Get to know Patrick Reilly, an O's prospect acquired in Deadline deal

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.

BOWIE, Md. -- On July 10, 2023, Patrick Reilly was selected by the Pirates in the fifth round of the MLB Draft. Then, 386 days later, the right-hander was traded to the Orioles.

Only a little more than a year into his pro career, the 22-year-old wasn’t expecting to be moved.

“I certainly was not,” said Reilly, now the No. 15 prospect in Baltimore’s system per MLB Pipeline. “But that’s part of the game.”

The O’s made seven deals over a five-day span that culminated with the Trade Deadline. Of the five moves made on July 30, the one that brought Reilly to Baltimore and sent infield/outfield prospect Billy Cook to Pittsburgh may have gone a bit under the radar, considering it was a one-for-one swap featuring no big leaguers.

According to Orioles general manager Mike Elias, the trade occurred because his club wanted to acquire another top-level pitching prospect. Baltimore lost one when it sent right-hander Seth Johnson to Philadelphia in the Gregory Soto deal.

Elias said O’s scouts “were high on” Reilly, and for good reason.

Here are five things to know about the newest pitcher in Baltimore’s system.

1. Reilly is at Double-A Bowie and continued his strong 2024 in his debut

After recording a 3.38 ERA in 19 starts for High-A Greensboro, Reilly was bumped up to Double-A upon joining the Orioles’ organization. Last Saturday, he tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings of relief for the Baysox, with two hits allowed, two walks and five strikeouts.

“I was talking to our pitching coach, [Austin] Meine, and the first outing was just trying to get our feet wet and try to not only understand the level, but the organization as well,” Reilly said. “Now that we have that foundation underneath me, it’ll be good to continue on and finish out the season strong.”

2. Reilly’s four-pitch mix features a four-seamer, cutter, sweeper and splitter

The bread-and-butter of Reilly’s arsenal are his four-seam fastball (which he can dial up to 97-99 mph) and his hard cutter. But he’s also developed a sweeper and a splitter, each of which he throws 10-15 percent of the time.

“It’s more just trying to figure out the consistency with those, what counts to use them in and then just throwing them for strikes and getting more experience with the two of those,” Reilly said. “They’ve turned into more of out pitches, definitely.”

3. At Vanderbilt, Reilly was a teammate of two other O’s Minor Leaguers

Reilly played three seasons at Vanderbilt University (2021-23), where he was teammates with outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. (‘21-23) and infielder Carter Young (‘20-22), who are both now at High-A Aberdeen in the O’s system. Bradfield is Baltimore’s No. 4 prospect.

“They called me right after I heard [about the trade] last week,” Reilly said. “I’m super excited to see them -- hopefully, sooner rather than later. But if not, then hopefully this offseason on campus in Nashville, or at least in Spring Training in February of next year.”

4. Reilly hopes to be a starter for the long-term future

At Vanderbilt, Reilly worked as both a starter (14 outings) and as a reliever (35). He has professional experience in each role. However, he’s hoping to start long term and believes he can thrive as a member of a rotation in the future.

“I like the routine that goes with it, and I like the innings and being able to handle all of that,” Reilly said. “And I take a lot of pride in my health and being able to go every sixth day -- every fifth day, hopefully, in the future -- and that’s what I hope to do for a long time.”

5. The Orioles have already made a strong impression on Reilly

It’s been less than two weeks and Reilly is already impressed by the Orioles, the reigning American League East champions who have a strong track record of developing talent.

“The intelligence from the coaching staff, down to even the guys in the locker room, and the commitment to the game and getting better is unparalleled, not similar to what I have seen other places,” Reilly said. “It’s very exciting knowing that guys in this dugout and this clubhouse right now will have some influence in the future in the big leagues.

“And then, obviously, looking at what the big leaguers are doing now, it’s super fun, and there’s no doubt in my mind why that’s happening with what I’ve already experienced so far.”