Orioles pitchers with New Mexico ties make good on spring training goals

They both came to the Orioles in trades from organizations that drafted them.

Neither was on the Opening Day roster as both were battling back from injuries.

And both Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish turned in impressive second-half performances for Baltimore — which would have been much worse off in 2025 without the contributions of the two pitchers with New Mexico ties.

Rogers, a lefty from Carlsbad High, was named the Orioles’ 2025 MVP last week and was one of the best pitchers in the American League this season with a record of 9-3 in 18 starts with an ERA of 1.81 and a WHIP of 0.90. Those numbers came even after a rough outing in his final start Friday at the Yankees, as he gave up six earned runs in three innings.

Bradish, a right-hander who starred at New Mexico State, was 1-1 and had a 2.25 ERA and WHIP of 1.00 in his first five starts this year after missing most of the season following Tommy John surgery in June 2024. He went four innings and allowed two runs in his sixth MLB start of the season on Sunday in the regular-season finale against the Yankees and didn’t figure in the decision in a 3-2 loss.

Back in March, in separate interviews during spring training with the Journal in Florida, Rogers and Bradish were optimistic they could overcome injuries and aid the Orioles by the second half of the season.

They did just that.

“Everything has been really good, checking all of the boxes before I get back on the mound, hopefully by the end of camp,” Rogers, 27, said at the time in Sarasota. “I am just taking it day by day. I would start simple and if it feels good, we move forward.”

“I feel good, rehab is going good. Checking all the boxes. I think returning in the second half is realistic,” said Bradish, 29, standing by his locker at Ed Smith Stadium just a few stalls away from Rogers.

The Orioles ended the year 75-87 — Rogers and Bradish accounted for 16 quality starts in 24 outings.

Rogers made his first MLB appearance of the season on May 24 in a spot start after dealing with a right knee injury following the 2024 season. The New Mexico native was still hurling with Triple-A Norfolk in June, but was called up to the Orioles for good when he pitched on June 18. He stayed in the rotation from then on.

He became the fourth lefty pitcher in Baltimore history to be the team’s MVP, following Dave McNally (1968), Mike Cuellar (1974) and Randy Myers (1997). Baseball pundit Jim Bowden, a former MLB general manager, had Rogers at No. 15 on his list of 20 breakout seasons of 2025. Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh, who hit 60 homers, was first. A backup catcher for the Mariners is Mitch Garver, a native of Albuquerque who starred at La Cueva High and with UNM.

Rogers had the best ERA of any Baltimore pitcher with at least 100 innings in a season.

“I’m honored just to be in the elite company that’s had this award in years past,” Rogers told reporters in Baltimore. “Just the entire journey that I’ve been on since I’ve gotten here — kind of a bumpy start, not the start that any of us would have wanted, but seeing where we are today, it was worth it going through those struggles. Getting this award, I’m very thankful.”

“What he’s done has been historic in a lot of ways,” interim Baltimore manager Tony Mansolino told reporters. “And then, the backstory is just awesome, just what he went through last year and the circumstances of negativity that surrounded him and to see him fight through it.”

He is the only starting pitcher in franchise history to allow two or fewer runs in 15 consecutive outings. That is even more impressive when considering the history of pitching since the Orioles came to Baltimore from St. Louis in time for the 1954 season. Baltimore pitchers to win the Cy Young Award include Cuellar, Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, Mike Flan-agan and Steve Stone. Another Hall of Famer, Mike Mussina, pitched for the Orioles from 1991-2000 before moving to the Yankees.

Rogers is now listed along with some of the Orioles’ great pitchers.

“My stuff is in a really good spot consistently. I’m not a one-dimensional guy anymore,” Rogers told reporters late in the season. “I always relied on my fastball and changeup in years past, and it seemed like if one of those pitches went haywire that I only relied on one pitch. Developing multiple pitches that I can throw for strikes and be competitive with those makes my job a little easier.”

Bradish, after six rehab outings in the minors, made his first MLB start of the year on Aug. 26 against the Red Sox and fanned 10 batters in six innings in a 5-0 loss.

He was drafted out of New Mexico State in the fourth round by the Angels in 2018. Rogers was taken by the Marlins out of Carlsbad High as the 13th overall pick in 2017 and he made his MLB debut with the Marlins in 2020 and was an All-Star the following season.

Rogers came to the Orioles in a trade with the Marlins during the 2024 season while Bradish was dealt by the Angels to Baltimore as a minor leaguer in 2019 as veteran Orioles pitcher Dylan Bundy went to the West Coast.

Rogers also aided younger pitchers on the Baltimore staff this year. Rookie Brandon Young flirted with a perfect game in August against the Astros and afterward gave credit to Rogers.

“I had been talking to him for a while, wanted to go over my last outing with him and just pick up on what he would do in some situations, pick on some of his tendencies and just how he would execute some pitches and sequence guys up,” Young told reporters. “He’s been doing it for a lot of years.”

And this year, Rogers did it better than nearly every starter in the majors.

“It’s hard to describe, because just the way his story was when he got traded over here to then being able to put up a season like this, that’s just hats off to him and just the mental strength that he has to be able to go out there and do that,” Baltimore shortstop Gunnar Henderson told MLB.com. “I look forward to him being back here next year and just continuing this, because he’s a dog.”

NEW MEXICO NOTES: According to baseballalmanac.com, 34 natives of New Mexico have played in the majors. That includes Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner (369 homers), who moved to California with his mother at an early age … McAlister (between Tucumcari and Clovis) native Vern Stephens played the most MLB seasons — 15 — of any player born in New Mexico. The infielder played from 1941-55, was an All-Star several times, and was part of the first Baltimore Orioles team in 1954 after the move from St. Louis … Former big leaguer and Albuquerque native Fred Haney is the only person born in New Mexico who managed in the majors. He led the Milwaukee Braves to the World Series title in 1957 over the Yankees and managed the Pirates and St. Louis Browns … Mitchell Parker of Manzano High made his first MLB relief appearance on Sept. 21 and got his first save, going 3 2/3 innings against the Mets. He also came out of the bullpen two more times after that for the Nationals. Parker was in the starting rotation most of the season … Former New Mexico State star Nick Gonzales hit .260 with five homers this season for the Pirates while Joey Ortiz, another former New Mexico State standout, batted .230 with seven homers for the playoff-bound Brewers.

Virginia native David Driver is the former sports editor of the Baltimore Examiner and has contributed to Orioles Magazine, Baseball America, the Associated Press and MLB.com. He is the co-author of “From Tidewater to the Shenandoah: Snapshots from Virginia’s h Baseball History,” available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites. He can be reached at daytondavid.com.