Zach Clark is the newest addition to the Orioles 40-man roster.
Clark, 29, has pitched in the Orioles organization for seven years without much buzz. He’s always put up solid numbers for the most part, and finished the 2012 season at 15-7 with a 2.79 ERA with Bowie and Norfolk. While the Orioles have some room to add players like Clark to the 40-man, it still seems like an interesting decision since most viewed him as an organizational pitcher at this point.
First and foremost, congratulations to Clark on finally getting to the point that all players dream of. Clark has been around the block for a while now, and the former UMBC Retriever has officially made it on a 40-man.
I have seen Clark pitch many times throughout my trips in the Orioles minors. I saw him several times this year at Bowie. He throws four different pitches; a four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, cutter, and curve ball. His fastball sits in the low 90’s and does not have much movement on it. His two-seam has a little movement on it, but not enough to consistently be used as a strikeout pitch. The curve has a decent spin on it, and he will usually throw this when he has the batter down in the count. The one thing I like about Clark is that he does mix his pitches well. He may not have the best stuff by any means, but he has learned how to handle a lineup with his long tenure in the minors. He does not have much size to him, standing at 6’0″ and 195 lbs.
Overall, I am a little leery of Clark at the next level. Sure, the minor league numbers are terrific. However, the lack of movement on his pitches and the lack of a true “out pitch” have me taking a step back.
Tucker Blair was born and raised in the Baltimore area and currently lives in Elkridge, Maryland. He graduated from York College of Pennsylvania with a B.S in Entrepreneurial Studies and is currently a Project Analyst for a Management Consulting Firm in Federal Hill, Baltimore. Tucker was previously the Managing Editor at Orioles Nation, where he worked on prospect lists, reports, and analysis on the Orioles minor league system. He also previously wrote his personal blog, The EntreprenOriole.