Only two drafted players have ever signed out of Illinois’ Cary-Grove High School ... and they both currently pitch in the Brewers' organization. Quinn Priester was the first when he went to the Pirates with the 18th overall pick in 2019. Five years later, Milwaukee selected Dorchies (then only 17 years old) in the 10th round and signed him for $162,500 to forego a commitment to the University of Illinois-Chicago. The right-hander zoomed out of the Arizona Complex League this summer with a 1.67 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 32 strikeouts in 27 innings and posted similar results with Single-A Carolina after a mid-June promotion.
Standing 6-foot-5, Dorchies uses every bit of his height to generate nearly seven feet of extension and get both his four-seamer and sinker right on top batters. He typically only sits around 90-93 mph (touching 95), but his proximity to batters, combined with good ride on the four-seamer and run on the sinker, helps the heaters play up. A low-80s sweeping slider gives him a gloveside option, and he can play off that with a tighter upper-80s cutter. His low-80s splitter might be his best pitch now, displaying impressive dive and separation off the fastballs. Single-A batters have chased the pitch a ton early, thrown off by the low spin and deception out of a low three-quarters slot.
Because Dorchies isn’t overthrowing, his command has been impressive for such a young arm, and his arsenal -- though lacking a true plus pitch right now -- is diverse enough that he’s dominated batters from both sides. It’s easy to dream on what he can become if he adds more velocity in his 20s, though he also needs to expand his workload too. Early signs indicate that Dorchies is a good 10th-round find and early development win for the Crew.
