The Orioles saw German as a diamond in the rough at the University of Seattle, where he pitched to an ERA over six but made a jump with his ability to miss bats during his junior year. After the Orioles drafted him in the 11th round in the 2023 Draft, German didn’t make his pro debut until '24. But once he stepped on the mound, he looked like a different pitcher than he was in college, dominating the lower Minors in what was, performance-wise, the best pitching debut in the Orioles' system last summer. Though he faced mostly younger hitters, German still pitched to a 1.59 ERA with 90 strikeouts in 73 2/3 innings across 21 appearances at two levels, finishing the year at High-A Aberdeen.
The 6-foot-3 German is a pitchability righty with four pitches at his disposal and plus command. He added velocity between college and his pro debut and now operates with a fastball that averages 92-94 mph and can flash higher. The best of his three secondary offerings is an overhand curveball that generated high whiff rates last summer, and he also has a hard slider and a splitter that he implemented in ‘24. German’s ability to mix his pitches and spot all of them consistently is probably his best skill and allows the entire arsenal to play up, while also hinting at an ability to limit damage against better lineups as he advances.
German still needs to prove durability after missing time to minor injuries in his debut, but his collection of at least average offerings and relative polish give him the ceiling of a back-end starter if he can build up his workload.
