The 2023 season marked a triple milestone for Alex Pham. Not only did the little-hyped right hander get a chance to be a starter for the first time since before college, he also led all Orioles pitching prospects in ERA, xFIP, WHIP and K/BB and finally forced his way onto the organization’s Top 30 prospects list (#29). Not bad for a four-year college reliever drafted in the nineteenth round for a grand total of $25,000.
In four years at the University of San Francisco, the 5’11” right hander started fewer than ten times, and for two seasons after being drafted, the Orioles kept him in a relief role.