Orioles call up top pitching prospect Luis De León for big league debut

DENVER — Luis De León’s phone kept ringing, and he had no idea.

The 23-year-old Orioles pitching prospect had left his device in the other room while he scrolled through Netflix and picked a random movie that piqued his interest. De León doesn’t even remember the name of the film now. Nor should he. He has more pressing matters at hand.

“My roommate comes over and he’s like, ‘Dude, they’ve been calling you,’” De León said through team interpreter Brandon Quinones.

They were the Orioles, calling to let De León know he was being called up to join Baltimore for his major league debut.

“Ever since I started playing baseball, this is something I’ve dreamed of,” De León said. “The way I started this year, I wasn’t sure it was going to happen. But to be here now, it’s incredible, and I’m truly thankful and really happy.”

De León, who signed in 2021 out of the Dominican Republic for a $30,000 signing bonus, has shot up prospect rankings in recent years behind his high velocity and two breaking balls.

During spring training, De León hoped for this.

“My goal this year, God willing, is to hopefully finish the year in the bigs,” he said.

Now he’s here, five years after signing. Once he heard the news, he called his family in the Dominican Republic. They all hopped on a large video call.

“Ever since I told them, they haven’t stopped celebrating,” said De León, who added that he hopes to secure visas for his family to see him in person next year.

De León is Baltimore’s No. 7 prospect, according to Baseball America’s rankings. Recently, the starter had his outings shortened to prepare for pitching out of the bullpen. He made four one-inning appearances for Triple-A Norfolk in August.

He has a 4.73 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A this year, but the promise in his left arm is undeniable.

“We’re not going to ambush him and throw him in the fire right away,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “I’ve done that enough this year with guys. With LDL, we’re going to be smart with when he’s deployed in the game, the ramp-up. Especially early on, to kind of get him comfortable, one, more comfortable in the bullpen, but also pitching in the big leagues as well. ... But good to add another lefty and someone with his stuff and prospect pedigree is really exciting.”

In 2024, he told The Banner’s Jon Meoli that his command began to improve upon arriving stateside the previous year.

That remains a work in progress, however. He holds an 11.9% walk rate, but he made up for that in the minors this year with a 27.1% strikeout rate. Plus, De León forced ground balls on more than half the contact against him.

De León may well still have a future as a starting pitcher, but for the moment, he will appear as a reliever.

“LDL is ready to go,” Albernaz said, “and we’re excited.”