Even in the low minors, the tag of “lacking physical projection” can be a label a prospect can’t shed. Because of that, polished pitchers such as Keegan Akin, the Orioles’ 2016 second-round draft pick, can accumulate all kinds of success and end up having it met with skepticism.

So, can Akin, who works in the low 90s with a fastball that hitters just can’t pick up out of his hand and two effective secondary offerings, pitch like this at the highest level?

It’s worked for him everywhere else in his career, so once he crossed the threshold to Double-A Bowie this year and saw his results only improve, the question actually became, why can’t it?

“He’s a guy that gets a lot of swings and misses with [his fastball], and no matter what from this level on, if you’re getting swings and misses with a pitch, it’s usually pretty good,” Baysox pitching coach Kennie Steenstra said. “Sometimes at the lower levels, you’re getting swings and misses on pitches out of the zone just because of the hitters. Here, you’re not going to get that too many times where you’re out of the strike zone getting swings and misses. And he’s getting a lot of them in the zone here. And that’s good.”

Ever since Akin, 23, entered the system as part of the first of three consecutive Orioles draft classes loaded at the top with pitching, his ability to pitch in the zone with his fastball has caused teammates to marvel and opponents to be flummoxed. Like many college pitchers, the Western Michigan product dominated at Short-A Aberdeen in 2016, but he ran into some problems early last year for High-A Frederick. He skipped a start in late May while carrying a 5.95 ERA, made a mechanical tweak having to do with his base leg on the mound in his delivery, then saw his career take off.

He had a 2.97 ERA from that point on in the season and pitched well in the Arizona Fall League. More recently, even as he acknowledged his most recent start Friday against Double-A Portland was a “battle” that didn’t exactly fit with the season he’s having, he left it having struck out seven in six innings of two-run ball and with a 2.65 ERA anyway.

And though he didn’t command the pitch as well as he typically does Friday against Portland, his fastball has been an undeniable weapon for him this year.

“A well-located fastball is probably the hardest pitch in baseball to hit, to be honest with you,” Akin said. “You’ve just got to trust it and make them hit your pitches — don’t try to be too fine and pitch around them. I’m a fastball pitcher, so I try to challenge the guys with that.”

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