Scouting Report

Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 50 | Cutter: 50 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40

Pham was a 19th-round pick in the 2021 Draft as a senior reliever out of the University of San Francisco and signed for just $25,000, so he wasn’t really on anyone’s radar when he broke out in 2023, leading Orioles hurlers in a host of major statistical categories and finishing the year at Double-A. He spent all of 2024 back at that level, and after getting off to a slow start, pitched to a 3.00 ERA with more than a strikeout per inning over his last 18 starts.

Undersized and lacking huge stuff, the 5-foot-11 Pham makes up for those shortcomings and gets the most out of his ability with a deep arsenal of pitches and a bulldog mentality. He operates with a low-90s fastball that is average velocity-wise but can be difficult to square up because its high spin and Pham’s low arm slot give it the illusion of rising action. He supplements that pitch with an array of secondary offerings. None are plus pitches on their own, but Pham is effective when he mixes them up. He draws high marks for his makeup, competitiveness and moxie.

He’s become a better strike thrower since transitioning full-time into a starter, though he struggled early last year when his walk rate began creeping back up. Whether he can reach his low ceiling as a back-end starter will hinge on his ability to command all of his pitches consistently and maintain his strength and stuff, both deep into starts and throughout the season. Anything less and he could emerge as a swingman type who is able to cover innings relatively soon.

Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Cutter: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40 

Pham was a reliever for four years at the University of San Francisco and pitched out of the bullpen for parts of two seasons after the Orioles signed him for just $25,000 after selecting him in Round 19 of the 2021 Draft. Given the chance to start last summer, Pham put himself on the prospect map with a 2.57 ERA across 112 innings. He led organizational pitchers in ERA, xFIP (3.68), WHIP and K/BB (19.9 percent) and finished the year at Double-A Bowie. 

Undersized at 5-foot-11, Pham doesn’t have the typical build of a starter. But he has five pitches at his disposal and uses his height to his advantage, throwing from a low slot and angle that helps his hoppy fastball play up and makes him difficult to time. That fastball lives at 92-93 mph and can touch 96 with good spin. But his success comes from his assortment of secondary offerings, which all individually grade out as average but are effective when Pham mixes them up. His cutter and curve are his best pitches to lefties, his slider can be a plus offering against righties and he has an average changeup that he folds in on occasion.  

Pham didn’t have a huge track record of throwing strikes when converted into a starter, but he posted the lowest walk rate of his career (including college) last year and sliced it even lower after a midseason promotion to Bowie. Drawing high marks for his competitiveness and moxie, he was able to maintain his stuff as a starter, both over the course of five- to six-inning starts and six months of the season. Whether he stays in that role long term hinges on whether he can keep developing the feel for his secondary pitches and continue throwing all his offerings for strikes on a consistent basis. 

Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Cutter: 50 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40

For four years at the University of San Francisco, Pham pitched almost exclusively as a reliever. He missed enough bats for the Orioles to take a no-risk flier on the right-hander in Round 19 of the 2021 Draft, signing him for just $25,000. He spent his first full season of pro ball working out of the bullpen across two levels of A ball with moderate success, but when he was given the opportunity to start in 2022, he ran with it, pitching his way from High-A Aberdeen to Double-A Bowie and putting himself on the prospect map.

An undersized right-hander at 5-foot-11, Pham actually has five pitches in his repertoire and does a good job of mixing them up depending on what kind of hitter he’s facing. His fastball is an average offering, typically thrown in the 92-95 mph range, but it’s his assortment of secondary offerings that’s given him success. His cutter and curve are his best pitches when facing left-handed hitters, and his slider can be a plus pitch to righties. He can also fold in an average changeup.

Pham doesn’t have a huge track record of throwing strikes after walking 4.5 per nine in college and 4.9 per nine in his first year of pro ball. He was finding the zone more consistently in 2023 and that might be the ultimate determinant of what kind of big league role he might be able to fill in the future.

Awards

EAS Pitcher of the Week

Week	Team
07/14/2024

MiLB.com Organization All-Star

Year	Team
2023

SAL Pitcher of the Month

Month	Team
05/2023

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	03/06/2025	activated RHP Alex Pham.
	02/27/2025	RHP Alex Pham assigned to Baltimore Orioles.
	09/18/2024	Bowie Baysox activated RHP Alex Pham.
	09/11/2024	Bowie Baysox transferred RHP Alex Pham to the Development List.
	02/27/2024	RHP Alex Pham assigned to Baltimore Orioles.
	06/20/2023	RHP Alex Pham assigned to Bowie Baysox from Aberdeen IronBirds.
	08/13/2022	Aberdeen IronBirds activated RHP Alex Pham from the 7-day injured list.
	08/05/2022	Aberdeen IronBirds sent RHP Alex Pham on a rehab assignment to FCL Orioles.
	08/05/2022	Aberdeen IronBirds sent RHP Alex Pham on a rehab assignment to FCL Orioles.
	06/21/2022	Aberdeen IronBirds placed RHP Alex Pham on the 7-day injured list.
	05/24/2022	RHP Alex Pham assigned to Aberdeen IronBirds from Delmarva Shorebirds.
	04/26/2022	Delmarva Shorebirds activated RHP Alex Pham from the 7-day injured list.
	04/08/2022	Delmarva Shorebirds placed RHP Alex Pham on the 7-day injured list.
	09/07/2021	RHP Alex Pham assigned to Delmarva Shorebirds from FCL Orioles Black.
	09/06/2021	RHP Alex Pham assigned to FCL Orioles Black from FCL Orioles Orange.
	08/26/2021	RHP Alex Pham assigned to FCL Orioles Orange from FCL Orioles Black.
	08/23/2021	RHP Alex Pham assigned to FCL Orioles Black from FCL Orioles Orange.
	08/16/2021	RHP Alex Pham assigned to FCL Orioles Orange from FCL Orioles Black.
	08/14/2021	RHP Alex Pham assigned to FCL Orioles Black.
	07/23/2021	Baltimore Orioles signed RHP Alex Pham.