O's protect RHPs Young, Strowd from Rule 5 Draft
This browser does not support the video element.
BALTIMORE -- No player in the Orioles¡¯ Minor League ranks had more of a breakout 2024 season than right-hander Brandon Young, who pitched his way to winning the organization¡¯s Jim Palmer Minor League Pitcher of the Year Award. The 26-year-old has put himself on the big league ¡°radar screen,¡± as general manager Mike Elias put it in mid-August.
Unsurprisingly, Baltimore wasn¡¯t going to risk losing Young, the club¡¯s No. 19 prospect per MLB Pipeline, in the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 11.
Young and fellow right-hander Kade Strowd were added to the O¡¯s 40-man roster by having their contracts selected on Tuesday ahead of the 6 p.m. ET deadline to protect Rule 5-eligible players. There are now 39 players on the club¡¯s 40-man roster.
An undrafted free agent signed out of Louisiana-Lafayette following the shortened five-round 2020 MLB Draft, Young pitched only 137 2/3 innings over his first three professional seasons. The righty underwent Tommy John surgery for a second time during that period.
In 2024, Young remained healthy and put up impressive numbers. He opened the year with a return to Double-A Bowie, where he recorded a 4.09 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 22 innings over seven games (six starts).
After getting promoted to Triple-A Norfolk in late May, Young performed even better. In 20 games (18 starts) for the Tides, he posted a 3.44 ERA with 96 strikeouts in 89 innings.
Although Elias brought up Young as an imminent candidate for the big leagues unprompted this past summer, the Lumberton, Texas, native never got his first callup to The Show. However, it would be surprising if Young doesn¡¯t appear in the Majors at some point in 2025, whether that¡¯s in a starting or relief role.
¡°I think I am close, and I think it¡¯s cool that [Elias] said that, for sure,¡± Young said in late September.
This browser does not support the video element.
Strowd, 27, was selected by the Orioles in the 12th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of West Virginia University. The Fort Worth, Texas, native reached Triple-A for the first time this year, but he recorded a 6.80 ERA over 37 relief appearances for Norfolk.
Not ranked among Baltimore¡¯s Top 30 prospects, Strowd¡¯s most appealing asset is his strikeout ability. The righty fanned 71 batters over 51 1/3 innings between Triple-A and Double-A in 2024.
This browser does not support the video element.
Two Rule 5-eligible prospects on the Orioles¡¯ Top 30 list were left unprotected -- right-handers Juan Nu?ez (No. 8) and Alex Pham (No. 25). They will be available to potentially be selected by another team during the Rule 5 Draft, which will occur at the Winter Meetings in Dallas.
Nu?ez has an intriguing arm, but the 23-year-old has never pitched above High-A Aberdeen. The Azua, Dominican Republic, native was also limited to 29 1/3 innings this year due to a right shoulder injury.
Pham, 25, had a 4.24 ERA and 138 strikeouts in 119 innings over 27 starts for Double-A Bowie this year. The University of San Francisco product from Union City, Calif., has not yet reached the Triple-A level.