Baltimore Orioles: Select Your Pitcher from the List
A great deal of talk and speculation continues to circle about possible names for the Baltimore Orioles as the fifth starter in the rotation.
It might be that the prettiest girl you’re going to get a date with is in your own school, rather than in the rival school on the other side of town.
Or, to use a different sort of idiom, it has been said that the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t.
We’re not looking for a date or a devil. We just want a fifth starter for the rotation. Our qualifications aren’t that high. As fans we simply want someone who is about age 25 with 13 years of big league experience. He only needs to average about 200 innings with a 3.50 ERA and WHIP of 1.125. He also needs to be affordable. Dan Duquette — just get it done!
Instead of front-loading this piece with names, let’s do it another more interesting way … Let’s graph some players with their stats over the past four seasons, adding the names at the end.
So, pick out the following players you would be content to have in the Orioles’ rotation …
| Name | Record | IP | ERA | WHIP |
| Player # 1 | 49-27 | 672.2 | 3.83 | 1.244 |
| Player # 2 | 39-33 | 580.1 | 3.82 | 1.284 |
| Player # 3 | 40-45 | 668.2 | 4.36 | 1.488 |
| Player # 4 | 19-24 | 364.0 | 4.15 | 1.467 |
| Player # 5 | 49-41 | 761.1 | 3.69 | 1.342 |
| Player # 6 | 37-26 | 638.2 | 3.61 | 1.203 |
| Player # 7 | 39-42 | 615.2 | 4.68 | 1.402 |
| Player # 8 | 62-36 | 881.2 | 2.81 | 1.173 |
Obviously you would want Player #8, but you can’t have him. I’ll tell you why in a moment.
The Orioles already have Players 1,2,3,4. They are: Chris Tillman, Miguel Gonzalez, Ubaldo Jimenez, Vance Worley.
Player #5 is Yovani Gallardo. It is a rather good ERA and innings pitched number. The WHIP is not incredible, nor are any of these numbers in 2015 alone. But it is evident why he is a free agent with the qualifying offer that will cost any team a good sum. Even so, these are not All-Star stats.
Player #6 is Mat Latos. What is not to like about this line? But understand that the bulk of these great numbers came in 2012 and 2013, including a 28-11 record in 420 innings pitched.
Player #7 is Tim Lincecum, rumored very recently to be of interest to the Orioles. Those are not very good numbers. He is coming back from hip surgery. The O’s might be interested in an incentive-laced minor league contract. But Lincecum desires a major league deal, and if he pitches well in a display, there are other teams who would probably offer him such a deal.
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Player #8 looks like a Cy Young Award winner compared to the others. And he is. It is also Tim Lincecum, looking at the four years of 2008-2011, when he did win the honor twice. That is some impressive line, and it is why he got a four-year, $75 million contract that bought the numbers of Player #7. Again, this is the sort of risk that is involved in high-dollar deals.
All of this is to ask this question: Really, are Players 5,6,7 worth an expenditure and commitment that blocks the progress of pitchers the Orioles already have in the system?
As we wrote last week, the Baltimore Orioles need to start moving into the rotation the rising pitchers who have little else to prove in the minor leagues. There is no guarantee that they will succeed immediately at a high level in every outing. But there really aren’t any guarantees that any of these other names will have better success. And if the young players are not afforded the chance, they certainly are not going to rise into regular rotation pieces that can burn innings for the six years or so until free agency arrives for them.
But how can the Orioles compete while this player development is going on? Again, no certainties. But it is not the reality of every playoffs team that they have a full rotation comprised of sure-bet veterans. Good organizations feed the rotation with home-grown talent.
The best scenario for a team that is growing young starters while also trying to compete would be that such team should have a powerful lineup, a great defense, and a top-notch bullpen. Check, check, and check.
Next: Predictions of Orioles players to repeat recent successes
Come back again over the weekend for parts #3 and #4 of player predictions.