The Plethora of Pitching Prospects in the Orioles Organization

How much of a difference can one year make?

Ask Joe Jordan, the Orioles Director of Scouting, and he'll most certainly tell you it made a dramatic impact in the case of the Birds' minor league system, which was seemingly left for dead in 2007.

A brief scan of the O's system of '07 tells you all you need to know.  Only two players reached the 20 home run plateau, and neither of those players were considered legitimate prospects (one, Luis Jimenez, is no longer with the team). 

The organization's leader in hits now plays for the Philadelphia Phillies, and not one "legitimate" prospect ABOVE rookie ball hit over .300 in the season.  Seven prospects, including half of the starting 9 at Delmarva, struck out over 100 times.  

Billy Rowell, the number one prospect in the system, according to Orioles Hangout, missed half the season and hit only nine home runs, while astonishingly aquiring 105 strikeouts in only 357 at-bats.  The injury bug also hit number three prospect, Nolan Reimold, who suffered through several injuries before recovering to hit 11 homers at a .306 clip. 

The cupboard was just as bare on the mound as it was at the plate, if not more so.  The system was led in victories and innings pitched by soft-throwing Aussie Craig Anderson, who has as much redeemable prospect value as my Grandma Betty. 

Promising prospect Brandon Erbe, number two on the Hangout list, suffered through a dismal season, finishing with a stat line similar to Charlie Sheen's character in "Major League," 119.1 innings pitched, a 6-8 record, 83 earned runs, 111 strikeouts, 62 walks, and a jawdropping 6.26 era. 

It only made sense that the organization's pitcher of the year be Maryland native Chorye Spoone, who had very little prospect buzz before the start of the year. 

As 2007 turned to 2008, the Orioles made several, well-publicized moves that stocked their system with arms capable of leading them back to the glory days of Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar, and Dave McNally...or at least the more recent days of the Mike Mussina-led staff, which included at different times: Jimmy Key, Scott Erickson, David Wells, and the unforgettable Rocky Coppinger. 

First came the official signing day of players selected in the MLB First Year Player Draft.  The Orioles tabbed Georgia Tech All-American catcher Matt Wieters with the fifth overall pick, but questions about signability made it appear not at all improbable that Wieters would slip back into the draft pool the next year. 

Luckily, Andy MacPhail stepped in and signed the future star for a whopping $6 million bonus.  The Orioles also used the draft to stockpile on arms, specifically college pitchers, straying from the Orioles' recent strategy of aquiring high-risk, high-reward high schoolers. 

They were lucky enough to snag inning-eater Jake Arrieta from Texas Christian with the 159th pick, and grabbed another college star, Tim Bascom, with the 129th.  In addition, they also picked up righties John Mariotti from Coastal Carolina, Brian Parker from Lewis and Clark State, Shane Mathews from East Carolina, and Sean Gleason from St. Mary's College, as well as lefties Aaron Odom from Texas Tech and Cole McCurry from Tennessee Wesleyan. 

The trend continued early in 2008 as the Orioles dealt shortstop Miguel Tejada for three young arms, lefty Troy Patton and righties Matt Albers and hard-throwing Dennis Sarfate.  Patton and Albers were immediately expected to come in and compete for the last spot in the rotation. 

The big deal finally broke shortly before spring training when ace Erik Bedard was dealt to the Seattle Mariners for five players, including pitching prospects Tony Butler, Kam Mickolio and top-tier prospect Chris Tillman.  Even without the support of the rest of the minor league system, the arms aquired gave plenty of reason for optimism heading into the 2008 season.

So far this season, the decision-making skills of both Jordan and MacPhail, as well as the patience displayed by the coaches and managers at all levels, appears to be paying off.

Top pitching prospect Erbe appears to have bounced back, with a 3-2 record, 34 strikeouts and only 6 walks in 35.1 innings, and a 3.82 ERA.  Last year's pitcher of the year Spoone entered 2008 with the promise of possibly making his Major League debut sometime later this year, but has been troubled by a sore elbow and spent almost half the season so far on the DL.  He did, however, look good in his first four starts, winning two games while striking out 17 in as many innings. 

Beyond Erbe and Spoone, the depth has been amazing in the minors.  2007 draftee Zachary Britton has anchored the staff at Delmarva, quietly leading the team in ERA at 2.51, while '08 pick Mariotti has already won three games, with a K:BB ratio of 24:5, and a 2.61 ERA. 

Aquisition Butler has looked as good as promised too, coming off of a stellar outing.  Delmarva's bullpen houses '08 draftees Gleason (1.64 ERA), Parker (2.12 ERA and FIVE wins!), Mathews (3.60 ERA), and Odom (14 K's in 9 innings).

The staff at Frederick has been as loaded as any in the system.  The O's steal of the draft, Arrieta, has been better than advertised (and that's saying something) leading the team in innings, strikeouts, and ERA, while sporting a 2-0 record and more than twice as many strikeouts as hits. 

Pedro Beato, a supplemental draft pick from '06, has already won three games, while Jake Renshaw, the player to be named later in the Steve Trachsel deal with the Cubs, has won four.  In all, the starting rotation has a 14-6 record.

It's hard to believe, but the starting rotation at Bowie has been even more superb. Lefty Chris Waters led the way with a 5-0 record and a 1.41 ERA before his call-up to Norfolk, while David Hernandez, Brad Bergesen, Tillman, and Spoone all sport 2-0 records. 

Righty Jason Berken is the only starter to have a loss, but he also leads the team with 32 strikeouts and ONLY 3 walks!  Hernandez leads the league in strikeouts, just like he did last year with Frederick, and as the anchor of the staff has led the rotation to a 15-2 record! 

The bullpen also includes the mammoth Kam Mickolio, who has performed more than admirably with a 3.50 ERA and 17 K's in 18 innings. 

Norfolk has the potential to have the best staff of all of the Orioles' minor league affiliates.  Unfortunately, the problem with having talent at the AAA level is that it is ready to be called upon at any moment, something the talent-starved big league club has done. 

Lefty Garrett Olson was lights out at Norfolk before returning to Baltimore to prove that his dismal 2007 MLB debut was a farce, and so far he has, taking two shutouts into the seventh inning, while displaying none of the fear he showed last year. Triple-A veteran Jim Johnson finally got called up for good it appears and has flourished as a reliever, sporting a 0.50 ERA in 18 innings. 

The top reliever in the system, Bob McCrory, also got the call last week and made his major league debut the same day.  Star prospects Hayden Penn and Radhames Liz also wait for the call, likely to come if any of the Orioles' starters are dealt or go down with injury.

In all, 2008 has been what the organization and most O's fans had hoped 2007 would be.  So far, the pitching prospects have achieved at every level, and many have already jumped up a level, making pitching, both starting and relieving, one of the strengths of this struggling organization. 

All of it paints a beautiful picture of a bright future for these youngsters.