Baltimore Orioles: 5 Best Players Half-Way Through The Season

 5. Bud Norris, SP

Jun 21, 2014; Bronx, NY, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Bud Norris (25) pitches against the New York Yankees during the first inning of a game at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

It id only of late that the Orioles have been successful with all their trades. Starting in 2008, they traded Erik Bedard for Adam Jones and Chris Tillman, then a few years later when they traded Koji Uehara for Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter, and then this past year when they traded L.J. Hoes to Houston for Bud Norris. They have been starting to hit on some of these trades and the Bud Norris trade is included.

Norris has undoubtedly been the Orioles most consistent starting pitcher this year. He has gone 7-5 with a 3.62 ERA in 14 starts this season, leading the team in those categories. Most of the other pitchers on the staff have been very inconsistent. Sometimes they go out there and pitch eight scoreless innings and other times they give up six runs and get bounced in the third inning. Bud Norris has been the only exception to that.

If I would have asked you before the season who would be the Orioles best pitcher at the mid-way point, you would have said; Chris Tillman, Ubaldo Jimenez, Wei Yin-Chen, maybe Kevin Gausman if he develops. Sure enough, the answer is Bud Norris, probably the last guy you would have expected. The Orioles have been getting a high level of productivity from players that they didn’t expect to give, and Bud Norris is certainly included in that list.