Brandon Young was one of the best stories of the year

Camden Chat's Andrea SK highlights Baltimore Orioles pitcher Brandon Young as one of the team's top breakout stories of 2026. After struggling with a 6.24 ERA across eight decisions in 2025, the undrafted right-hander stepped into Baltimore's injury-depleted rotation in late April and delivered a reliable campaign. Over 28 starts, Young threw 156.2 innings while posting a 3.56 ERA and accumulating 2.3 bWAR.

The writer attributes Young's transformation to significant repertoire adjustments, including ditching his cutter, integrating a sinker, doubling his slider usage, and reducing the velocity on his splitter. While acknowledging some underlying metrics like a 4.47 FIP suggest regression risk, the analysis notes Young remains an affordable rotation option under team control through 2029.