One season in the Big Ten was all this lefthander needed to prove he has what it takes for the Show. The junior pitcher out of USC was selected by Baltimore with the 184th pick in the sixth round of the MLB Draft.
The Baltimore Orioles added a second Big Ten product to their roster Monday as the 2025 MLB Amateur Draft returned for Day 2.
Following the selection of Michigan State lefthander Joseph Dzierwa with the 58th overall pick in the second round, Baltimore opted to select another southpaw out of the Big Ten: USC’s Caden Hunter in the sixth round, 184th overall.
“Strong and durable, Hunter tends to be around the zone with his fastball and changeup, though he struggles landing his breaking ball for strikes consistently,” Hunter’s draft profile reads. “There are enough pieces to work with for him to be an innings-eater in the back of a big league rotation, and college lefties who perform well do tend to float up Draft boards.”
In just one season with the Trojans, Hunter started 14 of 16 appearances and recorded the sixth-most strikeouts in the Big Ten (79).
Ranked at No. 149 in the prospect class, Hunter pitched 70.1 innings with a .273 BAA for USC. The lefthander started his collegiate career in Rocklin, California at Sierra College. As a sophomore, Hunter maintained a 2.23 ERA over 80.2 innings pitched and recorded two complete game shutouts in 2023.
Hunter’s consistent performances at the junior college level earned him a spot as the Trojan’s Friday night starter following his transfer.
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Former Big Ten opponents Dzierwa and Hunter join nine other pitching prospects drafted by the Orioles as of Monday afternoon, with two rounds remaining.
Righthanders JT Quinn (Georgia), Hunter Allen (Ashland University), Dalton Neuschwander (West Florida), Daniel Lopez (Odessa College), Bryan Orrantia (New Mexico JC) and KK Clark (Pearl River CC), and lefthanders Kailen Hamson (University of the Cumberlands), Holden deJong (New Jersey Institute of Technology) and Braeden Sloan (TCU) were all selected by Baltimore.
Category: General Sports
