The Orioles added right-handed pitchers Kade Strowd and Brandon Young to their 40-man roster on Tuesday, ensuring that they wouldn’t be taken in next month’s Rule 5 draft.
Young’s addition was widely predicted. Strowd’s was not.
Young was named the organization’s minor league pitcher of the year. In August, executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias said that he was on the team’s “radar screen,” but was not called up from Triple-A Norfolk.
Young, who was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2020 was 5-4 with a 3.44 ERA in 20 games with the Tides, striking out 96 and walking 33 in 89 innings.
He began the year with an 0-2 record and a 4.09 ERA in seven games at Double-A Bowie, striking out 36 and walking four in 22 innings.
The 27-year-old Strowd was a 12th round pick from West Virginia in 2019 and has been to major league spring training, but as a non-roster player.
Strowd was 2-1 in nine games at Bowie, not allowing an earned run in 10 1/3 innings. For Norfolk, he was 4-2 with a 6.80 ERA in 37 games. Strowd struck out 60 batters and walked 27 in 41 innings.
On November 4th, the Orioles also selected the contract of 32-year-old left-hander Luis González from Norfolk.
These moves put the Orioles’ 40-man roster at 39.
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