The Orioles used 36 different pitchers in 2025, and four position players took the mound for good measure. Baltimore dealt several relievers at the trade deadline, while starters found their way on and off
the injured list over the course of 162 games. By the end of the season, guys that hardly anyone had heard of in the spring ended up getting some burn.
Cameron Weston began the season at Triple-A, but he never made it to the show. The Pittsburgh native spent the duration of the year at Norfolk while pitching to a 5-9 record with a 4.59 ERA.
The numbers don’t jump off the page, but the Orioles needed all hands on deck. Weston avoided any major injuries over 135 innings, but he did not receive an opportunity to make his major league debut.
The Orioles selected Weston in the eighth round of the 2022 draft. The former Michigan pitcher holds a low-to-mid 90s sinking fastball, a low arm slot delivery, and an ability to keep the ball on the ground. FanGraphs ranked Weston as Baltimore’s 14th best prospect back in April, while MLB Pipeline did not include Weston in its latest Top 30. Weston entered the season at 17th on Camden Chat’s composite rankings of Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, MLB Pipeline, The Athletic, and On The Verge.
Weston earned praise for his control after posting a 2.64 BB/9 over 27 starts in 2024. Unfortunately, and somewhat predictably, that number jumped when Weston hit Norfolk for the first time. The righty saw his BB/9 spike to 4.72 over 29 appearances in the International League. His strikeout-to-walk ratio fell from 3.97 in 2024 to 1.87 last season.
The jump from Double-A to Triple-A is a significant one. Weston walked one batter in his first start of the season, two in his second, three in his third, and four in his fourth outing of the year. Fortunately, the pattern stopped there. He kept his WHIP relatively in check by limiting opponents to four hits or less in his first six appearances, but he still held a 5.14 ERA at the end of April.
The Big Ten product settled into a groove and began working deeper into games during the month of May. He completed five innings for the first time on May 7 and proceeded to toss at least five frames over his next three starts. The walks never really disappeared, but the strikeouts jumped as the temperature began to rise.
Weston turned in his best start of the season on June 24 against Gwinnett. The 6-foot-2 righty limited the Stripers to only one hit and one walk over six shutout innings. Unfortunately, the same team tagged him for five earned runs five days later.
Weston quietly continued on his path as a potential backend starter while guys like Cade Povich and Brandon Young failed to emerge as MLB caliber starting pitchers. Weston failed to garner much attention over a less-than-spectacular summer, and the Orioles declined to have the starter make his big league debut out of the bullpen.
Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells stole the show with their rehab starts in August and MLB returns in September, but Weston quietly turned a corner in his final three starts. The righty tossed a season-high seven innings of one-run ball against Nashville on September 5, and he limited opponents to one run a piece in his final three outings.
Weston will likely receive a 40-man roster spot prior to the Rule 5 draft, and he should arrive in Sarasota with a 26-man roster spot on his mind. That being said, the Orioles will be in big trouble if they have to rely on Weston out of the gate. Baltimore should be aggressive in the free agent market this offseason, while a healthy Bradish, Wells and maybe even Grayson Rodriguez occupy rotation spots alongside Trevor Rogers.
Control must be a point of emphasis for Weston when he returns to Triple-A. The Canon-McMillan High School product should feel more comfortable in his second season with Norfolk, and the Orioles will need to see a reduction in walks before considering Weston for a major league role.
Weston has found a knack for erasing walks with double plays, but things don’t work quite as easily in the AL East. Baltimore still views Weston as a starter, but he’ll face some high-quality competition as several talented pitching prospects reach the highest level of Baltimore’s farm system.
Tomorrow: Michael Forret
