Could New Pitch Finally Vault Baltimore Orioles Star Into Ace Status?

One of the things discussed the most about the Baltimore Orioles this offseason was their starting rotation following the departure of Corbin Burnes.

It makes sense why that was the case.

They have talent everywhere in their lineup, and since their stars are also young players, the offensive outlook looks bright for years to come.

But the Orioles haven't had the same amount of success at finding elite pitching talent.

While Kyle Bradish looked like one of the game's rising stars following his fourth-place finish in the 2023 AL Cy Young voting results, he underwent elbow surgery last year which sidelined him for all but eight starts and will keep him out until at least the midpoint of this season.

Cade Povich and Chayce McDermott are the two highest-ranked pitching prospects Baltimore had last year, but the jury is still out when it comes to if they can be effective in the bigs.

Those three pitchers all have one thing in common, too; neither were drafted by the Orioles.

Baltimore has done an incredible job of developing their offensive stars after selecting them in the draft, but it's been a struggle for the front office when it comes to identifying top arms at the same rate.

Someone they're hoping can finally come into his own is Grayson Rodriguez.

Taken 11th overall by the Orioles in the 2018 draft, the right-hander has been solid during his career, but he hasn't quite been the ace-caliber arm they need him to be as an anchor of a rotation.

Much of the reason why Baltimore has been aggressive in the trade market recently to add a No. 1 is because Rodriguez hasn't been able to take that next step to give the front office and coaching staff confidence he can be the top guy.

He debuted in 2023 and has been OK during the past two years, but his ERA+ of 94 and 97 that's six points and three points below the league average, respectively, does not suggest he's a future ace.

But perhaps that could change this season after adding a new pitch to his arsenal.

With a changeup, curveball and slider already used to play off his fastball, Rodriguez is trying to work a sweeper back into the mix, something he threw during his rookie year but completely abandoned in 2024.

He used it in his spring debut just once, generating a huge whiff on the pitch.

"I was pretty excited about that. Getting more comfortable with it day by day. Really playing catch with it, throwing it in the 'pens ... Right now, the learning part is just where to start it in the strike zone, I think, is the big thing. Just getting more familiar with how it moves and being able to throw it for strikes," he said per Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun.

Him abandoning the pitch was strange.

It was actually one of Rodriguez's most effective, if not the most effective, pitches he threw in all of 2023.

Opponents hit just .145 with zero home runs on the 310 sweepers he threw during his rookie season, generating a 34% whiff rate that mainly came against right-handed hitters, per Baseball Savant.

How often he might use that pitch this year will be seen, but it's clear there's another level Rodriguez can hit if he is able to implement this weapon into his arsenal.

And if he throws it effectively, that could finally allow him to become the ace-caliber arm Baltimore needs him to be.

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