Baltimore Orioles Think They Have An 'Unbelievable Talent' On Their Hands

One of the star prospects of the Baltimore Orioles could emerge as a true superstar based on what the coaching staff thinks of him.

Jun 12, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Cade Povich (37) throws a pitch during the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards / Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles are going through it right now with injuries to their starting pitching unit.

Two of their rotation guys are already out for the year, and there is real concern that could be the case for Kyle Bradish after being placed on the IL with his second UCL sprain in the past 3-4 months.

Because of that, the Orioles are seen as a team who will be aggressively pursuing starting arms before the trade deadline, having already been linked to Jesus Luzardo and veterans like Tyler Anderson.

There is still plenty of time for Mike Elias and his front office to figure out exactly what they want, and need, to do going forward as there won't be sellers who emerge until likely right before July 30, so in the meantime, he's going to give his internal options a real opportunity to see what they can do.

The first player who got the call was Cade Povich.

Ranked as their No. 9 prospect, the 24-year-old was promoted to the MLB on June 6 where he was hit around in his debut, allowing six earned runs in 5.1 innings of work.

However, the coaching staff was impressed with what they saw, and Povich backed up that confidence in his second start where he threw six scoreless innings and only allowed five hits while striking out six batters.

As a third round pick in the 2021 draft by the Minnesota Twins, Baltimore traded for him in August 2022 in a deal that netted them Yennier Cano and two other pitchers, highlighting another strength of this organization by evaluating outside talent and getting them into their pipeline.

The Orioles could have pulled off a major heist in that deal as they think Povich is a truly special talent and could be a major part of this rotation going forward.

"He's an unbelievable talent and he's got a maturity level that you don't see out of many who are his age, so you know the future's bright," pitching coach Drew French told Roch Kubatko of MASN.

His third start is going to be a huge test as the left-hander is going against the MLB's best team in the New York Yankees, facing off against the reigning AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole in his season debut.

If Povich can hold his own, that not only bodes well for the future he has at this level, but it also will go a long way for Elias and Baltimore going forward as that's one less rotation spot to fill ahead of the deadline.