Your Guide to the 2018 Baltimore Orioles Farm System

Tanner Scott, LHP (23 years old)

Tanner Scott burst onto the scene last year after pitching an outstanding season with Double-A Bowie. The Howard College (TX) graduate started 24 games for the Baysox during the 2017 season and posted an astounding 2.22 ERA in the process.

As exciting as this was and is, Scott’s relative lack of success prior to the 2017 season calls his talent into question. Was 2017 a coming out party for Scott, or were his impressive numbers simply a fluke?

Scott made two appearances at the major league level last season, giving up two hits and two earned runs over 1.2 innings pitched. That sample size is much too small for Scott to be judged on. However, if Scott joins the major league roster again in 2018, he’ll need to prove his worth quickly. He can only ride the glory of his 2017 Double-A campaign for so long.

For reference, Scott posted a 4.76 ERA over 64.1 innings pitched in 2016 with Advanced-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie. The year prior was slightly better with a 3.83 ERA, but Scott only pitched at the Single-A and Short Season-A levels during that season.

Scott’s greatest asset is his ability to strike out batters. Regardless of his earned run averages, Scott has consistently posted fantastic strikeout numbers.

Scott’s career average at the minor league level for strikeouts per nine innings pitched (SO9) is an impressive 11.4. Although this is somewhat common for upper-echelon minor league pitchers, numbers like these show that Scott may be ready to test his skills in the majors.

Lastly, with Britton out for at least the All-Star break, Scott may appear on the Orioles roster sooner than expected.