Orioles Pitching Prospect Joseph Dzierwa Continues to Dominate Double-A Hitters

One of the Baltimore Orioles' top pitching prospects, left-hander Joseph Dzierwa, twirled another gem in his latest outing for the Double-A Chesapeake Baysox.

Dzierwa, Baltimore's No. 4 prospect for 2026 on MLB Pipeline, tossed six scoreless innings for the Baysox on Wednesday. The 6-foot-8 southpaw allowed just one hit and three walks while striking out seven in Chesapeake's 3-2 victory over the Reading Fightin Phils, the Double-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Following his performance on Wednesday, Dzierwa has yet to allow a run in either of his Double-A starts in August. In his other outing earlier this month, the 22-year-old threw six shutout innings, giving up just four hits and no walks while striking out nine in the Baysox's 3-2 loss to the Harrisburg Senators, the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. This recent stretch of success on the mound further builds on an impressive first season in the minors for the Orioles prospect.

Joseph Dzierwa has dazzled in his first minor league season

Baltimore Orioles prospect Joseph Dzierwa — Michigan State's Joseph Dzierwa delivers a pitch during an NCAA Big Ten Conference baseball game against Iowa, Friday, May 12, 2023, at Duane Banks Field in Iowa City, Iowa. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Orioles selected Dzierwa with a second-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft out of Michigan State University. The young lefty made his minor league debut this year and has quickly established himself as one of the top arms in Baltimore's farm system.

Overall, Dzierwa has a 2.01 ERA through the first 22 games of his minor league career and has racked up 132 strikeouts in 112 innings. The 22-year-old began the 2026 season with the High-A Frederick Keys, where he posted a 2.21 ERA in eight starts. The southpaw was then bumped up to Double-A in May, and his numbers only improved. In 14 outings with the Baysox, the left-hander has a 1.89 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 71 1/3 innings.

Since there's about a month left in the Double-A regular season, Dzierwa will most likely remain with Chesapeake for the rest of 2026. The young hurler will probably only make a few more starts this year anyway. But given how he's performed this season, it wouldn't be surprising if the Orioles tested the tall lefty at Triple-A early in 2027. And if that's the case, he could eventually be knocking on the door of the majors next year, too.

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