Baltimore Orioles acquire pitcher Gabriel Ynoa from New York Mets
By Ben Palmer
The Baltimore Orioles have acquired 23-year-old pitching prospect Gabriel Ynoa from the New York Mets in exchange for cash.
The Baltimore Orioles have acquired right-handed-pitcher Gabriel Ynoa from the New York Mets in exchange for cash. The team has designated catcher Francisco Pena for assignment in order to clear a spot on the roster for Ynoa.
Dan Duquette has said that he wanted to acquire pitching for the Baltimore Orioles, and while Gabriel Ynoa isn’t exactly a big-name player, or a big-name prospect, he’s still a player that could be useful.
Ynoa is only 23-years-old and profiles as a decent prospect for the Orioles. He is one of the best command pitchers in the minor leagues, rocking a 1.3 BB/9 through the 2015 season.
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That BB/9 declined a little bit in the 2016 season, going up to 2.33 while in the minors, and 3.44 in his very limited time in the majors, mostly due to the fact that he tried nibbling around the plate too much, but overall, control is his biggest skill.
He spent some of the 2016 season in the major leagues with the Mets. He logged 18.1 innings and pitched a 6.38 ERA with 8.35 K/9 and a 1.80 WHIP.
Now that’s a very limited sample size (again, only 18.1 innings), and those numbers don’t really reflect Ynoa’s skill. For example, even though his ERA was 6.38, his FIP was 2.60, so there’s no reason to panic just yet.
Ynoa has a fastball that can touch 94-95 MPH, and has relatively average off-speed stuff. The key for him will be to develop his breaking pitches, he profiles as a starter, and did that in the minor leagues.
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If Ynoa is able to develop his pitches better, specifically his breaking pitches, and is able to maintain his excellent control, he could easily be in a major league starting rotation within a couple years, and hopefully that will be the Baltimore Orioles starting rotation.