Again on June 6, 2013, Orioles GM Dan Duquette chosen a younger pitcher out of Bandys Excessive Faculty in Catawba, N.C., named Hunter Harvey with the No. 22 total decide of the 2013 MLB Draft. It was Duquette’s second No. 1 decide in his tenure as GM of the Orioles. The earlier 12 months, Duquette chosen a giant, strapping right-hander from LSU named Kevin Gausman with the No. 4 decide.
Going again on our temporary time-machine go to, Duquette’s predecessor, Andy MacPhail, went with the perfect highschool pitcher within the land, Dylan Bundy, with the No. 4 decide in 2011.
Sadly, these three names and their shortcomings whereas in black and orange had been the actual determinant in the truth that no American League pennants are flying in Baltimore from the Buck Showalter-Dan Duquette period. And once I say “their shortcomings,” I’m not giving a corridor cross to the group.
Clearly, deciding on expertise is massively necessary in an effort to feed your system with the stuff wanted to construct up a powerful and constant successful mojo. However possibly much more necessary is being able to hold the youngsters efficiently throughout the Rubicon to being productive gamers.
Bundy, Gausman and Harvey have totally different causes for his or her lack of success right here. In Bundy’s case, it was accidents and a contract that compelled the Orioles to deliver him as much as the massive leagues with hardly any developmental time. Gausman’s story had nothing to do with accidents, however like Bundy, the Orioles determined they wanted Gausman within the large leagues and short-circuited his improvement.
Everyone knows what the Orioles bought in return for first Gausman in a 2018 commerce with the Atlanta Braves, who additionally cooperated by taking the final 1.5 seasons of Darren O’Day’s contract. It does look as if the Orioles could have lucked out a bit in getting left-hander Bruce Zimmermann, who could be one thing in spite of everything. Thus far, Zimmermann has tossed 9.0 innings in spring coaching with a 0.00 ERA and a 0.44 WHIP.
For Bundy, the Orioles bought 4 arms from the Los Angeles Angels. It’s too early to evaluate the totality of the deal, and in equity to O’s GM Mike Elias, he couldn’t have recognized there can be a shutdown of the minors. Time will inform what the Orioles get out of the 4 pitchers purchase in that take care of the Angels. Isaac Mattson is the furthest alongside. Kyle Bradish, Kyle Brnovich and Zach Peek will all decide up their varied improvement paths this summer time.
That brings us again to the identify within the title — Hunter Harvey. He had the stuff each bodily and genetically; he’s the son of Bryan Harvey, a terrific nearer from again within the ’90s.
This newest harm, an indirect, is actually costing Harvey a minimum of the primary two months of the common season, because the O’s have positioned him on the 60-day injured record. However that is not a child who has simply had an harm or two in his first three seasons. Harvey has now been a part of the group since 2013. After promising partial seasons in ‘13 and ’14, throughout which he totaled 25 begins and 113 innings, Harvey missed the latter a part of 2014 with elbow points. These points persevered, and he missed the complete 2015 season.
He made simply 5 begins in 2016, lacking time attributable to sports activities hernia surgical procedure and later Tommy John surgical procedure. He was in a position to come again for the final portion of the 2017 season, lengthy sufficient to make eight quick begins and throw18.2 spectacular innings. His ERA was 0.96, his WHIP was 0.91 and he additionally struck out 30 hitters.
However, frankly, that pitcher by no means actually got here again totally to the mound. In 2018 with Double-A Bowie, Harvey suffered a freakish dislocated shoulder harm whereas making an attempt to keep away from a foul ball within the dugout. Then in 2019, when he was struggling as he had in 2018, the membership made the choice that the bullpen was the place for him. It was each decided and hoped that extra quick stints would make it simpler for him to remain wholesome.
However to this point in his Orioles big-league profession, Harvey has thrown simply 15 whole innings to an ERA of three.00 and a WHIP of 1.13. He’s 1-2 with no saves and 17 strikeouts.
This was the man most media and followers had proclaimed can be the Orioles nearer this 12 months. Actually? Sure, actually. Not like the Gausman state of affairs the place well being by no means performed into his shortcomings, Harvey has had a boatload of accidents, however he has additionally suffered a bit of bit, too, by the membership’s must salvage one thing significant out of somebody who most likely ought to have been compelled to actually show major-league readiness with statistical proof.
I’m not saying to eliminate Harvey. What I’m saying is the membership now must proceed with a lot decrease expectations for what his profession can in the end be.
Within the meantime, one other Orioles pitching prospect, Zach Pop, was attributable to come again from Tommy John surgical procedure this 12 months. Initially acquired within the Manny Machado commerce with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Pop was eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this offseason. He not protected on the O’s 40-man roster going into the Winter Conferences and was shortly chosen by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the No. 6 decide of the draft. Satirically, the Orioles picked up Mac Sceroler from the Cincinnati Reds with the No. 5 decide.
Pop would instantly be flipped to the Miami Marlins for a participant to be named later in what I consider was Kim Ng’s first commerce as Marlins GM,. That is, to this point, one of many worst strikes made by Elias. Although the Orioles additionally misplaced right-hander Grey Fenter to the Chicago Cubs in the identical Rule 5 Draft, the Cubs have already returned Fenter to the Orioles. The Marlins will bury Pop with a number of IL stints in an effort to maintain him. That’s an previous trick the Orioles used to cover Anthony Santander from having to supply him again to the Cleveland Indians.
Pop has thrown twice within the Grapefruit League for the Marlins this spring, placing out three and strolling one in two hitless innings.
Pop was drafted by the Dodgers in 2017, and previous to his Tommy John surgical procedure in 2019, had thrown 80.1 innings in 57 video games within the minors, posting a 1.34 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. In these 80.1 innings, Pop struck out 80, walked 25 and gave up one homer.
One way or the other, this man was not protected over the likes of Austin Wynns, Chris Shaw and a pair others. It was deemed vital to select up Mac Sceroler and Tyler Wells — two Rule 5 pick-ups who’re having blended outcomes.
I see it typically in any line of labor. When somebody new is available in, they typically instances filter the folks a predecessor had introduced in. This isn’t to poke enjoyable or be intentionally belittling of a Hunter Harvey, who has been saved on board for 9 seasons. Zach Pop by no means even bought the prospect to indicate this new group what he was product of. As I stated, I believe they’ll rue the day they left him obtainable.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of the Baltimore Orioles
