The day has come. It’s hard to say we’ve waited long, but the day is finally here. Kevin Gausman will make his major league debut in Toronto today, less than a year after he was drafted 4th overall out of Louisiana State University by the Orioles. Like when Matt Wieters debuted May 29th, 2009 or when we saw the debuts of Manny Machado and Dylan Bundy last year, these are exciting times to be an O’s fan.
Some may say the 22-year-old Gausman is being rushed to the bigs. Most however, are in a different camp, saying, “We saw success when the Orioles called up young budding stars last season, why not this year too?” I will enter Gausman’s debut against the Blue Jays in the same way that I’m sure Buck Showalter will, with cautious optimism.
You can’t expect Gausman to go out and toss a complete-game shutout or dominate a tough Jays’ lineup. Baseball simply doesn’t work that way. His numbers at Double-A Bowie were less than outstanding, but very respectable nonetheless.
More than anything else, what I’m looking forward to the most in Gausman’s first start is his ability to throw strikes. It’s something he proved he can do at any level. In eight starts and across 46.1 innings for the Baysox, the youngster struck out 49 batters while walking just five. Three of those five walks came in a start against the Erie SeaWolves almost two weeks ago in what was simply a less than stellar outing.
The one thing that Gausman’s promotion REALLY reveals about the bigger picture for the Orioles goes back to Jake Arrieta. Bringing up Gausman is NOT just another indication from the club that they “aren’t afraid to bring up young talent” even if it is perhaps a bit ahead of schedule. It tells me that the organization has absolutely ZERO confidence in Arrieta and no longer wants him taking the ball every fifth day.
There WERE other options ahead of Gausman for this start. Arrieta could have made it; T.J. McFarland could have stepped up from his normal role in the bullpen to make it; or the O’s could have stuck with Jair Jurrjens for another start even if last Saturday’s debut was less than outstanding. The fact that they are dipping down to Bowie to grab the kid that was drafted just last season shows a lot about the confidence they have in him, but also the lack of confidence in everyone else.
Perhaps that’s a good thing.
It’s time for this team to find a few arms they can believe in. Injuries have obviously struck the pitching staff. Wei-Yin Chen is down with a strained oblique. Miguel Gonzalez just returned after a minor blister issue. Dylan Bundy, though he hasn’t pitched at the big league level this season, is on the mend with his forearm issue.
But aside from injuries, the starting staff has continued to leave too much for the bullpen to take on night after night. The time has come for someone to step up. That guy may not be Kevin Gausman, but he can help shoulder some of the load.
The Orioles are truthfully still looking for a fifth starter this season. With Chen out for the next few weeks, the club really needs a fourth and fifth starter. Kevin Gausman could fill one of these roles if he pitches well enough. That question remains to be seen. Jason Hammel, Chris Tillman and Miguel Gonzalez are here to stay, but the revolving door at the back end of the rotation could very well be entered by Gausman.
Now the trick is getting him to close it after he walks through.
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