Baltimore Orioles: 2014 Season Grades – Relief Pitchers
Sep 5, 2014; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Ryan Webb (58) reacts during the eighth inning in the dugout after the Tampa Bay Rays scored at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Baltimore Orioles 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
C. . Pitcher. Baltimore Orioles. RYAN WEBB
I was one who really applauded the acquisition of Ryan Webb from Miami for $4.5 million over two years. It seemed like a decent expenditure for a middle to late innings groundball-throwing reliever. But he never really got untracked in Baltimore. It was not a total disaster, but it was certainly not a good year.
In practically every category, his numbers were poorer than the previous year. By the end of the season, he was throwing for the Norfolk Tides, and his ERA and stats only grew higher there.
For the Orioles he pitched 49.1 innings in 51 games, with an ERA of 3.83 and WHIP of 1.257 – totally average for a MLB relief pitcher, and thus the final grade of a “C.”
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Here is a player who needs a winter off and a new season to begin. He might yet prove valuable if he can find the same sinking stuff that has made him successful for stints of time previously.
The problem is when the sinking stuff becomes the stinking stuff – but that is true for all pitchers.
And after a week of grading all the Orioles players, I’m ready to go write something else. If you stuck with me through all five pieces, you’re a true friend. Do stick with us here on The Baltimore Wire through the offseason, as we increasingly pull away from looking back to looking ahead to the 2015 campaign.