This Orioles 2025 draftee is enjoying a meteoric rise up club's rankings

In the past decade, the Orioles have developed a knack for unearthing -- and then developing -- pitching prospect gems.

Kyle Bradish never began a season higher than No. 10 on the club’s Top 30 list, yet received the largest contract for a pitcher in franchise history earlier this month. Dean Kremer was a 14th-round selection whom the club has molded into a consistent rotation piece. Trey Gibson (BAL No. 8) was an undrafted free agent in 2023 and tore through the system, similarly to Brandon Young (UDFA in ‘20) who has emerged as a key starting cog in his own right. Nestor German (No. 13) was an 11th-round choice that same year and has stacked up strikeouts in bunches in pro ball.

Next up in that cluster is Caden Hunter, who debuts on the Orioles’ refreshed Top 30 Prospects list at No. 11, the highest rise of any previously unranked pitcher in all of baseball.

Hunter began his year with Single-A Delmarva, completely overpowering the circuit with a 1.17 ERA across six appearances with 40 punchouts in 23 innings, not allowing more than one run in an outing. That earned him a late May bump to High-A Frederick, where it was much of the same -- 1.60 ERA in 10 appearances, five of which he didn’t allow an earned run.

That dominance led to Hunter earning another promotion, this time to Double-A Chesapeake, and he didn't disappoint in his debut.

The left-hander tied a career high with ten strikeouts in seven scoreless, walking just two batters and allowing one hit for the BaySox on July 29.

Even before his Double-A debut, Hunter has struck out batters at a prolific rate in his first pro season. Entering Wednesday, with 38.1 percent of his plate appearances ending in a punchout, he ranks third in all of the Minors (min. 65 innings) this season behind only Kade Anderson (41.7 percent, Mariners) and Seth Hernandez (40.4 percent, Pirates) -- the top two pitching prospects in baseball.

Even honing in solely on the outcomes that a pitcher can control, Hunter’s season still passes the sniff test. His 2.66 FIP is second-best in the Minors, a touch better than fellow 2025 Orioles draftee Joseph Dzierwa (2.86), the club's top-ranked pitching prospect (BAL No. 3/MLB No. 97), who has similarly blitzkrieged his way through two levels this year. Per Fangraphs’ xFIP calculation, Hunter has been the second-best pitcher in the Minors in 2026, looking up only at Anderson, who leads the sport in a plethora of categories, including ERA, WHIP and batting average against.

Just two years ago, Hunter was excelling at Sierra College, a two-year program in the shadow of Sacramento. He posted a 2.23 ERA during his sophomore campaign, which put him on the radar of powerhouse collegiate programs. The southpaw chose USC and immediately commandeered the Friday night starter role.

Working with a fastball that primarily operated in the low 90s during his lone season in the Big Ten, the Orioles have teased out even more velo since getting Hunter in the sixth round of last year’s Draft. In his final start for Frederick, he blew away Top 100 overall prospect Tate Southisene (Braves) with a 97 mph fastball, which when coming from his approach angle at 6-foot-2, exploded at the top rail of the zone.

It’s a fastball-heavy approach at this stage (all coming from the stretch), but giving credence to the idea that Hunter could stick as a member of a rotation long-term, both his mid-80s slider and changeup have developed into above-average offerings. Maybe not surprising considering the overall numbers, but the 22-year-old has been exemplary facing batters from either side of the dish, with righties hitting just .153, marginally better than their left-handed counterparts (.136).

In light of recent promotions, the Chesapeake rotation now features Hunter and Dzierwa, with Luis De León (BAL No. 7) earning a subsequent bump to Triple-A Norfolk. Toss in the success that Boston Bateman (No. 6) has found in his first full year in the system and that the club signed the top-ranked pitching prospect in the 2026 international class -- Andri Hidalgo (No. 24), also a left-hander -- and all signs are pointing toward the club finally enjoying an influx of top-flight hurlers to go along with their years of churning out position-player talent.