A 14th-round pick just a year ago, Forret is ahead of schedule and looking like an impact arm.
Expectations are usually quite tame for 14th-round draft picks. The reality is that guys chosen so late in the draft tend to turn into “organizational depth” more often than they do legitimate prospects. But there are exceptions to every rule, and right-handed pitcher Michael Forret is on track to be just that.
To be clear, Forret was not viewed as some lottery ticket during the 2023 draft process. The Orioles gave him a $450,000 signing bonus, equal to the slot value of players that had gone in the fifth round, well ahead of him.
Some of that money was to buy out Forret’s remaining eligibility. He was coming off of his freshman season of junior college at State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, a 25-minute drive from Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. But the Orioles also clearly saw a lot of projection in the tall, spindly hurler from North Carolina. A little over a year removed from the decision to draft Forret, it is looking like a smart choice.
Still just 20 years old, Forret made his professional debut this summer and has already pitched at two levels. He accumulated a 3.18 ERA at Low-A Delmarva, racking up 49 strikeouts over 39.2 innings while walking 15 and posting a 1.13 WHIP. His FIP was a measly 2.47 as well. That impressive work earned him a promotion to High-A Aberdeen in early June, and that is where he stayed for the rest of the year.
The numbers weren’t quite as good for Forret with the IronBirds. His ERA was up to 4.35, he walked more batters, and started giving up home runs (1.20 homers per nine). However, his strikeout rate stayed high, 75 strikeouts over 60 innings. And for a pitcher that was three years younger than the average player at the level, that is a more than solid start to your career.
A FanGraphs scouting report from late June was quite glowing for the young arm. It said that Forret has “a shot to develop three plus pitches, which even in relief would make him an impact arm.” Those three pitches would be a “rise-and-run” fastball that sits in the mid-90s, an 82-86 mph sweeper that is “comfortably plus,” and a work-in-progress changeup that they believe should improve as he works with professional pitching coaches.
Perhaps the most encouraging sign for Forret’s future was a jump in velocity in 2024 compared to what he showed in junior college. Both FanGraphs and MLB Pipeline mentioned the increase in their write-up of him, saying he can now top out at 97 mph with his fastball, a reflection of his work to get stronger and the Orioles’ tweaks of his delivery and development.
It seems Forret worked at Tread Athletics this past offseason to work on his velocity. That is the same place that former Orioles pitcher Cole Irvin spent time in the winter. While Irvin’s major league results weren’t ideal at all times this season, he certainly went into the spring with a velocity bump. It seems Forret was able to maintain his added power throughout the season.
Right now, the Orioles are using Forret as a starter/swingman in the minors. He threw a total of 99.2 innings on the season, and typically stuck around every game he appeared in for at least three innings. It’s a rather standard workload for a young arm that is getting used to a professional schedule. There was no need to go crazy.
The organization’s approach probably won’t change too much in 2025, other than saddling him with a few more innings as a natural progression. Forret was impressive in his debut season, and did nothing to dissuade the Orioles from using him predominantly as a starter in the immediate future. However, there are some that view him as a reliever long term.
Eric Longenhagen and Travis Ice at FanGraphs explained that Forret has a “high-octane” “cross-body” deliver that can be tough to repeat as a starter. The folks at MLB Pipeline echoed a similar sentiment and went on to say that “If he can’t stick in a rotation, it’s easy to envision him throwing a lot harder with a nasty heater-sweeper combination coming out of the bullpen.”
That, of course, is a typical conversation for all pitching prospects. Can they stick in a rotation to maximize value? Or do we turn their velocity up to 11 and stick them in the bullpen? It’s a decision that tends to get kicked towards the future as much as possible. Forret figures to be no different in that regard.
The Orioles have plenty of time with Forret. He wont be eligible for the Rule 5 draft until December, 2026, and is well ahead of schedule for most players his age.
As for what happens in 2025, a return to Aberdeen would seem to be in the cards. He did not “dominate” the level yet. The Orioles would probably like to see him get his walks back down and keep the ball in the park more often. If he can do that, a promotion to Double-A sometime next summer is entirely possible.
Forret will play all of the 2025 season as a 21-year-old, and it is possible he experiences some growing pains. But he should continue to be a starter until the markers for relief risk are overwhelming. For now, it feels like the Orioles have got a promising young arm on their hands.
Previous 2024 prospect reviews: Heston Kjerstad, Frederick Bencosme, Justin Armbruester, Leandro Arias, Brandon Young, Creed Willems, Trace Bright, Braylin Tavera
Tomorrow: Thomas Sosa