We’re more than a week into Spring Training and certain players are working hard to crack the 25-man roster.
Some of the tightest battles are among Orioles’ pitchers, so here is my prediction as to what the pitching staff would look like if the season started today.
Rotation
1. RHP Chris Tillman
This is the easiest prediction to make, as Tillman has been Baltimore’s best pitcher for the last few seasons. He had a strong outing against Philadelphia on Monday and has basically locked up the No. 1 spot in the rotation.
2. LHP Wei-Yin Chen
Chen has shown a lot of poise in Spring Training and looks ready to prove that his 16 wins last year were not a fluke. Buck Showalter will surely look at matchups to start the season as he decides where his only lefty starter will slot in, but for our purposes let’s call Chen the #2 guy.
3. RHP Bud Norris
Norris is the perfect example as to why you shouldn’t always pay a lot of attention to Spring Training stats (sorry Jake Foxx). He got lit up for four runs in an inning of work Saturday, but it was only one outing. Norris had the highest win total of his career last season and is a solid pitcher to have in the middle of the rotation.
4. RHP Miguel Gonzalez
Yes, I’ve made the case in the past for Ubaldo Jimenez to get this spot over Gonzalez because of the money he is being paid. However, Jimenez hasn’t shown much improvement in his two starts while Gonzalez has pitched well. The Orioles shouldn’t have the patience for Jimenez to figure things out in the regular season, meaning Gonzalez deserves this spot.
5. RHP Kevin Gausman
This will be the last time you see Gausman this low in the rotation. The young pitcher has made great strides each season and he looks to be a breakout candidate this year. It’s rare to find a player like Gausman that can hit the corners of the strike zone with an upper-90s fastball. His splitter looked especially effective against New York on Tuesday.
Bullpen
Closer- LHP Zach Britton
Britton was the biggest surprise for Baltimore last season, as he put up some of the best numbers among all closers. He’s got a fantastic groundball rate and has a firm hold on this job so long as he pitches like he did last season.
Setup Man- RHP Darren O’Day
The submarine pitcher is arguably the best setup man in baseball. Well, that’s all I really have to say about that.
Middle Relievers
1. LHP Brian Matusz
He failed as a starter, but Matusz has been a good lefty out of the bullpen for the Orioles for the last two seasons. Matusz holds batters to a low average and he’ll likely be used in the seventh inning for Baltimore.
2. RHP Tommy Hunter
Hunter has been all over the place with Baltimore’s pitching staff, but finally found a home as a middle-late reliever. His fastball has been able to touch triple-digits, which is valuable to any bullpen.
3. RHP Brad Brach
Brach was also a big surprise for the Orioles last season, as he finished with a 3.18 ERA. He’s basically guaranteed a spot in the bullpen this year because of how effective he was in 2014.
4. RHP Wesley Wright
The former Cub was signed this season in order to provide bullpen depth. Wright had fantastic numbers with runners in scoring position in 2014, and will be used in those types of tight scenarios this year.
5. RHP Ubaldo Jimenez
This spot should belong to Jason Garcia or T.J. McFarland, but the Orioles are in a tight spot with Jimenez. He doesn’t deserve a rotation spot, meaning the team will probably stick him in the back of the bullpen. The Orioles might also try trading him, but it will be tough to find anyone willing to take his contract. Unless things change, this is the likeliest spot for Jimenez.
