One of the Baltimore Orioles’ 2025 draft picks, left-handed pitcher Caden Hunter, is having a breakout season in his first year in the minors. And now, the young southpaw has twirled a gem after being promoted to Double-A.
Hunter, Baltimore’s No. 11 prospect for 2026 on MLB Pipeline, tossed seven scoreless innings in his Double-A debut with the Chesapeake Baysox on Wednesday. The 22-year-old gave up just one hit and two walks while striking out 10 in the Baysox’s 9-2 win over the Altoona Curve, the Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. This performance marked the first time the left-hander has completed seven innings early in his minor league career, and his 10 strikeouts tied a career-high mark set in May.
Most notably, the one hit that Hunter allowed on Wednesday came with two outs in the seventh inning. That means the University of Southern California product was throwing a no-hitter for the majority of his first appearance on a Double-A mound. And if his Double-A debut is any indication, the southpaw is going to be an interesting prospect to keep an eye on for the rest of this season and beyond.
The Orioles selected Hunter with a sixth-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. The young lefty posted a 5.50 ERA with USC last year before being drafted, striking out 79 hitters in 70 1/3 innings. But so far in the minors, his numbers look drastically different.
Overall, Hunter has a 1.32 ERA in 17 games across three minor league levels in 2026, racking up 112 strikeouts in 75 innings. The 22-year-old began his professional career with the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds, where he posted a 1.17 ERA in six games with 40 strikeouts in 23 innings. That earned the southpaw a quick promotion to High-A, and he continued to shine with the Frederick Keys. In 10 High-A games, the 6-foot-2 lefty had a 1.60 ERA and struck out 62 batters in 45 innings.
Hunter’s immediate success in his first minor league season makes him a fascinating prospect to monitor. If he continues to pitch as well as he has all year, it’ll be interesting to see if Baltimore considers having the young hurler make his Triple-A debut before the end of 2026.
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