Triple-A Norfolk pitcher Chayce McDermott faced an unexpected dilemma after he signed with the Houston Astros out of Ball State in 2021.
McDermott quickly realized it would be hard to find good food on the long road trips his teams would take, often to rural parts of the country. That led to a lot of trips to chains like Subway and Jimmy John’s.
Superstition is rooted into baseball culture, and McDermott is no exception to this. Whatever works, works. And the sandwiches worked. The 6-foot-3, 197-pound right-hander shot through the minor leagues, reaching Triple-A in his third pro season.
“I pretty much eat the same thing every start day [for a night game],” McDermott said on Glenn Clark Radio June 12. “I always eat some sort of sub, a bag of chips and a cookie before we go. … They’re turkey, ham, or roast beef or bacon or something and then I keep it pretty simple with that. And then it’s always got to be a chocolate chip cookie.”
McDermott came to Baltimore in the three-team Trey Mancini deal in 2022. The 25-year-old excelled after being elevated to Norfolk last season, boasting a 2.49 ERA and 1.01 WHIP in 10 appearances while striking out 11.4 batters per nine innings. His ERA and WHIP are up to 3.62 and 1.48 so far in 2024.
McDermott said he was too focused on command early in the year, leading to a spike in his walk numbers. He has simplified his approach of late, helping him attack hitters more efficiently. He has struck out 12.94 hitters per nine innings this year.
“In Double-A, you get more free swingers, so sometimes you’re able to throw out of the zone and still get swings and misses,” McDermott said. “In Triple-A, you get less of those free swingers, so it’s more just learning how to pitch in-zone and use strike-to-ball pitches to get outs. We developed the cutter a little bit more, in the sense of using it as a swing-and-miss pitch and a strike pitch when needed. And also the development of a splitter has been a huge help.”
McDermott also impressed in his first career major league spring training this year, not allowing a run in four of his five appearances in Sarasota. He is on the cusp of making his major league debut, but it may be hard to carve out a role in what’s emerging as one of the league’s best rotations. The Orioles have five starters with an ERA of 3.20 or below and at least seven starts.
His road to Baltimore is made even harder by the arrival of his former Norfolk teammate Cade Povich, who shined against the Atlanta Braves in his second career start. The 24-year-old struck out six in six scoreless innings en route to his first win at Camden Yards. That was important progress for the rookie, who struggled in his first outing in Toronto.
McDermott sent Povich words of encouragement after that first start.
“I texted him literally as soon as he came out,” McDermott said. “We were at the field doing stuff, so I had to make sure I texted him real quick. But I thought he threw better than the stats, better than it looked on paper.”
But McDermott is concentrating on staying in the moment, even if the major league cafeteria serves much better sandwiches than Subway. He’ll jump on his opportunity when it comes.
“If you would have told me when I was 16, 17 [years old] that I’d be in Triple-A at this point, I probably would have told you [that] you were nuts,” McDermott said. “Just enjoying where I’m at and kind of just trusting the process, but I feel like I could really help the team if needed.”
For more from McDermott, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Kate Kirsch