It’s a bad look for a pitching prospect when a major-league team as desperate for reinforcements as the Orioles were this season casts a glance down at Triple-A and concludes there’s nobody to put much
trust in. That was Chayce McDermott this year, for whom injuries limited his effectiveness and cast doubt on his potential.
The 27-year-old began the year on the IL due to a right lat strain and went on to post a 6.21 ERA for Triple-A Norfolk over 25 games (10 starts) after that. He made only four big league appearances (one start) this season, and they weren’t good: he ended up with 15.58 ERA, with 12 hits allowed in 8.2 innings. After initially being used as a starter, it’s worth noting that his last ten appearances for Norfolk were in relief, where the team seems to think he’ll stick going forward.
Not only that, McDermott fell off the team Top 30 prospect list. Like I said, a disappointment for him all around.
Back in 2022, McDermott was still a High-A prospect in the Astros organization when the Orioles acquired him in a deal for Trey Mancini. At the time, he was 6-1 with a 5.50 ERA (72.0 IP). The ERA didn’t look like much, but the right-hander was also ranked third in the South Atlantic League in strikeouts, and we know this organization likes strikeouts. McDermott finished the year at Double-A Bowie, where he posted a 6.08 ERA with 36 strikeouts in six starts (26.2 IP).
In 2023, his first full season with the organization, McDermott was named the Orioles’ Jim Palmer Minor League Pitcher of the Year. Over 16 games (14 starts) with Bowie, the right hander went 5-6 with one save and a 3.56 ERA with 88 strikeouts in 68.1 innings. On July 14, he was promoted to Triple-A Norfolk, where his numbers got even better. In 10 games (eight starts), he went 3-2 with a 2.49 ERA, with 64 strikeouts in 50.2 innings. He also held opposing hitters to a combined .167 average over the season, the lowest among all qualified full-season Minor Leaguers. Within the O’s organization, McDermott ranked second in strikeouts, second in ERA, tied for second in wins, third in starts, and third in WHIP. He finished the season ranked as the No. 10 O’s prospect (MLB Pipeline).
The next year was still a good one for the righty. McDermott attended his first MLB Spring Training as a non-roster invitee, more than holding his own with a 2.53 ERA in four starts totaling 10.2 innings. Reassigned to Norfolk before the start of the season, he found longevity and consistency at the level. In 22 games (21 starts), McDermott pitched to a 3.78 ERA while continuing to flash his ability to whiff hitters: 144 strikeouts in just over 100 innings. This ranked second among International League pitchers, despite his having missed a month with a right scapular stress reaction.
That year, he also made his MLB debut, with a single appearance on July 24 at Miami, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks. Despite that not leading to more, McDermott finished the season ranked as the No. 4 Orioles prospect (Baseball America) and No. 5 (MLB Pipeline).
But there’s no sugarcoating this season. McDermott had elbow problems, back problems, and shoulder problems. In an ideal world, he’d have been able to slot into the rotation, even if as a replacement, but as it was, he made four MLB appearances, none of them good. Back in May, he allowed seven runs over two starts totaling 7.2 innings against Minnesota and Milwaukee. In September, as a reliever, he got blown up by, of all teams, the White Sox, who hung four runs on him in just two-thirds of an inning. Not surprisingly, the Yankees did the same the same week, knocking him around for four runs in just 0.1 innings.
What makes me feel better about McDermott’s performance are his past stats. He’s been hurt this season, so maybe this really wasn’t a reflective year for the 2023 Orioles MiLB pitcher of the year. What can be said are three things. One, the Orioles didn’t trust him as a starter. Two, he fell down the depth charts for that reason. Three, it seems his future is now in relief.
Next year will be critical for resetting McDermott’s fortunes. The injuries remain a concern, but a bounceback year could establish him as a solid long-middle reliever.
Tomorrow: Samuel Basallo
