Reilly Boosts Orioles’ Farm System With Promising Pitching Talent

On July 30, the day of the MLB trade deadline, Mike Elias and his staff made a chaotic flurry of moves. The Orioles wheeled and dealed with five different teams in trades that involved 12 players. Add in the Birds’ two previous trades July 26 and the club ultimately acquired or sent away 19 players in a frenzied five-day span.

You’d be forgiven if you overlooked one minor trade the Orioles made within that whirlwind. Minutes before the deadline, they pulled off a rare prospect-for-prospect swap, sending utility man Billy Cook to the Pirates for right-hander Patrick Reilly.

Reilly was the only non-major leaguer of the nine players the O’s acquired in that span. But if things go right, he could prove to have more staying power than all the rest.

The 6-foot-3 righty, who turned 23 earlier this month, was a fifth round draft pick by the Pirates out of Vanderbilt in 2023. And let’s get this out of the way first: his college statistics won’t exactly fill you with confidence. His ERA in three years with the Commodores was north of five, and he posted an ugly 5.8 BB/9 in 144 innings (along with 19 hit batsmen) while working mainly in relief. MLB Pipeline notes that the “enigmatic” Reilly had a habit of “showcasing electric stuff but seldom harnessing it.”

Let’s discuss that electric stuff, though. Reilly’s primary offering is a four-seam fastball that sits 92-95 mph and has touched 97-99. It’s got some serious movement, featuring “plus riding life that has generated a 35% miss rate,” according to FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen and Travis Ice, who ranked Reilly as the Pirates’ #22 prospect entering the 2024 season. FanGraphs also sees promise in Reilly’s slider, which has “downer action” and a “horizontal tilt,” as well as his cutter, which he “likes to run in on the hands of left-handed hitters.” He also threw a below-average changeup in college that he has largely scrapped since turning pro.

After a brief debut in Low-A last year, Reilly began this season with Pittsburgh’s High-A affiliate, Greensboro, and acclimated himself well. The Pirates moved him to a full-time starting role and he posted a 3.89 ERA and 1.159 WHIP in 19 starts, averaging 11 strikeouts per nine innings. His walk rate was still high (4.2) though not as bad as it’d been at Vanderbilt.