Age doesn’t matter to Keagan Gillies. It’s just a number and part of his baseball journey.

What’s important is where he’s headed – from Double-A to Triple-A and to next Saturday’s All-Star Futures Game in Atlanta.

Gillies learned about his selection shortly before the Orioles bumped him another level in their farm system. Chesapeake Baysox manager Roberto Mercado delivered the news after Gillies came out of the game, ample reward for a reliever with a 1.15 ERA, 0.574 WHIP and eight saves in 26 appearances.

“I’m very pumped up. It’s gonna be a fun time,” said Gillies, the first Tulane University alumnus chosen since the Tigers’ Jake Rogers in 2019.

“It was surprising. I know I had worked hard for this, I know that I had a good season up to this point, but to be recognized in this way, it’s an honor and I’m grateful for it.

“I say this all the time. In pro ball you don’t know what opportunities are going to present themselves to you. You’ve just got to go in and take advantage of them. So, while I was surprised, there was still that little piece of me that was like, look, this is just another opportunity for me to go out there and show everybody what I’m about.”

That includes the late bloom, with Gillies celebrating his 27^th birthday six months ago. The Orioles drafted him in the 15^th round in 2021 as a fifth-year senior, the pandemic cutting short his 2020 season. And the beginning of his professional career was stalled by a posterior shoulder injury.  

Gillies had to endure the strikes against him before he could start throwing them as a professional.

“I think age, it’s getting younger in this sport for sure,” he said. “Coming out of college as a fifth year, I kind of started late already. COVID played a part of that. And then I was injured for my first really year and a half, two years, so I kind of got started late. But ultimately, the age is considered by a lot of people to being old, but honestly, I’m just grateful for the opportunity to go out there and show everybody that I’m here for good.”

“I’m thrilled for Keagan to get this opportunity and the recognition he’s earned,” said agent Scott Barber from Ballengee Group. “Being from the same area, I’ve known him and his family since high school. They’re some of the best people I know.

“What’s always stood out about Keagan is how relentless he’s been in chasing this dream. It’s been a long road, but he’s never wavered. His stuff is big league and his pitching IQ is as good as it gets. I truly believe he’s going to help a major league club very soon, and I can’t wait to see it.”

Gillies began last night with a career 3.30 ERA and 1.052 WHIP in 112 minor league games, with 172 strikeouts and only 12 home runs surrendered in 141 2/3 innings. The Orioles promoted him to Double-A in 2023 after he allowed only one earned run and two hits in 16 2/3 innings with High-A Aberdeen, but his second stint with the Baysox in 2024 produced a 4.94 ERA and 1.415 WHIP in 47 1/3 innings.

The Orioles kept him with the Baysox this year and he dominated with only four earned runs, 14 hits, four walks and 34 strikeouts in 31 1/3 innings. Among relievers with a minimum 25 innings, Gillies ranked third in ERA in the Eastern League and had the seventh-best ERA in Double-A.

“I think 2023 I had a very similar year to what I’m having now,” said Gillies, who tossed a scoreless inning with two walks in his Norfolk Tides debut. “Last year, I got caught up in some games where as a reliver you have three or four bad games and it really hits your ERA pretty badly, but ultimately this year, I think one thing I’m doing way better is staying in advantage counts, staying in those 0-1, 0-2, 1-2 counts. When you look at the splits from both of those, from 0-1, 0-2 or 1-0 to 2-0, the splits are very highly in your favor. So that’s something that I really focused on is kind of getting back to the basics of attacking the zone with my stuff, because I know it’ll play at any level.

“It’s just about getting in those advantage counts and then ultimately going for the kill shot, whether it’s striking him out or getting him out within three pitches. I think that’s something that’s really contributed a lot to my success this year.”

The 6-foot-8 Gillies has racked up big strikeout totals since his last year with Tulane, where he averaged 14.1 per nine innings over 19 appearances. He also averaged 5.5 walks, but it’s the type of profile that the Orioles gravitate toward in the draft.

“A lot of that (strikeouts) was being confident in the zone, as well as what I’m doing this year, and that’s getting ahead and then trying to finish them within three pitches,” he said. “That’s where a lot of your strikeouts will come is not really when you’re trying to go for the kill shot, but you’re just staying in zone and giving them another line to see, and usually that will produce your strikeouts.”

The pitch mix has undergone some changes over the years based on his starting status at Tulane, the transition to closer in his last collegiate year, and five starts in his first professional season. Incorporating a split-finger fastball might be most responsible for an upward career trajectory.

“I was more of a fastball, cutter, curveball guy actually, and once I got into pro ball, I felt like my curveball wasn’t really an advantage for me, so I started throwing the splitter,” he said. “My buddy who I train with in the offseason has a really good one, so he kind of taught me a lot about the art of throwing a splitter. After two years of really throwing it, it’s really come together this year, and that’s also a big reason for my success, having that pitch being in my back pocket to throw in any count and be able to throw it for strikes. And also for a swing-and-miss pitch, as well.”

Gillies has put himself in the running for The Jim Palmer Award, given to the top minor league pitcher in the system. Brandon Young won it last year. MLB Pipeline ranks Young as the No. 19 prospect in the organization, but Gillies isn’t recognized by that outlet or Baseball America.

Maybe the Futures Game, where Gillies can reunite with Baysox outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr., will bring more attention.  

“That’s something I try to stay away from,” he said. “I know I’m doing what I can to control what I can control. I think that’s the biggest thing is staying within yourself, controlling what you can control, and then everything else will kind of work itself out. Also, taking advantage of the opportunities that you’re given is big for me.

“If they consider me a prospect or not, that’s great, but ultimately I know what value I can bring to a team and I’m going to go out there and show that value.”