Orioles calls up pitching prospect Kid Povich To kick off tomorrow’s series finale with the Blue Jays, manager Brandon Hyde told the team’s win (X link Via Danielle Allentock of the Baltimore Banner). MASNsports.com’s Rosh Kubatko reported this morning (On X) that Povich was meeting with the team in Toronto, initially as a member of the taxi squad.
It’s the first call for the 6’3″ lefty. Povich, a University of Nebraska product, was a third-round pick by the Twins in 2021. He was in the High-A level in the Minnesota organization when the O’s acquired him at the ’22 deadline. Baltimore sent the closer Jorge Lopezthen in the midst of the All-Star season, to the Twin Cities for Yenier KanoPovich and two other minor league pitchers.
The move was unpopular among the club and with a large portion of the fanbase considering the O’s were on the fringes of playoff contention. However, it became an indisputable win for Baltimore, as Cano almost immediately blossomed into one of the best relievers in the game. Povich, now 24, is one of the most talented pitchers in their system.
Povich split last season between Double-A Bowie and Triple-A Norfolk, hitting 126 2/3 innings across 28 starts. A cumulative earned run average of 5.04 isn’t particularly impressive, but Povich was one of the best pitchers in the minors. He fanned 171 batters, trailing only him Drew Thorpe And Tobias Myers Among all minor league pitchers. While this partly reflects Povich’s durability, his 31.1% hitting rate was also well above average.
This continued over 11 times for Norfolk in 2024, this time resulting in better run prevention. Povich struck out 32.5% of the batters he faced en route to a 3.18 ERA in 56 2/3 innings. His 9.1% walk rate is a little higher than ideal for a rookie pitcher, but it’s quite an encouraging overall showing.
Povich is not the same caliber of prospect as Baltimore’s more popular players (eg Jackson Holiday, Kobe mayo). He is generally viewed by evaluators as a potentially strong starting catcher. Baseball America And Keith’s mathematical law Each of them placed him in the back half of the O’s top 10 prospects during the offseason.
Law praised Povich’s changeup and curveball, while Bachelor praised the arm-side running on the fastball. Fan graphs It ranks him as the No. 5 player in the system and as the No. 92 player in the sport overall, with praise for the deception of his delivery and his collection of off-speed pitches. Povich will need to continue to improve his pitching, but there is widespread agreement that he has the potential to be a major league starter.
Stepping into the rotation that lost John means And the swinging man Tyler Wells Had elbow surgery last week. Baltimore operates with a starting five of Corbin Burns, Kyle Bradish, Grayson Rodriguez, Cole Irvin And Albert Suarez. correct Dean Kramer He was postponed due to a triceps strain but could return this month. It’s a solid top three, but rotation depth is a relative question mark on a very good team that started 39-21. The O’s will likely be linked to rookie pitchers in trade rumors over the next couple of months.
Povich will look to make a good first impression as the front office evaluates starting cornerbacks before the deadline. He’s not on the 40-man roster, but the O’s already have a chance. They are capped at 13 pitchers on the active roster, so they will need to field another pitcher tomorrow.
