Orioles: Five Players Who Exceeded Expectations in 2016
By Nate Wardle
No one on the Orioles was a more surprising contributor to the team than Donnie Hart.
The left-hander had never pitched above AA Bowie, although his minor league stats were pretty impressive.
Hart was called up to be a left-handed specialist who could get out right handers, and that is exactly what he did.
Hart pitched in 22 games, going 18.1 innings. He allowed only one run (on a solo HR by Hanley Ramirez, who hit HRs off a lot of people in the second half of the season). His ERA was a sparkling 0.49, with a WHIP below 1.
The other good news here is that Hart is nowhere close to arbitration eligible, and will be a part of the O’s bullpen for years to come.