Back in 2022 when the Orioles traded reliever Jorge López to the Twins, not many knew about Cade Povich, considered the top player coming to Baltimore in the deal.
Now in 2024, Povich has been making a name for himself by pitching lights out at Triple-A Norfolk, impressing spectators in and out of the organization. It may soon lead to a promotion to the major league roster he eagerly anticipates.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound left-hander has posted a 1.11 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 45 strikeouts in six starts and 32.1 innings this season. Povich, 24, believes finding consistency has been the driving factor in his success, something he is working to maintain.
“A lot of [my priorities were] just the consistency aspect, I think,” Povich said on Glenn Clark Radio April 24. “Looking at my splits from last year, the home and away splits were better when we’re at home versus when we were away, and making sure that I had the consistency no matter where I went that I was basically going to throw the same.”
To achieve this goal, Povich sought out the aid of some of the best pitching coaches in the Orioles system: Norfolk pitching coach Justin Ramsey and Orioles pitching coach Drew French. With the help of Ramsey and French, Povich analyzed his arsenal to figure out his best weapons and how he could lean on those strengths to improve.
Quite possibly the most interesting thing Povich discovered while working with Ramsey and French was how to improve his changeup, a pitch that has paid dividends for Povich.
“The changeup has been a pitch that we’ve worked on the past couple years that I think we finally kind of figured something out that’s consistent with the movement and the feel of when I throw it,” Povich said. “So, we sat down and we looked at when I’ve been throwing that pitch and how I haven’t thrown it in the past in spots that it would probably be most effective. So switching up a little bit of that, I’ve thrown the changeup a little bit more this year and have found consistency and some more success with it.”
Povich has also realized that being in the Orioles system means he gets to be around some very talented pitchers. He has worked to pick the brains of these players for extra pointers. Some of the most helpful insights have come from Orioles starters Kyle Bradish and John Means, who have both spent time rehabbing with the Tides, and Cole Irvin, who trained in Charlotte this offseason with Povich.
Povich is thankful his teammates are so helpful.
“In big league camp, all the pitchers are very approachable,” Povich said. “So it’s easy to talk to them, whether it’s in the locker room or on the field doing [pitchers’ fielding practice] or something.”
While the success Povich has seen in 2024 may go to the heads of other pitchers, he remembers all the struggles it took him to get to this point. It wasn’t until his time at the University of Nebraska from 2020-2021 when Povich really began to hit stride.
Povich put up a 3.11 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 15 starts at Nebraska in 2021, impressive enough to be taken in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins. He was traded to the Orioles in 2022, and since then, Povich has been rising through the Orioles’ system and trying to prove his worth.
Povich looks to remain humble as he tries to continue producing on the field for his team.
“In high school, I was a late bloomer. I was probably still throwing 83 my senior year of high school,” Povich said. “So, I wanted to play as long as possible and hoped that I could develop and maybe grow at some point and hope everything else came. Just kept believing in myself, talking with coaches in college, and I was lucky enough to get picked in ’21.”
It is seen as likely that Povich will be brought up to the major leagues sometime in the 2024 campaign. He is excited about that possibility, having played alongside so many rising stars since being traded to Baltimore in 2022. He is hopeful to become another one of those stars.
“It’s been awesome to kind of be a part of and watch. I think when I got traded over when it was it was more so that the organization was building. We have the top farm system in all of baseball and we have a lot of young guys ready to move up,” Povich said. “I think since I got traded, there’s been a good amount that have moved up and have had success so far in the big leagues with the season that they had up there last year and so far this year. It’s been awesome to be a part of and awesome to kind of hopefully grow and be one of those guys as well.”
Povich is grateful for all of the success he has had in 2024 in the minors and believes he is more than ready to take on any challenge the major leagues present as he looks to help continue the Orioles’ winning ways.
“I definitely feel like I’m ready. Obviously up there, it’s a whole other ballgame still and you’re not going to fully know until you’re actually in there,” Povich said. “Everything feels good. I feel like I’ve been able to figure out some of the struggles that I’ve had in the past and understand what I need to work on and how I need to work on certain things, kind of backtrack in a way. I’m just trying to take it one game at a time, one pitch at a time and just see where it takes me.”
For more from Povich, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Scott Sears