The rotation at Double-A Chesapeake was already imposing when Anthony Eyanson — the centerpiece of the Orioles’ deadline trade of Adley Rutschman — joined in early August, but the talented young right-hander has fit right in.
None of Joseph Dzierwa, Caden Hunter, JT Quinn, Pat Reilly or Sebastian Gongora pitches like Eyanson does, but they all overwhelm hitters at the level with their stuff and strike-throwing ability. That has emphasized to Eyanson in his month-plus in the Orioles organization “what’s really important” when it comes to success on the mound.
He compared it to the scene in “Monsters, Inc.,” when the monsters in question, each a unique shape and size, are walking in slow motion through a doorway to get to that night’s work.
“Everyone is so different, but the way they get the job done is still the same,” he said. “And I think that’s really cool.”
Together they represent the latest wave of pitching that the Orioles hope can deliver major league-caliber starters to Camden Yards. You’ll be forgiven if you’ve heard this before.
They’re still waiting on the pitchers from the 2023 draft to break through beyond Trey Gibson, with many of them biding their time in Triple-A. Before them, there was the heralded group of Grayson Rodriguez, DL Hall, Kyle Bradish and Mike Baumann, who impressed at their alternate training site in 2020 but produced only Bradish as a consistent big league starter.
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The 2019 Double-A rotation also featured five starters with sub-3.00 ERAs — Dean Kremer, Baumann, Alex Wells, Zac Lowther and Bruce Zimmermann — and Kremer proved the most impactful of the bunch.
No group, perhaps, was more heralded than the Cavalry of the late 2000s and early 2010s, featuring Jake Arrieta, Zack Britton, Chris Tillman and Brian Matusz. They were the last to have a name. I’m not sure if the Monsters will catch on for this group, but there’s plenty of promise.
“It’s almost that competitive mindset of, I want you to do good, but I want to be better than you, it seems like,” Chesapeake manager Roberto Mercado said. “They’re all performing really well, going five, six innings for the most part, and doing a great job within their pitch counts. That’s been exciting to see. Even in like pitcher-catching meetings, seeing how each guy is a little bit different, how they go about their process and everything, but it’s all pretty elite.”
With Chesapeake wrapping up its season this week in Richmond, here’s how the rotation is faring. (All stats entering Tuesday).
Left-hander Caden Hunter
Hunter was a sixth-round pick out of Southern California who pitched through a knee injury in his draft year and has looked like a steal in that spot, considering how he’s pitched in his full-season debut. Hunter has made 22 appearances with a 2.09 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 13.7 strikeouts per nine over 99 innings, starting at Low-A Delmarva and stopping at High-A Frederick before arriving at Chesapeake in late July.
He’s succeeded mostly because of his fastball, a four-seamer in the mid- to high 90s that he can locate to all parts of the plate and generates whiffs due to its ability to get over barrels. His changeup has come along as a clear second pitch, while he has a harder slider and bigger curveball to help him against lefties.
Left-hander Joseph Dzierwa
Dzierwa, taken 58th overall last year out of Michigan State, was the highest-drafted pitcher the Orioles have taken under president of baseball operations Mike Elias, and he has lived up to that billing from the start.
He made eight starts at Frederick before being promoted to Chesapeake, and in 126 total innings, he has a 2.36 ERA with a 0.91 WHIP and 10.4 strikeouts per nine. Dzierwa’s fastball can get up to the mid-90s but plays up due to deception in his delivery, and it pairs well with a bat-missing changeup. He’s grown more comfortable using his slider to lefties and righties.
Right-hander Anthony Eyanson
Eyanson had established himself as one of the top pitching prospects in baseball at the time of the trade, and he has in many ways been better over the last month. He’s made five starts for the Baysox, with a 2.00 ERA and 1.04 WHIP, with 13.3 strikeouts per nine.
Eyanson’s mid-90s fastball has life at the top of the zone, and he’s taken to the Orioles’ instruction to pound the strike zone with his best pitches — in this case his fastball, slider and curveball. As he continues down that path, Eyanson will be able to work deeper into games and have the opportunity to use his splitter and cutter.
Right-hander JT Quinn
Selected 11 picks after Dzierwa in last year’s draft, Quinn was built up a bit more methodically after he was used as a swingman in college. He’s taken to his new role well. Quinn has a 3.55 ERA with 10.2 strikeouts per nine and a 1.17 WHIP thanks to a wide pitch mix, with a pair of mid- to upper-90s fastballs, a cutter, slider and curveball.
Quinn has issued more walks in Bowie than Frederick, but overall he has showed much-improved command from his college days.
Right-hander Pat Reilly
The Orioles acquired Reilly from the Pittsburgh Pirates at the 2024 trade deadline for infielder Billy Cook, and after impressing with his fastball/cutter combo, he had Tommy John elbow reconstruction and missed most of 2025 and 2026. He’s made seven starts at Chesapeake, with a 3.97 ERA, 12.7 strikeouts per nine and a 1.35 WHIP.
Reilly has improved as the season has gone on, with eight strikeouts in seven innings of two-run ball Saturday against Portland. He’s upgraded his entire arsenal and regained his fastball velocity, and he is doing it all without yet regaining feel for the cutter.
Left-hander Sebastian Gongora
The only pitcher in this group to spend the entire season at Double-A, the 2024 11th-round pick has a 3.62 ERA with a 1.27 WHIP and 8.4 strikeouts per nine. He’s in the mid-90s with his four-seamer and, since joining the organization, has made progress with his curveball and added a kick-change that has helped him keep lefties and righties off balance.
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