Chayce McDermott

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #8 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Though he comes from a basketball family, McDermott has made a name for himself on the mound. The Ball State product was a senior sign by the Astros for $325,000 in 2022 and came to the Orioles a year later as part of a three-team trade that sent Trey Mancini to Houston, the eventual World Series champions. In his first full season with the Orioles, McDermott won the organization’s minor league pitcher of the year honors and led all minor league pitchers with a .167 opponent average in 2023.
  
  Scouting Report: Part of hitters’ frustrations with McDermott stems from their inability to square up his fastball, which sits in the mid 90s and tops out at 97 mph with plus traits and the ability to miss bats at the top of the strike zone. His sweeper grades out as his best secondary pitch, though depending on the lineup, he’ll also use a shorter, high-80s cutter to attack righties with as well. Against lefties, he uses an average curveball to help keep them off his fastball, and tunnels all of his breaking pitches extremely well off his heater. He swapped his changeup for a splitter in 2023, though it was a clear fourth pitch and has fringe-average potential. McDermott’s command improved upon the jump to Triple-A, even though the walk rate was still on the high side. The level’s automated ball-strike system brought McDermott more into the zone, where his stuff plays extremely well.
  
  The Future: Continued refinement on the location front can keep McDermott on a starter’s track, where he has the potential to be a No. 4 in a major league rotation. He’ll start 2024 back at Triple-A Norfolk but could have a chance to make an impression in big league camp ahead of a potential midsummer debut.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Control: 45
• 
  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #23 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/Very High
  
  Track Record: McDermott's brother, Sean, played in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies but Chayce's path in pro sports has come on the mound. A senior sign who redshirted as a freshman at Ball State after Tommy John surgery, McDermott went to an Astros organization that valued his fastball velocity and pitch traits before they traded him to Baltimore in a 2022 deadline deal that sent Trey Mancini to Houston.
  
  Scouting Report: The Orioles targeted him for his diverse repertoire of high-octane pitches on the belief they can help keep him in the strike zone and make his offerings more dynamic. His whole arsenal is based off his above-average mid-90s fastball with high-quality vertical life, and he has separation in all four directions otherwise. His sweeper slider had a 39% chase rate, and he also has a harder cutter that challenged hitters in that same direction. McDermott has a vertical curveball and made strides on a changeup after the trade. All the pitches can be at least average, perhaps with the slider and cutter leading the way a half-tick or tick above that, but McDermott will need to iron out inconsistencies in his delivery and more regularly throw his pitches in the zone, as higher-level hitters will be able to recognize balls out of hand.
  
  The Future: The Orioles are planning to help him achieve that starting at Double-A Bowie next year, where they'll work to help him reach the big league rotation ceiling his stuff gives him.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Curveball: 50. Slider: 50. Changeup: 40. Control: 40
• 
  Ranked Houston Astros #18 prospect in 2022
  Track Record: McDermott redshirted in 2018 at Ball State while recovering from Tommy John surgery, suffered another injury in 2019 and threw just three times before the coronavirus pandemic stopped college baseball in 2020. He ended his only full collegiate season in 2021 with 13.6 strikeouts per nine innings, and the Astros took him in the fourth round and signed him for $372,500. McDermott continued piling up punchouts at Low-A Fayetteville, striking out 33 in 18.1 innings during his professional debut.
  
  Scouting Report: McDermott has a solid set of four pitches. He misses bats with an above-average fastball that sits 92-96 mph and can get up to 98 on occasion. He pairs his heater with two potentially above-average breaking pitches in his 12-to-6 curveball in the mid 70s and a titling slider that gets chase swings out of the strike zone. McDermott’s changeup is still a major work in progress, as is his control of both breaking pitches. Even during his excellent pro debut, he walked 10 batters in 18 innings at Fayetteville.
  
  The Future: McDermott’s pitch mix gives him the potential to start, but he won’t overwhelm at the top of a rotation. He should have a full season at a Class A affiliate in 2022.
  

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #161 prospect in 2021 draft
  Ball State has been something of a pitching factory in recent years and has had at least one arm drafted in each of the past five drafts, most recently righthanders Kyle Nicolas (2020) and Drey Jameson (2019). McDermott looks to be next in that line of arms after posting a 3.27 ERA over 15 starts and 82.2 innings in his most extended season on the mound since getting to college. McDermott has been limited by injuries at times and missed his 2018 season thanks to recovering from Tommy John surgery. This spring he looked plenty healthy, with loud stuff headlined by an above-average fastball that sits in the 93-95 mph range and has been up to 98. He also throws two breaking balls. A mid-70s curve with 12-to-6 shape is his primary breaking pitch, but he also throws a low-80s slider that shows solid tilt and is more of a chase offering when he can land it down and to his glove side. Both pitches have above-average potential. McDermott has also infrequently thrown a mid-80s changeup, but he lacks feel for the pitch at the moment. McDermott’s medical history and an arm stroke that is lengthy with deep plunging action in the back raise some concerns and add reliever risk, but the 6-foot-3, 197-pound righthander has always shown bat-missing stuff when on the mound. His brother, Sean, played 18 games for the Grizzlies this season and his mother, Kim, played basketball at Indiana State.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/Very High
  
  Track Record: McDermott's brother, Sean, played in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies but Chayce's path in pro sports has come on the mound. A senior sign who redshirted as a freshman at Ball State after Tommy John surgery, McDermott went to an Astros organization that valued his fastball velocity and pitch traits before they traded him to Baltimore in a 2022 deadline deal that sent Trey Mancini to Houston.
  
  Scouting Report: The Orioles targeted him for his diverse repertoire of high-octane pitches on the belief they can help keep him in the strike zone and make his offerings more dynamic. His whole arsenal is based off his above-average mid-90s fastball with high-quality vertical life, and he has separation in all four directions otherwise. His sweeper slider had a 39% chase rate, and he also has a harder cutter that challenged hitters in that same direction. McDermott has a vertical curveball and made strides on a changeup after the trade. All the pitches can be at least average, perhaps with the slider and cutter leading the way a half-tick or tick above that, but McDermott will need to iron out inconsistencies in his delivery and more regularly throw his pitches in the zone, as higher-level hitters will be able to recognize balls out of hand.
  
  The Future: The Orioles are planning to help him achieve that starting at Double-A Bowie next year, where they'll work to help him reach the big league rotation ceiling his stuff gives him.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Curveball: 50. Slider: 50. Changeup: 40. Control: 40
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 45/Very High
  
  Track Record: McDermott's brother, Sean, played in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies but Chayce's path in pro sports has come on the mound. A senior sign who redshirted as a freshman at Ball State after Tommy John surgery, McDermott went to an Astros organization that valued his fastball velocity and pitch traits before they traded him to Baltimore in a 2022 deadline deal that sent Trey Mancini to Houston.
  
  Scouting Report: The Orioles targeted him for his diverse repertoire of high-octane pitches on the belief they can help keep him in the strike zone and make his offerings more dynamic. His whole arsenal is based off his above-average mid-90s fastball with high-quality vertical life, and he has separation in all four directions otherwise. His sweeper slider had a 39% chase rate, and he also has a harder cutter that challenged hitters in that same direction. McDermott has a vertical curveball and made strides on a changeup after the trade. All the pitches can be at least average, perhaps with the slider and cutter leading the way a half-tick or tick above that, but McDermott will need to iron out inconsistencies in his delivery and more regularly throw his pitches in the zone, as higher-level hitters will be able to recognize balls out of hand.
  
  The Future: The Orioles are planning to help him achieve that starting at Double-A Bowie next year, where they'll work to help him reach the big league rotation ceiling his stuff gives him.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Curveball: 50. Slider: 50. Changeup: 40. Control: 40
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 45/High
  
  August Update: Acquired from the Astros in the three-team trade that sent Trey Mancini to the Astros and Jose Siri to the Rays.
  
  Track Record: McDermott redshirted in 2018 at Ball State while recovering from Tommy John surgery, suffered another injury in 2019 and threw just three times before the coronavirus pandemic stopped college baseball in 2020. He ended his only full collegiate season in 2021 with 13.6 strikeouts per nine innings, and the Astros took him in the fourth round and signed him for $372,500. McDermott continued piling up punchouts at Low-A Fayetteville, striking out 33 in 18.1 innings during his professional debut.
  
  Scouting Report: McDermott has a solid set of four pitches. He misses bats with an above-average fastball that sits 92-96 mph and can get up to 98 on occasion. He pairs his heater with two potentially above-average breaking pitches in his 12-to-6 curveball in the mid 70s and a titling slider that gets chase swings out of the strike zone. McDermott&#39s changeup is still a major work in progress, as is his control of both breaking pitches. Even during his excellent pro debut, he walked 10 batters in 18 innings at Fayetteville.
  
  The Future: McDermott&#39s pitch mix gives him the potential to start, but he won&#39t overwhelm at the top of a rotation. He should have a full season at a Class A affiliate in 2022.
• December, 2021 Scouting Report
  Track Record: McDermott redshirted in 2018 at Ball State while recovering from Tommy John surgery, suffered another injury in 2019 and threw just three times before the coronavirus pandemic stopped college baseball in 2020. He ended his only full collegiate season in 2021 with 13.6 strikeouts per nine innings, and the Astros took him in the fourth round and signed him for $372,500. McDermott continued piling up punchouts at Low-A Fayetteville, striking out 33 in 18.1 innings during his professional debut.
  
  Scouting Report: McDermott has a solid set of four pitches. He misses bats with an above-average fastball that sits 92-96 mph and can get up to 98 on occasion. He pairs his heater with two potentially above-average breaking pitches in his 12-to-6 curveball in the mid 70s and a titling slider that gets chase swings out of the strike zone. McDermott’s changeup is still a major work in progress, as is his control of both breaking pitches. Even during his excellent pro debut, he walked 10 batters in 18 innings at Fayetteville.
  
  The Future: McDermott’s pitch mix gives him the potential to start, but he won’t overwhelm at the top of a rotation. He should have a full season at a Class A affiliate in 2022.
  
• July, 2021 Scouting Report
  McDermott has bounced back nicely from Tommy John surgery. He has plenty of stuff with a 92-96 mph fastball to go with a slider and curveball. Now he needs to improve his control and command.