The Orioles selected Kade Strowd in the 12th round of the 2019 draft. The West Virginia product became Rule 5 eligible after the 2022 season, but Baltimore did not feel any pressure to protect the reliever. Strowd reached Double-A Bowie in 2023, but the O’s got away with leaving the Mountaineer off the 40-man roster once again.

The reliever continued to work his way up the system while gaining a reputation as a high-strikeout, high-walk pitcher. Strowd pitched to a 6.80 ERA over 37 Triple-A games in 2024, but the front office deemed it necessary to protect Strowd from the Rule 5 draft anyway. The righty struck out 60 batters over those 37 appearances, and his walk rate dropped as the season unfolded.

Strowd began the season with the Tides but received an early call at the end of April. H

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