Clearly, Dan Duquette reads this blog and knew I was going to do a post breaking down the pitchers competing for a spot on the Orioles this season. That is the only reason I can think of as to why he decided to pull the trigger on two big moves to improve the pitching staff. After an offseason of frustrating rumors and failed physicals, the birds made back-to-back acquisitions in free agent starter Ubaldo Jimenez and Korean sensation Suk-Min Yoon. Both players come with risks, but the fact that Duquette and company took the initiative shows that they’re dedicated to making another playoff run in 2014. Let’s take a look at the suddenly (and surprisingly) deep pitching staff that will try to get them there.

Chris Tillman – RHP – Back in the pre-Buck era of Orioles baseball, there was a lot of buzz around the trio of young pitchers that were on the verge of coming up and returning the birds to glory. As is often the case with young pitching prospects, Brian Matusz, Jake Arrieta, and Chris Tillman had varying degrees of success. Arrieta was maddeningly inconsistent and was finally traded last season. Matusz never developed into an ace starter but has been great as a left-handed specialist out of the bullpen. And last season, Tillman finally got over the hump that Arrieta could never conquer and turned into a strong starting pitcher. He went 16-7 and pitched over 200 innings, and his ERA was a solid 3.71 (3.42 after the All-Star break). He even earned his first All-Star nod, albeit as a replacement. A large part of Baltimore’s season this year is on Tillman’s shoulders. If he can replicate last season’s success at the head of a revamped rotation, The Orioles’ playoff chances will get a big boost.

Projected Status on Opening Day: Starting Pitcher

Ubaldo Jimenez – RHP – Now that the dreaded physical is done and the deal has been announced, we can officially say that Ubaldo Jimenez is a Baltimore Oriole. When was the last time they gave a free agent pitcher a four-year deal? Never, that’s when. It hasn’t happened before. The birds knew that they needed another quality starter if they were going to compete, and they took the steps to make it happen. That doesn’t mean Jimenez is the second coming of Jim Palmer. He has been inconsistent throughout his career, with an ERA above 5.00 in 2011 and 2012. But when he’s on, Jimenez is unstoppable. He was in contention for the NL Cy Young in 2010 and dominated much of last season when he posted a 1.82 ERA after the All-Star Break. He’s a ground ball pitcher who gets lots of strikeouts, which is big when playing your home games in a small park like Camden Yards. He has also pitched at least 180 innings in five of his last six seasons, which means he will also be the second innings eater that the Orioles desperately needed last year. His main opportunity areas are walks, where he averages 4 per 9 innings for his career, and a pitch count average of about 17 per inning.

Projected Status on Opening Day: Starting Pitcher



Wei-Yin Chen – LHP – Chen enters his third year with the Orioles looking for his third solid major league season. Chen was hampered by an injury that kept him out for two months last year and is recovering from an unrelated offseason surgery, but he is expected to be good to go for Opening Day. Chen has been remarkably consistent through his first two major league seasons, posting a 4.02 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 2012 and a 4.07 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in 2013. The Orioles will hope to see Chen pitch a full season like in 2012, when he pitched 192.2 innings, struck out 154 batters, and won 12 games.

Projected Status on Opening Day: Starting Pitcher

Miguel Gonzalez – RHP – Gonzalez came out of nowhere in 2012, turning a midseason call up into a regular spot in the starting rotation and finishing with a 9-4 record and a 3.25 ERA. He wasn’t quite as strong in 2013, but still had a very respectable 11-8 season and an ERA of 3.78. He struggled in July and August but turned it on in September, going 3-1 in four starts with a 2.30 ERA during the playoff chase.

Projected Status on Opening Day: Starting Pitcher

Bud Norris – RHP – Norris joined the Orioles during the 2013 campaign as part of a trade with the Houston Astros. He struggled a bit after his trade to the A.L. East with an ERA of 4.80 after the deal as compared to 3.93 from his time in Houston. Norris has expressed confidence that his full offseason and camp with the team will allow him to show Birdland fans his true potential in 2014.

Projected Status on Opening Day: Starting Pitcher



Kevin Gausman – RHP – Prior to the big signings over the past few days, it seemed likely that Gausman would be drafted as either the fifth starter in the Opening Day rotation or a long reliever in the bullpen. The additions of Yoon and Jimenez mean that this is no longer the case. While the talented 23-year old will certainly make his share of big league appearances in 2014, the pitching depth will give the Orioles the opportunity to start Gausman off in Triple-A Norfolk and get regular starting opportunities. This is a big advantage for Gausman, who has incredible raw talent but struggled as a starter with the main club last season.

Projected Status on Opening Day: Assigned to Triple-A Norfolk

Suk-Min Yoon – RHP – Dan Duquette has always been a fan of international scouting, and he has come through again with the signing of Yoon to a three-year deal. As with any foreign player, it’s hard to know for sure how he will adapt to the Major League level, but Yoon has impressed in his native Korea. The 27-year old was the Korea Baseball Association MVP in 2011 and has a career 3.19 ERA. He has worked as both a starter and reliever, serving mainly in the latter role last year due to a shoulder injury. The signing of Jimenez has made it tougher for Yoon to crack the Opening Day rotation, as he’ll have to demonstrably outperform Norris or Gonzalez in Spring Training to do so. He will likely start the season in the bullpen and be one of the first players called upon for spot starts.

Projected Status on Opening Day: Relief Pitcher

Tommy Hunter – RHP – Tommy “Big Game” Hunter made the full-time move to the bullpen in 2013 and thrived. His fastball velocity increased, as did his WAR (Wins Above Replacement). His ERA of 2.81 was a career best, and at times he looked absolutely unhittable. The Orioles will need him to turn in another strong performance this season, as he is the heir apparent to Jim “Defibrillator” Johnson at the closer position. It’s a big role for a guy in only his second full season of relief pitching, but Hunter has the stuff to succeed and maybe even improve the overall cardiac health of Charm City in the process.

Projected Status on Opening Day: Relief Pitcher, Closer

Darren O’Day – RHP – O’Day has arguably been the most consistent reliever for the Orioles for the last two seasons, averaging a 2.23 ERA out of the pen. O’Day can work a number of roles in the pen, including set-up man and closer. He tends to get lit up by lefties, but he held right-handed hitters to a .154 average last season. He’ll continue to get a lot of play this season.

Projected Status on Opening Day: Relief Pitcher

Brian Matusz – LHP – Like Hunter, Matusz spent his first full year in the bullpen in 2013 and was very solid. His 3.53 ERA was a career best, as was his 1.16 WHIP. Matusz excelled at home last year, working a 1.35 ERA and allowing only one homer at the Yard. He’s also generally consistent throughout the year; in 2013, his ERA was 3.50 before the All-Star break and 3.60 after. Matusz has said he wants to be a starter, but his prospects for cracking the rotation didn’t look good even before the recent pitching acquisitions. Expect Matusz to spend the year in the bullpen and have another strong season.

Projected Status on Opening Day: Relief Pitcher

T.J. McFarland – LHP – Last year’s Rule 5 pick had his ups and down in his first season with the Birds, but he showed some promise as a long reliever. The Orioles will probably want him to spend some time in Norfolk and get regular starts, but that move could be delayed until after fellow LHP Troy Patton returns from his suspension.

Projected Status on Opening Day: Relief Pitcher

Ryan Webb – RHP – The Orioles picked up this 28-year old free agent in December. Webb is coming off of a solid season in Miami, where he pitched to a 2.91 ERA and a career-best 1.21 WHIP. Webb has spent his entire career in the National League, so it will be interesting to see how he acclimates to the A.L. East. The sinkerballer gives the birds another solid right arm to call on throughout the season.

Projected Status on Opening Day: Relief Pitcher

Zach Britton – LHP – Zach split time between Norfolk and the main club last year, but that arrangement will be harder to maintain in 2014. Britton is out of options, which means the Orioles will have to pass him through waivers if he doesn’t crack the rotation or earn a spot in the bullpen. With the former looking very unlikely, the young leftie will have to rely on the latter option. The team likes him, and he has shown flashes of brilliance, so they will try to keep him under control. However, it will be interesting to see how long of a leash they give him.

Projected Status on Opening Day: Relief Pitcher

Troy Patton – LHP – The left-handed specialist was busted for amphetamines in December and banned for the first 25 games of the season. He had an off year last season, as his ERA ballooned from 2.43 in 2012 to 3.70. With all of the pitching depth on the team, he’s not guaranteed a spot, but the Orioles won’t have to make that decision for a while. Given the option situation, it’s likely he’ll be given a chance on the main roster upon his return.

Projected Status on Opening Day: Suspended

Dylan Bundy – RHP – The former first-round draft pick and one of the top prospects in the game underwent Tommy John surgery last summer and is targeting late June for his return to the mound. It’s hard to gauge where Bundy’s season will go, but reports on his recovery have been positive so far. My guess is that he ends up in Bowie or Norfolk once he’s cleared to pitch. Assuming he looks good there, a late-season call up by the major league club is definitely not out of the question.

Projected Status on Opening Day: Minor League Disabled List

Alfredo Aceves – RHP – The fiery right-hander was signed to a minor league deal in January and received an invite to Spring Training. Aceves split time between the Boston Red Sox and their Triple-A affiliate last season and worked as both a starter and reliever. It will be a tough task for him to crack the Opening Day roster, but it would not be surprising to see him bounce back and forth between the majors and minors again in 2014. While he had a rough season last year, Aceves is only 31 and is just a few seasons removed from a masterful 2011 campaign in Boston where he pitched to a 2.61 ERA with 80 strikeouts.

Projected Status on Opening Day: Assigned to Triple-A Norfolk

Steve Johnson – RHP – The son of former Oriole Dave Johnson looked great in his 12 appearances after being called up in 2012, but 2013 was a different story. Johnson finished the major league season with a bloated 7.47 ERA over 9 appearances. He’s still looked at as a solid pitching prospect by the team, but he clearly needs some more seasoning. Expect him to start the year in Norfolk, where he can benefit from working in a regular rotation. He’ll likely join the major league roster at some point during the year.

Projected Status on Opening Day: Assigned to Triple-A Norfolk

There are a number of other pitchers at camp who have a shot at breaking onto the Opening Day roster, including Josh Stinson, Mike Wright, and Mike Belfiore. Stinson is out of options, so he may get a shot if an opportunity arises. Belfiore made his debut late last season, and Wright was the Minor League Player of the Year for the Orioles, but both seem likely to start the season in Norfolk. Even so, they give the team a quality level of depth that hasn’t been seen in Charm City for quite a while. And that’s not even counting prospects from the lower minor league levels, the most promising of which could turn out to be Eduardo Rodriguez. We know that Buck has a tendency to shuffle his pitchers during the season, and he will have some quality options to choose from in 2014.