Orioles Prospect Erupts: Pitching Phenom Shows Signs of Life in Spring Training Debut
The Baltimore Orioles have been able to really develop their roster through the farm system in recent seasons, and in doing so, have one of the most talented young rosters across the MLB. Spring training has become a time for Orioles fans to see which players in the minor leagues have what it takes to make the MLB roster soon, and where many of them stand in their development process.
Some prospects have had the opportunity to get plenty of reps in by now, and showcase their talents over the course of multiple games. Others have just been getting started recently, one example being pitcher Zach Fruit, who made his spring training debut on March 10.
In this debut performance, Fruit would be allowed the last three innings of work for the game, and he made the most of it, accruing five strikeouts while only allowing two hits, walking no batters and finishing with a save on the day. In only 38 pitches, he was able to give Baltimore fans a glimpse into his skillset, and potentially earn himself some more opportunities in the coming matchups.
Fruit was a recent draft pick as well, being selected in the ninth round of the 2023 MLB draft, coming from Troy University. Over the course of his first season in 2024, he would play at High-A Aberdeen, and would put together an extremely strong statline, with a 3.03 ERA, 1.243 WHIP, 113 strikeouts to 55 walks, and only seven home runs allowed in 107 innings of work.
He would have a little bit of a mix when it came to his position, starting 21 games but also coming in as a reliever for four more, picking up a save in one of those appearances.
While not yet listed on the Orioles top 30 prospects list according to MLB.com, he is absolutely going to be someone to watch for in the coming seasons, as if he is able to keep this level of production up for a relatively substantial period of time, he may be making an MLB appearance sooner rather than later.
The real question would be whether he profiles long-term more as a reliever or a starter, which is a difficult call to make as across all levels of his playing career, he has 50 starts to 73 relief appearances, so ultimately it will come down to how he performs in the next steps of the farm system.
Regardless, he has begun to make his name known with this strong debut performance, and will continue to work towards the ultimate prize of playing at the MLB level.
