Probably the pitcher that upped his prospects status the most in 2023, this hard throwing right-hander may have a legitimate shot at sticking as a starter if he can continue to improve his command, but could end up in Baltimore’s 2024 bullpen.
Chayce McDermott
Throws: Right
Age (as of Jun 30th) : 24
2023 Level: AA/AAA
Pitches (current/future value)
Fastball: 60/65
Slider: 50/55
Sweeper: 45/50
Curveball: 55/60
Splitter: 40/50
Command: 40/45
| Pitch | Velo | Spin | Vert | Horiz | Total | % | Strike% | Whiff% | CSW% |
| 4-Seam Fastball | 93.8 | 2073 | 13.9 | -6.7 | 204 | 53.1 | 59.3 | 32.9 | 33.3 |
| Slider | 83.8 | 2577 | 36.6 | 5.5 | 62 | 16.2 | 58.1 | 33.3 | 25.8 |
| Sweeper | 80.9 | 2795 | 39.5 | 13.5 | 52 | 13.5 | 57.7 | 30.8 | 23.1 |
| Curveball | 76.1 | 2837 | 63.3 | 10.1 | 44 | 11.5 | 59.1 | 50.0 | 31.8 |
| Splitter | 84.0 | 1045 | 33.6 | -9.1 | 22 | 5.7 | 54.6 | 36.4 | 22.7 |
Most Likely Future Role: High Leverage reliever/Closer
Ceiling: Mid-rotation starter
What we know: Acquired from the Astros in the Trey Mancini trade along with Seth Johnson from Tampa, McDermott has always had the stuff, but it’s always been about his command, but that command took a step forward in 2023 and really took off in AAA.
His fastball is an above-average offering with low to mid-90s velocities with a low approach angle that allows it to play up. With 16″ – 18″ inches of vertical break from a low arm slot it sets him up to have the coveted high IVB high VAA fastball which allows him to get an above average Whiff. McDermott offsets this plus fastball with throws three distinct, high-spin breaking balls, all that miss bats. His usage varies from start to start depending on which he commands best that day but the curveball tends to get more swing and miss.
He also mixes in a splitter with good vertical movement, but his command of the pitch is not very good. Of course, command of all of his pitches is an ongoing issue for him, as evident from his 5.1 walk/9 though that dropped to 4.3/9 in AAA. He also had a sub-60% strike rate for each pitch.
McDermott was hard to hit holding AAA batters to a .156/.268/.266/.534 in 50.2 IP.
McDermott certainly has a starter’s repertoire, but lacks a starter’s command right now but that improved. If his command can take another step forward in 2024, he could very well stick as a starter.
What we don’t know: Can he find more consistency with throwing quality strikes that he can stick as a starter? Will he be able to give the team a consistent 6 innings or is his best role in the bullpen? He’ll pitch at 25-years old next year and the Orioles could use a dominant reliever. Could they decide to move him to the pen or start him back in AAA to work on command and be starting pitching depth.
What we think: McDermott still doesn’t need to be put on the 40-man roster until December 2024, so the Orioles may decide to leave him in AAA to start the year. Saying that, McDermott could be the right-handed version of DL Hall where a move to the bullpen will make him useful in right away. McDermott seemed to drop his velocity to throw more strikes so it’s not known whether a move to the pen will increase his velocity, but he’d probably sit in the mid-90s at least in that role.
