?'I'm ready': Young a phone call away from O's

This story was excerpted from Jake Rill’s Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

BALTIMORE -- During Brandon Young’s first three years as a Minor League player in the Orioles’ organization (2021-23), the right-hander was part of an exclusive group.

He was among the rare people in their 20s who don’t own a smartphone, instead opting to still use a flip phone.

“Oh dude, it was awesome. No distractions,” the 26-year-old Young said. “The only downside was I didn’t have WhatsApp, so I never knew what the schedule was, what time to get to the field. So I had to ask other players.”

This past winter, Young retired his old relic and purchased a new iPhone.

“It kind of helps with maps and banking, camera,” Young said. “Stuff like that.”

The new phone isn’t the only screen that Young has been on recently. He’s also been on the “radar screen” of Baltimore’s front office, as general manager Mike Elias put it earlier this month.

On Aug. 10, Elias was discussing the pitching depth at Triple-A Norfolk when he started to rattle off names, beginning with Cole Irvin and Cade Povich, and then throwing in Young as well.

Irvin and Povich are back in the big leagues now. It may not be long before Young gets his first opportunity.

“I feel like I’m ready,” said Young, the Orioles’ No. 20 prospect per MLB Pipeline.

Young’s journey has been a bit unorthodox, mostly due to the 2020 MLB Draft being shortened to five rounds amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lumberton, Texas, native built a quality resume while going from Lumberton High School to Howard College (Big Spring, Texas) to the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, where he had a 1.09 ERA over four outings as a senior in ‘20, before the rest of the season got canceled.

After five rounds of that Draft came and went without Young getting taken, he signed with the Orioles as an undrafted free agent.

“I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to pick my team,” Young said. “Just to have the opportunity to play professional baseball -- it’s been my dream since I was a kid, since I could walk and talk.”

Young hadn’t pitched a ton on Baltimore’s farm heading into this year. He was limited to 137 2/3 innings in 37 games (34 starts) across three levels over the previous three seasons, as he underwent Tommy John surgery for the second time in 2022.

In 2024, Young returned to Double-A Bowie, recording a 4.09 ERA in seven games (six starts). He was quickly bumped up to Triple-A Norfolk, and he has performed even better, posting a 3.41 ERA in 16 games (14 starts) and racking up 80 strikeouts in 68 2/3 innings.

Young has a vast mix of pitches headlined by a four-seam fastball that he’s thrown 44.4 percent of the time since reaching Triple-A. His heater sits around 92-93 mph, but he can ramp it up as high as 96. The four-seamer has induced 80 of his 148 whiffs for Norfolk.

Young also throws a changeup (which he believes has developed into his best secondary offering), a cutter, a curveball and a slider (which he says is a “work in progress”). Although Young has enough pitches to potentially become a quality big league starter, he could also be effective in a relief role -- especially in the short term.

The Orioles’ pitching staff has been banged up, but they’re likely to get Zach Eflin -- who's been on the injured list due to right shoulder inflammation -- back next week. Grayson Rodriguez has been out with a right lat/teres strain, but could also return to the rotation in September, while Danny Coulombe (left elbow surgery) and Jacob Webb (right elbow inflammation) may be back to bolster the bullpen for the stretch run.

Rosters expand to 28 players on Sunday, so Baltimore can add one extra position player and one additional pitcher. If Young gets added to the 40-man roster and earns his first callup to The Show, he could be valuable in any role.

Young isn’t thinking about whether he could soon be in the big leagues. He’s focused on his work and trying to consistently improve -- and he’s been able to do that all year, even if he now has an iPhone as a new potential distraction.

“I’m trying to stay present, just day to day,” Young said. “Whatever happens, happens. Honestly, just grateful to be on the field, just [to] be pitching [and to] be with the boys.”