All around the diamond and grasslands, Orioles players have nothing but high praise of their starting rotation and lights-out bullpen. Their confidence in the arms they have brings them comfort, knowing that each pitcher is going to give them the opportunity to win.
Well, speaking from experience, as a pitcher there is nothing more comforting than knowing that the seven guys behind you and the guy in armor in front of you are going to give you the best chance to win.
The Orioles have already made some spectacular plays in the field, and knowing that the defense is going to make the tough outs makes pitchers less afraid of contact.
Having that confidence in the men around you allows you, as a pitcher, to just throw strikes. You no longer feel like you need to strike out all 27 guys, and not allow a batter to make contact. It allows pitchers to make the pitches they want, and attack the strike zone.
Fearing contact is a pitcher’s worst nightmare. If a pitcher is afraid to put the ball over the plate, it leads to walks and hitters’ counts. Pitching is very mental, and it is quite easy for pitchers to implode. That is why having a strong corps of fielders will play a large role in the Orioles’ success.
We saw evidence of this last year when the Birds started off absolutely dreadful in the field. The Sheriff was no third baseman, and the pitching staff suffered from awful leather work in the field.
Halfway through the season, Buck pulled up Manny Machado and Nate McLouth (former Gold Glove winner), and put Reynolds over at first base. This shift took the second worst defense in the league, and put them up in the top ten for the second half of the season.
The Birds finished the season with three Gold Glovers up the middle – Adam Jones, JJ Hardy, and Matt Wieters – and had Gold Glove-caliber play from Manny Machado, the Sheriff, and Nate McLouth. The Orioles finished 20th overall in fielding, but the second half of the season foreshadowed what was to come.
This year, the Orioles are 14th in MLB in fielding percentage at .986, and have turned 13 double plays through 12 games. Detroit, who has the highest fielding percentage (.998), has only turned 5 double plays.
Wei-Yin Chen, a fly ball pitcher, has already induced five GDP, which is half as many as he collected all of last year.
Double plays are a pitcher’s best friend. They take away singles, walks, hit batters, potential runs, and minimize the damage. It’s simple – the more double plays a team turns, the less pitches a pitcher has to make, and the deeper pitchers can go into a ball game (one of the 2012 Orioles problems).
Granted, the Orioles have made six errors, some of them costing the game and stirring up controversy – yes, I’m referring to you bubble blowing haters – but this team has the talent to finish in the top ten of fielding this year. If it weren’t for Evan Longoria, Manny Machado would be the easy favorite for Gold Glove at third. JJ is always Mr. Reliable, and you can count on him to have another year of consistency. Adam, Nate, and Nick are all previous Gold Glove winners, and have the leather to win it again.
There is no need to panic about the few early errors this season. The Orioles are only 11th in the error category, compared to the superstar-stacked LA Angels and the “almighty” Nationals, who are tied for last with 12 errors.
The 2013 Orioles defense will come around, and all the silly mistakes will be cleaned up. Once the O’s dust themselves off, you will see the evidence of great fielding breeding great pitching. The Orioles already have six quality starts from the top three starters in the rotation (Hammel, Chen, and Gonzo), and that stat will increase with the great play from the Orioles D.
Pitchers want to know that the rest of the team has their back, and with such a strong group of fielders surrounding the bump, pitchers should be able to rest easy and make their pitches.
