Drafting pitchers is a science. A complicated one at that. 

There are some evaluations that, on the surface, seem simple. In his junior season at Michigan State, big lefty Joseph Dzierwa posted a 2.36 ERA in 15 starts with over 10 strikeouts and just 2.2 walks per nine frames. It’s not entirely surprising that he was selected with the 58th pick of last year’s draft, or that he’s hit the ground running in professional baseball. 

Perhaps you’d be more taken aback at the success that Nestor German has found in the O’s system. With 78 punchouts in nearly 66 innings for the Norfolk Tides, the right-hander finds himself on the doorstep of the big leagues, but his college record wouldn’t have pointed you in that direction. A 5.97 ERA in his junior year with the Seattle Redhawks may not have inspired much confidence on the surface, but Baltimore saw enough in the tool bag to select him in the 11th round. 

JT Quinn, the No. 69 pick by the Orioles a year ago, falls somewhere in between. 

The right-hander spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at Ole Miss, posting a 7.35 ERA in primarily a relief role. But a transfer to Georgia put him on the map. 

There, Quinn significantly cut down on his walks en route to a 2.75 ERA in 17 games, seven of which were starts. That drop in earned run average, along with over 12 strikeouts per nine innings, among other things, gave the Orioles the confidence to select Quinn in the second round. 

Now with the Frederick Keys, Quinn is a full-time starter, and he’s boasting a 3.27 ERA in his first dozen professional outings. The transition to a new role is one he’s thoroughly enjoying. 

“It’s been fun,” Quinn told me. “I think getting the ball every five or six days here, it’s comforting knowing it’s coming back up, no matter what happens. You have a good outing, you have a bad outing, you’re going again. I think it’s been a really good experience, just being able to keep doing it. Just getting the repetition and into a really good routine with it, so it’s been really good.” 

The 22-year-old hasn’t had to worry too much about the ups and downs thus far. Quinn’s lone blemish is an early season outing in which he allowed six runs in 4.1 IP against Wilmington. In his other 11 starts, though, he’s allowed more than two earned runs just once. 

His primary weapon of choice in his stretch of success has been a two-seam fastball. 

“[It’s] been pretty good for me,” Quinn said. “It’s something that came on late last year and something that I’ve been really trying to improve this year. It’s made a big jump. 

I’ve been really trying to get ahead, especially here in pro ball,” Quinn added. “I think where you really get in trouble is walks, so I’ve been trying to limit that as much as I can. I like to pitch ahead with the heater, I’ve got a sinker. I’ve got a four-seam that’s not the best, I’ve got a slider, a curveball and a changeup.” 

Opponents have managed to hit just .214 off Quinn, and they’re putting the ball on the ground over 60 percent of the time. That’s a recipe that will allow the righty to join his draft mate, Dzierwa, up in Double-A sooner rather than later. 

“It was awesome, especially when he was here, it was really fun,” Quinn said of his relationship with the big left-hander. “I was going after him and I would always try to beat him and throw a little better than him. Obviously, he’s really good, and he’s doing his thing up in Double-A right now. I’m really happy for him.”

Happy, sure. But there’s competition in there, to.

“We always talk crap, so yeah. I wanna be right up there with him,” he added. “It’s definitely motivation.” 

The duo, selected within a few picks of each other last season, are two of the three pitchers drafted by Mike Elias within the first 100 picks of the MLB Draft that remain in the organization. Together, they give Baltimore some more intriguing young arms, joining the likes of Trey Gibson, Luis De León and Boston Bateman, among others. 

For now, Quinn has some catching up to do in his friendly competition with Dzierwa. But don’t expect them to be separated for long.