Those who watched the Orioles-Yankees game last night know that pitching wasn’t exactly there for the Birds, what with the team giving up a grand slam and walking in runs en route to a 7-0 loss. However, there was one pitcher (who happened to be making his Major League debut) who held the fort down quite nicely when nobody else could.
That man’s name is Mac Sceroler.
Mac came in and got the O’s out of a bases loaded, one-out jam, which he entered with Aaron Judge at the plate. A daunting task if I’ve ever seen one.
He pitched 2 2/3 innings and struck out four, walked two, and didn’t give up a single hit. It looked as though his fastball hung around 94 mph and according to baseballsavant.mlb.com, Mac also has a split finger, slider, and curveball in his arsenal. Mac is only 25 (he turns 26 on Friday) which helps his stock as well.
Mac was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 36th round of the 2016 June Amateur Draft. He ended up staying in college at Southeastern Louisiana University for another year, and was then drafted by the Reds in the 5th round of the Amateur Draft in 2017.
The Orioles took Sceroler from the Reds in the Rule 5 draft, so the only way Mac does go back to the Minors is if the Reds have no interest in reacquiring him.
Again, with the current state of the Orioles bullpen, I’d be surprised if they were to get rid of any pitching capital in this kind of season where they’re looking for someone to stand out. He was ranked 45th on the O’s prospect list, and is said to be a long reliever with starting pitching ability at times.
I’d keep an eye out for him if he sticks around.
And hey, he’s Ben McDonald’s nephew, so he has that working his favor in Birdland.
