This O's prospect is putting on a show at camp

This story was excerpted from Jake Rill's Orioles Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

SARASOTA, Fla. -- With his lanky 6-foot-3, 185-pound frame and the No. 93 on his jersey, Cade Povich has been easy to identify on the backfields at Orioles camp. For fans coming to Sarasota who might need additional help, he’s the left-hander impressing with a trio of breaking pitches -- a curveball, slider and changeup -- and more than holding his own against big league hitters.

Last Saturday, Povich ended an at-bat against Adley Rutschman during live batting practice by getting the rising star to swing through a curveball for a strikeout. Three days later, Povich took the mound on another field and punched out Jorge Mateo.

Manager Brandon Hyde hasn’t watched Povich -- the club’s No. 14 prospect per MLB Pipeline -- much this Spring Training, but he’s getting good intel on the 22-year-old.

“I talked to some of our hitters [this week] who faced him -- really impressed with his stuff,” Hyde said.

Fanning Major League hitters in any setting should provide a confidence boost, right? Baltimore director of player development Matt Blood didn’t think Povich, in his first big league camp as a non-roster invitee, needed one.

“He’s a very confident, high-makeup type of a kid anyways,” Blood said. “I think he’s glad he’s there. I think he feels like he belongs there.”

The Twins' third-round pick out of Nebraska in the 2021 MLB Draft, Povich was among the four pitchers Baltimore received from Minnesota in exchange for closer Jorge López in a deal just ahead of the '22 Trade Deadline. At that point, Povich had never pitched above High-A, so the O’s assigned him to High-A Aberdeen. He immediately proved he was ready for tougher competition, striking out 15 over 12 scoreless innings in two starts for the IronBirds.

Povich then moved up to Bowie for his first taste of Double-A ball. He struggled in six appearances (five starts), recording a 6.94 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP, but it was a valuable learning experience.

“When you move up, the hitters get more advanced,” Povich said. “You can’t make as many mistakes. So it was just the more strategic side of the game -- having to read hitters, knowing what to pitch when.”

Povich is gaining even more knowledge by facing batters the caliber of Rutschman and Mateo.

“Their eyes are just unbelievable,” Povich said. “They’re not going to swing at bad pitches. You’ve got to be able to be picky in the zone and mix stuff up just to try to keep them off-balance.”

Considering Povich had only a small sample size in Double-A and has yet to reach Triple-A, it seems unlikely he’ll make his MLB debut until 2024. But the Orioles are fans of his four-pitch mix -- highlighted by a 55-grade changeup he’s learned to throw more consistently for strikes -- and believe he has long-term starting potential.

Even if Povich has only an outside chance of reaching the big leagues in 2023, that’s his main focus entering his second full year of pro ball (and his first in Baltimore’s system).

“I think it’d be silly to not think that’s a realistic goal. Obviously, it’s a dream of mine and it’s something I’m working for,” Povich said. “Obviously, it’s not my decision, but as long as I go out and continue to get better every day and do what I need to do, hopefully it’s there. And if not, then I’m going to keep working for it.”