 26.4% strikeout rate and strong command of the strike zone. He has a solid four-pitch mix, with a four-seam fastball that he throws in the low 90's, a big breaking curveball, a strong change-up, and a stiff slider that almost looks like a cutter at times.

Though he isn't a huge strikeout guy, many evaluators see Young as a potential back end rotation piece in the long term. While the Orioles could definitely use help in the back of the rotation, especially with Trevor Rogers struggling over his three outings with Baltimore, the more immediate need might be in the bullpen.

And if the Orioles were to make a move to get Young up to Baltimore, it might make more sense to get him reps in a long relief role to begin with. Letting Young work in a hybrid role, sort of similar to the way Keegan Akin works, might be a good idea.

If Young could throw 2-3 innings at a pop, working in tandem alongside someone like Rogers or Dean Kremer, it'd take a bit of weight off the entire group, while also mitigating the third time through the order penalties for Young in his first taste of the big leagues.

While Young is more suited to work as a starter down the line, taking the pressure off from the get-go and letting him eat a few innings at a time might be beneficial for everyone involved. Kremer and Rogers clearly have trouble going deeper into games, so it would help all around.

Young is still inexperienced and Cade Povich might make sense in this type of role as well, but if the Orioles want to shore up the pitching staff in the final six weeks of the regular season, this might be one of their best options.