This story was excerpted from Jake Rill’s Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
BALTIMORE -- For the past month, Double-A Chesapeake may have had the most stacked starting rotation in Minor League Baseball. It’s hard to imagine there’s any affiliate with a better six-man staff than the one the Baysox have had at their disposal.
“That has to be close to the mountaintop, that’s for sure,” Orioles director of pitching Forrest Herrmann said. “That’s a great Double-A rotation -- a bunch of guys who are competitive, pushing each other to level up. Not just their skills, but how they compete and perform night in, night out.”
Just look at the pedigree and the numbers, which speak for themselves:
RHP Anthony Eyanson (Orioles’ No. 2 prospect, MLB Pipeline’s No. 49 overall)
Drafted: Third round in 2025 by Red Sox
2026 Double-A stats: 1.80 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 75 innings over 16 games (15 starts)
LHP Joseph Dzierwa (Orioles’ No. 3 prospect, No. 89 overall)
Drafted: Second round in 2025 by O’s
2026 Double-A stats: 2.43 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 85 1/3 innings over 17 games (15 starts)
LHP Caden Hunter (Orioles’ No. 4 prospect, No. 97 overall)
Drafted: Sixth round in 2025 by O’s
2026 Double-A stats: 3.48 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 31 innings over six starts
RHP JT Quinn (Orioles’ No. 14 prospect)
Drafted: Competitive Balance Round B in 2025 by O’s
2026 Double-A stats: 2.50 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 18 innings over four starts
RHP Patrick Reilly
Drafted: Fifth round in 2023 by Pirates
2026 Double-A stats: 3.97 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 34 innings over seven starts
LHP Sebastian Gongora
Drafted: 11th round in 2024 by O’s
2026 Double-A stats: 3.62 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 119 1/3 innings over 26 games (21 starts)
That’s a group that includes three Top 100 prospects (Eyanson, Dzierwa and Hunter), another O’s Top 30 prospect (Quinn), a former Top 30 prospect coming off of Tommy John surgery (Reilly) and an under-the-radar arm who has yet to garner the appropriate amount of attention (Gongora).
Dzierwa and Hunter (each 22 years old) were both drafted by Baltimore last year, but neither made his professional debut until this season. The southpaws have been breakout performers and two of the biggest success stories in the O’s pitching development program.
COMPLETE ORIOLES PROSPECT COVERAGE
“It’s been incredible to see their growth,” Herrmann said. “Going back to when we acquired these guys, we have a vision of what we hope -- with hard work on their end -- they can become, and you don’t know a guy until you get him in the system, get to work. And credit to those two, they came to Spring Training early, they worked on different parts of their offspeed [pitches] and they built up in a way that, ultimately, led to a great season for them.
“They have done all of the hard work. They’ve really developed not just good pitches, but how to use them, how to go manage a game. I look forward to seeing those guys, among others, keep pushing each other to level up.”
Eyanson was the centerpiece of the five-player return in the Adley Rutschman trade with Boston on Aug. 3. His incredible season only continued after getting traded from the Red Sox to the Orioles, as the 21-year-old righty has a 2.00 ERA and 40 strikeouts over 27 innings in five starts since joining Chesapeake.
"We were familiar with him, and then, obviously, he worked incredibly hard in the Boston system and developed some aspects of his game. Obviously, we were really excited to get to work with him. Great competitor, great person,” Herrmann said. “Your entire life changes as a player, and getting traded midseason, regardless of the level, is a challenge. He’s gone at it with a great mindset. He has worked incredibly hard to build a process that works for him, and we’ve gotten to know him and try to build around that and enhance that in some ways.”
There’s only one week remaining in the Double-A regular season, and Chesapeake won’t be heading to the playoffs. So, the next six games at Richmond will be the final turn for a Baysox rotation that has put up stellar numbers on a weekly basis.
However, the Orioles could decide to bump one or two of those pitchers up to Triple-A Norfolk -- where the season runs a week longer -- to get them a taste of the next level.
Regardless, Herrmann is impressed by what this illustrious group of starters has accomplished.
“It’s led to a great culture that [Chesapeake pitching coach] Jeremy Hileman and [Chesapeake manager] Roberto Mercado have been able to build,” Herrmann said. “These guys, ultimately, have created it.”