Baltimore Orioles Sign LHP Josh Edgin to Minor League Deal
By Ben Palmer
The Baltimore Orioles have signed 30-year-old left-handed pitcher Josh Edgin to a minor league deal, according to MASN’s Roch Kubatko on Twitter.
Edgin was drafted as the seventh pick in the 30th round of the 2010 MLB Draft and has spent his entire career to this point with the New York Mets.
Edgin has never been a starter and has spent his entire career coming out of the bullpen. He’s bounced between the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate and the major league team on and off throughout his career, but when he’s been playing in the majors, he’s generally been productive.
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In 2014 he pitched to a 1.32 ERA and a 0.91 WHIPover 27.1 innings pitched with a 9.22 K/9, easily the best season of his career so far in the majors. Last season with the Mets, he saw a bit more work, pitching 37.0 innings with a 3.65 ERA, a 1.54 WHIP, and a 6.57 K/9.
That ERA from last year may not look awful, but the walks and strikeouts do. Edgin especially struggled against lefties – the very hitters he’s supposed to do well against – allowing a .280/.374/.400 slashline to left-handed hitters last season.
In 2015, Edgin required Tommy John surgery, and he hasn’t really been the same since then. Before having the surgery, Edgin’s fastball averaged around 92-93 MPH. Since the surgery, it’s been sitting around 90-91 MPH.
To go alongside his fastball, Edgin also throws a slider that averages around 78 MPH, a cut fastball that averages around 86 MPH, and a changeup that averages around 85 MPH.
We talked previously about how the Baltimore Orioles’ bullpen is in need of some left-handed pitchers (and a few they could pursue), as the bullpen currently only has three lefties in it: Zach Britton, Richard Bleier, and Donnie Hart.
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Edgin provides the Baltimore Orioles with a cheap, solid left-handed option out of the bullpen that will likely ride back and forth as needed from Triple-A Norfolk to Baltimore.