The reliever down in Norfolk no one is talking about

Could Levi Stoudt emerge as a bullpen option for the Orioles?

Written by: Nick Stevens

I’ve mentioned this name a few times on podcast episodes at the beginning of the season, but it was before we had 2025 regular season data on him. His spring training was good, the data popped, and knowing that even a strong 2025 Orioles team would need a large number of arms to get through the season, I felt like this arm was worth paying attention to down in Norfolk. Now off the injured list and with a decent sample of innings under his belt this year, I’m even more convinced that this pitcher is worth paying attention to.

It’s RHP Levi Stoudt.

A former third round pick of the Seattle Mariners out of Lehigh University back in 2019, Stoudt underwent Tommy John surgery right after the draft and missed the 2020 season, but so did every other minor leaguer due to the pandemic. He would make his pro debut in 2021 with Seattle, was a favorite of Mariner’s General Manager Jerry Dipoto, and instantly impressed with his 15 starts between High-A/Double-A with a 3.31 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 81 innings. Not bad at all for a first-year player fresh off Tommy John.

The following season, Stoudt found himself as part of the package heading to Cincinnati in the Luis Castillo deal and ended the year in Triple-A, just one step away from the big leagues in his second pro season.

Unfortunately, the wheels started to fall off in 2023. His strikeout rate in Triple-A tanked to 15% and his walk rate climbed to 13%. He did make his MLB debut in 2023, logging 10 not so good innings with the Reds and was designated for assignment after the 2023 season. He returned to the Mariners organization after being claimed off waivers, struggled mightily in 11 Triple-A starts for the Mariners in 2024 and was once again designated for assignment. Granted, the Pacific Coast League allows hitters to put up Mickey Mouse numbers which in turn hurts the baseball card stats for pitchers, but even looking under the hood with Stoudt’s numbers, his time in Triple-A with Seattle and Cincinnati weren’t living up to early career expectations.

That’s when the Baltimore Orioles swooped in and claimed him off waivers in June of 2024.

The Orioles sent him back down to Double-A where the strikeouts came back, the walk rate improved drastically, and Stoudt looked very good in a relief role for the Baysox. He was DFA’d once again to clear a 40-man spot in Baltimore, but he was able to clear waivers and remained with the Orioles.

The former Top 30 prospect had his ups and downs while navigating Double-A/Triple-A with the Orioles, but there was no denying the pure stuff and after starting for pretty much his entire career, the Orioles were using him exclusively out of the bullpen in the minors.

This year during spring training, Stoudt logged three innings in public Statcast parks so we got a little peek under the hood. He averaged 94.8 mph (up 1.5 mph from 2024) with his fastball, was getting nearly 19 inches of induced vertical break (up 3.5 inches from 2024), and both his fastball and changeup had 103 Stuff+ grades (100 is league average), while his slider had a 116 Stuff+.

His performance piqued my interest enough to label him a sleeper to watch down in the minors. But then, because of course, he started the year on the IL and didn’t get his 2025 regular season going until May 1st when he went down to Aberdeen for a rehab assignment. Stoudt struck out four and didn’t walk a single batter in 4.2 rehab innings before returning to Norfolk off the IL.

Since his return, Stoudt has pitched 9.1 innings in Norfolk where he was hit around a bit early on, but he has nine strikeouts to just one walk and has given up one hit and no runs over his last two outings (3 IP).

Stoudt’s velo has taken yet another bump, now sitting 95.6 mph with more than 17 inches of induced vertical break, and his most used weapon, the slider, has been highly effective as he now appears to be a two-pitch pitcher.

He’s using his 85 mph slider 55% of the time, generating a 42% chase rate and 34% whiff rate while grading out at a very impressive 114 Stuff+. Stoudt is also averaging 6.8 feet of extension off the mound, which is an extra two inches compared to 2024 and spring training this year.

Another sign that may point to how good Stoudt’s stuff has been is the success he’s having in the zone. Opponents are swinging at pitches in the zone at a 79% clip against Stoudt, a 10-15% jump compared to his AAA/MLB stints over the last three years, but contact against Stoudt’s stuff in the zone is down to 84%, which is 5-6% below his career average in the upper minors. His 15% swinging-strike rate is also well above what he’s been producing the last few years as he’s normally struggled to eclipse the 10% mark.

Now 27 years old, Stoudt will turn 28 in December, so he’s not the young prospect that ranked 22nd on Cincinnati’s Top 30 list just a few years ago, a prospect who many believed would be a successful major league starter by now. Stoudt also isn’t a starter anymore.

But the changes he’s made from the 2024 regular season to spring training this season and now into the regular season coming off a two-month injury are very notable. If the Orioles are going to be sellers at the deadline, expect a couple of relievers to be moved in that process. That could open the door for Stoudt to showcase his stuff in the big leagues.

If the progress continues and he can take advantage of this opportunity that seems likely to come, don’t count him out of the bullpen conversation in 2026, even with the Orioles hopefully using this year’s deadline to retool for a 2026 championship run. He does still have one minor league option remaining as well, which will work in his favor next season.

Keep an eye on Levi Stoudt’s performance down in Norfolk over the next few weeks. He just might be one of the next bullpen diamonds in the rough.

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