Recently promoted to Double-A Chesapeake, Orioles pitching prospect Blake Money has grown since his days at LSU.
Money was drafted in the 12th round out of LSU in 2023. He won a College World Series with the Tigers in 2023 alongside Pirates ace Paul Skenes and Nationals rookie outfielder Dylan Crews. The 6-foot-7, 240-pound right-hander had a 5.97 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 30 strikeouts in 34.2 innings of work at LSU in 2023.
The 23-year-old looked back on his time with the Tigers fondly, especially the 2023 season.
“I’ll tell you what, 2023, we felt like the Beatles,” Money said on Glenn Clark Radio June 6. “Every day we were walking in that locker room I was like, ‘Man, we are good.'”
Money rattled off several contributors beyond Skenes and Crews who are now in pro ball, including Riley Cooper (Orioles), Gavin Dugas (Nationals), Garrett Edwards (Rays), Ty Floyd (Reds), Tre’ Morgan (Rays) and Tommy White (Athletics).
“We had a lot of talent. We had a lot of great guys, but I’ll say the thing that I loved the most was I’ve never been in a locker room that blended the way that they did,” Money said. “The way that we came together as one cohesive unit was something that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.”
Since moving on from LSU, Money has taken steps forward in the minor leagues. He has transitioned to a starting role in pro ball after pitching mostly in relief for the Tigers.
Money had 11 appearances and nine starts with High-A Aberdeen this season, posting a 3.57 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 65 strikeouts in 53 innings.
Money believes the key to success for every pitcher is being as smooth and repeatable as possible in their delivery, which can be a challenge for tall pitchers.
“The more fluid and more smooth that you can be in your delivery, based on your size, it’s going to allow you to be able to maximize your fullest potential,” Money said. “The more that you can repeat it, the better chance of success you’re going to have with it.”
Money tries to be aggressive with hitters and avoid walks. He has given out 18 free passes so far this season.
“I do like to go right after people, and I like to be efficient,” Money said. “Four [pitches or fewer] per hitter, I want to force action, whether it’s a punchout, strikeout, pop fly or ground ball. I don’t like walks. I don’t like them at all. So I’d rather something else happen besides that.”
Money has goals to increase his velocity, but he knows he has to be strategic in his development and remain healthy. He is sitting between 92 and 94 mph with his fastball.
“It’s one of those things where you’re understanding that it’s a long season,” Money said. “… For me, it’s more of, ‘OK, I want to get up to 98 mph this year. OK, how can I stay within my means to keep myself healthy and also be able to pitch week in and week out, but also be able to increase and maintain my velocity throughout the course of the season?'”
Money is also very cognizant of the need to keep pitches in his back pocket for later in an outing or even later in a season.
“I like to think of it as a revolving door,” Money said. “Throughout the course of the season, we play teams multiple times. You see the same lineup over and over and over again. So I always like to think about it in the long run of things like, ‘OK, the more and more I see this person, how many different times can I change up a look, give them something they’ve never seen before?'”
For more from Money, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of LSU Athletics