Spring Surprise - Pitching

Chen warming up before his start. Courtesy of @EddieInTheYard

So far this spring there has been a big surprise coming out of Orioles camp.  Various O's pitchers have shown improvement over last year not only in performance but also in health and ability it seems.  Guys like Matusz and Arrieta have shown solid improvement on the radar gun and seem to be healthy.  Arrieta claimed that he had not felt this good since turning pro which is a troubling and positive sign all wrapped up in one bundle.

Matusz has sat in the high 80s to low 90s this spring, with solid secondary stuff and good command.  He's ranged from 87 to 94 sitting mostly around 89 or 90.  Matusz put up another solid outing today against the Phillies going 4 scoreless innings, giving up just 4 hits with 4 Ks.  Matusz threw 53 pitches, 70% of which were strikes.

Arrieta who threw the other day against the Rays reportedly hit 97 on the gun and looked good doing it according to those in attendance.  If Arrieta is healthy and has his command figured out, he could be a reliable option for the club in the rotation.

Jason Hammel, one of the newest Orioles hit 94 on the gun in his start.  Hammel wasn't as impressive as his younger teammates, but it was a good beginning to his Spring.

Wei-Yin Chen (one of my underdog candidates for the top of the rotation) looked good in his debut throwing strikes on a ridiculous 76% of his pitches.  Chen sat in the low 90s, a velocity that bodes well for the dynamic lefty.  Keep in mind that Chen is just 26 years old, and is just entering his prime.



Overall, the pitching has been solid this Spring which is a good sign as that was the biggest weakness facing the team going into this season.  That said, it is Spring Training, so don't take too much out of it.  It is a good sign, but let's not get carried away digging into the meaning of a team ERA below 3 in Spring Training.  It should also be noted that offense is down all across Florida (with the exception of Detroit, Pitt and Toronto).

Hopefully they keep it up when the games count.

March 5, Spring Training Game Notes

Disclaimer - These posts will be a work in progress as we move through the season and find the best way to break down the games for you guys.

Yesterday featured a split-squad series, with half the team playing the afternoon game against Tampa, and the rest playing the evening game against Pittsburgh.

Pitchers

Brian Matusz started the game and pitched better than his final line suggests.  Matusz sat 90 - 91 with his fastball, and showed pretty good control (especially given the time of year).  This is obviously a huge question mark going into the rest of spring, but early reports are good.  Matusz got ahead of hitters, taking 3 of the 6 batters in the first inning to 0-2 counts.  His secondary stuff looked good too, missing in several curveballs and changeups throughout his start.  I also liked his willingness to throw his secondary stuff in any count, including starting off an at-bat, which is important to keep hitters off balance.

Kevin Gregg was... well... Kevin Gregg.  Gave up two quick hits including a crushed homerun.  He then struc out the side.  Sigh.

Matt Lindstrom and Darren O'Day, two new relievers the O's have this year had some mixed results.  For Lindstrom, velocity comes easy despite a violent leg kick in his delivery.  His delivery may be affecting his control though, he has a career 3.39 BB/9.  O'Day will remind O's fans of Chad Bradford given his unique delivery.  He showed good deception but again below average control.  Hopefully these guys can tighten their control as the spring goes on.

Hitters


Ryan Adams and Chris Davis were the highlights of a lineup that might look similar to one we'll see during the regular season.  Both guys had good first at-bats, battling, and ultimately putting good swings on the ball.  Later in the game Chris Davis followed it up with another solid at-bat in 6th inning by lacing an RBI single into right field after falling behind 1-2.  Small victories.

Manny Machado, shortstop extraordinaire, made 2 nice plays at SS.  Machado, it should be noted played in the afternoon game against the Rays, and then came in off the bench in the nightcap.  Machado made a fantastic diving grab in the top of the 7th showing really good range.  He also made a great throw to first, showcasing his arm strength as well.  Machado helped finish the inning as well starting a double play on a grounder back up the middle.

Thoughts


It was a good first game, and there are definitely areas to grow.  I'm not really worried about the results or the score, though some O's fans might find it depressing to check the final score.  I think the O's have room to grow, but some of the younger guys and/or guys competing for a roster spot showed well.

Jake Arrieta apparently looks pretty good this spring, another good sign for O's fans.

Also, this is the best tweet to this point of Spring Training as far as I can tell:

The Best Time of Year

Baseball season is back.  After a long offseason where there were no walk-off hits or near no-hitters (unless you count Vlad's Free Agency hopes) it's finally time for players to report to spring training.  O's pitchers have been in Sarasota for a few days, and the position players begin to slowly arrive and warm up for the regular season.  Following the slowest time of the year baseball season, and baseball reporting is in full swing.

This however leaves the fans with a huge problem.  What do we take out of spring training?

Do spring training stats really matter?  Any O's fan should know the answer to this, at least from experience last season.  Jake Fox hit 7 HRs last spring, good for the major league lead.  This however did not guarantee him a spot on the team, though he did make the cut.  He did not end the season with the O's though after hitting just .246/.313/.443 and putting up a negative WAR (-0.1).  This piece by Dave Cameron over at Fangraphs gives even more statistical anecdotes to prove that statistics this time of year don't matter a whole heck of a lot.

Position battles are a crucial part of spring training though, right?  Yes and no.  Some players are definitely fighting for a spot on the 25 man roster.  Others, not so much.  Guys like Adam Jones know their role and wouldn't get benched unless he showed up 50 pounds overweight (which he didn't).  Jai Miller and Endy Chavez on the other hand are fighting for the 4th OF spot, and could maybe fight for a starting spot with Nolan Reimold, though it's highly unlikely.  These battles come down more to intangible factors though, rather than stats for aforementioned reasons.

Now that the season is officially on the horizon, baseball reporting has become seemingly omnipresent.  Some of the reports add value to the discussion and keep fans in the loop.  Others not so much.  Fans should take care to not read too far into the reports coming out of spring training while still getting their information.

Dylan Bundy meeting Scott McGregor

The three best functions of spring training, in my estimation, are this:

1. Getting players ready for the regular season and/or their minor league assignments.

2. Giving coaches, FO staff, etc. the opportunity to evaluate, critique and provide instruction to players.

3. Giving young players the experience of working with the major league squad and getting acclimated to the pro game.

This is the time of year we've all been waiting for.  Spring training schedule for the O's can be found here.

Enjoy the return of baseball everyone.