The Baltimore Orioles have emphasized velocity among their pitching prospects, and it is beginning to pay off in the minors.
Only 90 minor-league prospects threw a fastball at 100 mph or higher this season. Three of them were Baltimore Orioles.
Baseball America scouted all of the game’s prospects and identified these 90 pitchers with blistering fastballs. They’re all pitchers who finished the season as prospects. In other words, 2024 candidates who graduated from their ranks were excluded.
These pitchers can deliver when needed, starting with right-hander Luis Sánchez, who hurled a four-seam fastball at 101.4 mph this season.
In July, the Orioles placed him on the injured list for the entire season in High-A Aberdeen. But, before that, the 21-year-old from the Dominican Republic demonstrated incredible speed. In 24 bullpen appearances, he was 4-2 with a 6.85 ERA over 23.2 innings. He struck out 27, walked 33, and hitters hit.216 against him. He had one save in four changes and two holds.
The former international signee’s career record is 4-9 with a 6.37 ERA, dating back to 2021. He has made five career saves.
The next pitcher is Ronald Guzmán, a left-hander who fired a two-seam fastball at 100.5 mph this season.
Guzmán is an intriguing player making a mid-career transition. He was a first baseman who appeared in the Major Leagues with the Texas Rangers. He tore his meniscus in 2021, and the Rangers released him in 2022. He had time in the minors with the New York Yankees, the San Francisco Giants, and the Baltimore Orioles.
As a minor-league player, he opted to switch to pitching and appeared for the Orioles at Aberdeen before suffering a season-ending injury in June. In eight games, he was 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA. He struck out 11 and walked 15 over 7.1 innings. He made a save on his only chance.
Last on the list is Zach Fruit, a right-handed pitcher with a four-seam fastball that reaches 100.1 mph.
Fruit was drafted by the Orioles in the ninth round out of Troy last year. He did not pitch last season and was allocated to Aberdeen.
Unlike Sánchez and Guzmán, Fruit is a starter who was able to play the entire season despite an injury. In 25 games (21 starts), he was 3-3 with a 3.03 ERA. He struck out 113 and walked 55 over 107 innings. Batters hit just.201 against him, which should put him on Baltimore’s radar for the 2025 season, when a move to Double-A may be in order.
