Orioles’ Alex Pham Emerges As A Starter
The Orioles know that, having not used high draft picks on pitchers in recent drafts, development might take longer for the young arms they’re bringing along through the minor leagues. Thus breakouts may come from unexpected places.
Righthander Alex Pham is a prime example of that.
A 19th-round pick out of San Francisco in 2021, Pham was limited to 33 relief innings in 2022 but had excelled as a starter this year. The 23-year-old began the season at High-A Aberdeen and was promoted to Double-A Bowie on June 20.
Through 18 games, including 15 starts, he recorded a 2.12 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with 94 strikeouts in 76.1 innings.
“I don’t know if that’s as much of a surprise internally, because if you know Alex and you know the way that he prepares in all facets of the game, he’s outstanding at doing his job,” Bowie pitching coach Forrest Herrmann said.
The 5-foot-11, 165-pound Pham has used a wide array of pitches to achieve success. His four-seam fastball has averaged around 92 mph all year, topping out in the mid 90s, and he also uses a cutter, sweeper, splitter and curveball.
Orioles coaches rave about how focused he is in his preparation between starts, as well as how he has taken to the transition.
“Managing the workload and having an efficient process in between outings has been massive for him,” Herrmann said. “It’s a really impressive long-term development process.”
The Orioles were always optimistic about Pham based on his work ethic and talents. Still, for a late-round reliever from a mid-major to emerge as one of their most effective starting pitchers in the minors is still quite a leap.
“His process of development is very, very sound,” Herrmann said. “It’s really exciting to see him have the success and have the opportunities that he has.”
