College Reliever Pham Emerges In Rotation
Having not used high draft picks on pitchers in recent drafts, the Orioles know that development might take longer for the young arms they’re bringing along through the minor leagues. Thus, breakouts might 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 23 games, including 18 starts, he recorded a 2.54 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 117 strikeouts in 99.1 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 starters in the minors is 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.”
—JON MEOLI
Lengthy Sit-Down Pays Off For Gonzalez
Righthander Wikelman Gonzalez has always possessed electrifying stuff, but his inability to work inside the strike zone created questions about his ability to start.
Through six starts for High-A Greenville this season, the 21-year-old walked 26% of batters while throwing almost as many balls as strikes. His stuff would briefly look overpowering, but then his outings would rapidly fall apart.
He had run up a 9.00 ERA in 16 innings despite throwing a four-pitch mix anchored by a mid-90s fastball that occasionally touched 98 mph, a curveball, changeup and newly developed cutter.
Greenville pitching coach Bob Kipper, manager Iggy Suarez and lower-levels pitching coordinator Nick Otte sat down with Gonzalez to try to get to the root of the problem.
In a lengthy meeting, Gonzalez acknowledged he was having trouble eating and sleeping because of the pressure to excel. The coaches told him
