Orioles Will Need Talented Left-Hander To Step Up Early With Ace on Shelf

The Baltimore Orioles will be need a talented left-hander to step up with their ace out.

Mar 18, 2025; Sarasota, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Cade Povich (37) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Ed Smith Stadium. / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

With the start of the regular season nearly here for the Baltimore Orioles, the team will once again have high expectations for themselves this year after racking up the most amount of wins of any team in the American League the past two campaigns.

But this offseason, the team saw some notable changes to their roster, and how they will be able to perform without a couple of key players remains to be seen. 

The most notable loss for them was their ace, Corbin Burnes.

The Orioles acquired the former National League Cy Young Award winner from the Milwaukee Brewers last winter, giving them the ace this staff needed. 

This winter, the team lost the talented right-hander in free agency, leaving a big void in the starting rotation. While the team spent some money on veterans to replace him, neither Tomoyuki Sugano nor Charlie Morton are going to be that caliber of pitcher for them. 

Baltimore was likely relying on Grayson Rodriguez to take a step forward, but he is dealing with an arm issue that will likely have him sidelined for the beginning of the year. 

Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com recently spoke about starting pitcher Cade Povich as a player who has to step up in order to help the Orioles survive some early injuries in their rotation. 

“The team will be calling on Povich much sooner than expected after Grayson Rodriguez went down with discomfort near the back of his right elbow ... The expectations for Povich aren’t nearly as high, but the 24-year-old could give the Orioles’ rotation a much needed boost if he pitches like he did at the end of last season.”

Povich has been solid this spring, and that is certainly good timing with their potential ace injured. 

In spring training, he has totaled a 2-1 record and 3.07 ERA. Furthermore, with a WHIP under 1.000, the left-hander has been impressive at keeping runners off base. 

The southpaw did get some extended work in the Majors last year, but the results weren’t great with a 3-9 record and 5.20 ERA. 

However, at just 24 years old, there is still plenty of reason to believe that he will make some significant improvements.

Baltimore is hoping that Povich will be better than he was last year, especially with the timeline of Rodriguez being a bit uncertain. 

The rotation will be something to monitor throughout the year.

Until proven otherwise, the unit is going to be a cause for concern this season, but hopefully, the injury to Rodriguez doesn’t keep him out long and Povich is able to hold the fort down in his absence. 

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