The trade of Will Ohman, has allowed Troy Patton to join the Orioles bullpen starting today in Kansas City.
Patton was listed as one baseballs Top 100 overall prospects by Baseball America during ’06, ’07 and prior to the ’08 season.
When the O’s acquired Patton for Tejada, Patton was coming off of a 2007 season where he had made the jump from AA, to AAA, to the Majors all as a 21 year-old.
2007 AA: 6-6, 2.99 era, 102.1 ip, 96 hits, 33 bb’s, 68 k’s
2007 AAA: 4-2, 4.59 era, 49 ip, 44 hits, 11 bb’s, 25 k’s
2007 MLB: 0-2, 3.55 era, 12.2 ip, 10 hits, 4 bb’s, 6 k’s
He than suffered a torn labrum, which is one of the most difficult injuries for a pitcher to recover from. He missed all of the 2008 season, returning to the mound last year.
2009 AA: 6-2, 1.99 era, 63.1 ip, 50 hits, 18 bb’s, 47 k’s
2009 AAA: 1-3, 6.45 era, 44.2 ip, 62 hits, 14 bb’s, 26 k’s
I was willing to overlook his struggles at AAA, because it was not surprising to me that after missing all of ’08, he would tire out as ’09 progressed. The more interesting story related to his velocity, where he was pitching several miles per hour slower vs. his norms during the ’07 season. Again, I was willing to give Patton a bit of pass on this because the southpaw had never been a power pitcher. He had been a guy described as ‘sneaky’ fast, with the ability to throw 89-92 prior to his injury. The reports we were seeing last year, had him most consistently sitting at 85-88.
A difference for sure, but possible for a lefty that knows how to pitch to get past. I also thought that after another Winter of rehab, that we could see an uptick in ’10.
2010 AAA: 7-9, 4.80 era, 108.2 ip, 119 hits, 33 bb’s, 63 k’s
Last 10 Starts: 4-3, 3.93 era, 55 ip, 55 hits, 17 bb’s, 28 k’s
Patton turns 25 in September, and I think the O’s bullpen is the perfect spot for him. The O’s would probably like to limit him to no more than another 30 innings for the year. 30 innings out of the bullpen can be spread out over numerous appearances. It will be very interesting to see how he responds to pitching in successive days, and perhaps over a batter or inning at a time. It will also be interesting to see where his velocity is. Pitching in shorter-stings, he should be able to ‘max’ out a bit. I will also be interested in watching his control. If he is going to be part of this bullpen in ’11, he has to show an ability to throw strikes. I do not believe he will be used as the ‘lefty specialist’, but it bears noting that against lefty hitters in AAA this year, Patton had pitched 35 innings, allowed 34 hits, 4 walks, with 30 k’s, and held those hitters to a .248 average.
This gets the O’s one-step closer to the 7 man bullpen they should be using, filled with guys that can contribute multiple innings if required.
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Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.