It would have been pretty nice to see the lockout end this week as we wrap up our Baltimore Orioles 2022 depth chart preview series, see some free agency activity to throw a few wrenches into our previews, and have real baseball to be excited about again.
Sigh.
Regardless, my fellow On The Verge co-hosts and myself have taken a look at the current infield situation which should feature the top prospect in baseball in Adley Rutschman sooner rather than later, the current outfield which is deep and full of intrigue and a superhero in Cedric Mullins, and the rotation which is bleak right now, but could feature three Top 100 (ish) prospects by season’s end.
So, let’s wrap this up by taking a look at the bullpen, a unit that has been stocked with talented young arms for the last few seasons, but has been severely hindered by the inability of starters to work deep into games or develop any sort of rhythm.
The veteran of this group is RHP Cole Sulser. The Dartmouth College product quietly put up a fantastic season for the Orioles in 2021, finishing with a 2.70 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, .207 average against, and 73/23 K/BB across 63.1 IP. His 93 mph fastball is a fine pitch, but Sulser started using his changeup a lot more in 2022, created a bit more velo separation between his changeup and fastball, and saw the change create about six more inches of drop compared to 2020, all combining to form a pretty effective pitch. He’s about to turn 32 so Sulser likely doesn’t figure into the long-term plans of the organization, but he’s a reliable bullpen arm who should continue to be a bright spot on the roster.
Joining Sulser in the later innings of games will be Rule 5 standout, RHP Tyler Wells. Wells came from the Minnesota Twins organization and became a fan favorite among Orioles fans after his impressive 2021 campaign, this after missing 2019 due to Tommy John surgery and 2020 due to the pandemic. Logging 57 innings, Wells struck out 29 percent of hitters he faced, owned a 0.91 WHIP, held opponents to a .190 average, and finished with a 4.11 ERA but a 3.63 FIP. There was even a stretch from July 17-September 9 where Wells appeared in 11 games, allowed no earned runs, struck out 10, and walked just one batter while allowing two hits.
Clearly, Wells found his groove and settled in nicely as the season progressed, but will he continue with his current role in 2022, or will the Orioles try and use him as a starter? Working him out of the bullpen made all the sense in the world last year as he worked his way back from a two-plus year layoff and tried to stick on the MLB roster as a Rule 5 pick. I don’t hate the idea of trying him out as a starter seeing as the current rotation is John Means, Jordan Lyles, and a lot of prayer, but with the ongoing lockout, a rushed spring training ahead, and overall craziness of baseball yet again, I think keeping him in the bullpen as a high-leverage arm will be a huge benefit to the Orioles. They may have found something pretty nice in Wells.
What about the two veteran lefties, Tanner Scott and Paul Fry? It seemed as if Scott was primed to finally take that big leap forward Orioles fans have been waiting on for years after a dazzling 2020 stint. Unfortunately, 2021 brought with it more struggles. Scott’s stuff is still electric, avoids barrels, and produces a ton of whiffs, but Scott saw his ERA balloon to 5.17 and his walk rate finished at 14.7%. Through the first half of the season, Scott owned a 2.78 ERA and 50/26 K/BB mark in 35.2 IP. His second half performance was drastically different, posting a 9.82 ERA and 20/11 K/BB across 18.1 IP. Scott’s season did end early due to a knee injury, so here’s to hoping that the knee issue contributed to a lot of his second half struggles and we see more 2020/early-2021 Scott in 2022.
Fry also appeared to have a breakthrough in 2021, only to see things crumble in 2022. He pitched to a 6.08 ERA in the majors and was sent to Triple-A to work out the kinks where he pitched in 11 games and ended the year with a 7.88 ERA and more walks than strikeouts. However, Fry’s numbers against Tampa Bay were eye-opening, and not in a good way. Fry surrendered 18 ER across 4.2 innings, with 15 walks to just six strikeouts. I know the Orioles can’t remove Tampa Bay from their schedule, but if you take out Fry’s numbers against the Rays, he had a 2.99 ERA and 54 K/20 BB. The Orioles tendered Fry an $850,000 contract after the season, so they aren’t ready to give up on him.
The last two veterans of note are Jorge Lopez and Dillon Tate. Lopez has worked mainly as a starter with the Orioles, but a full-time shift to the bullpen could be a major benefit to both Lopez and the Orioles. As a reliever, Lopez allowed just two earned runs across 8.1 innings with two walks and 10 strikeouts. The velo climbed and his stuff truly did play up in those short outings, where Lopez flashed his true potential. Jorge Lopez the reliever is an exciting thought.
There should also still be good hype surrounding Dillon Tate entering 2022. Tate has seen his velo climb and his four-pitch mix and versatility out of the pen is a plus, but he didn’t appear to have a set role last season. Perhaps a more defined role helps a bit. Tate also relied heavily on his sinker, which did help his groundball numbers climb, but the strikeout rate dipped. As long as there is a good defense behind him, I’m not too worried about fewer strikeouts and more groundballs. Tate has been working on his command/control as well, which was a bit of an issue in 2021. Here’s a great thread on some of his offseason work.
Overall, the potential remains pretty high with this group, with a good mix of reliable veterans thrown in. A more steady rotation could go a very long way in helping out the bullpen, and bullpen management, aiding in pulling out more of that potential.
There are also a few highly intriguing arms joining the mix. RHP Felix Bautista was added to the 40-man roster this winter after pitching across three levels in 2021 and posting strikeout rates of 45%, 42%, and 33% with a combined ERA of 1.56 and just 20 hits allowed. The 6’8” righty is an imposing figure on the mound, with walks being his major issue. He did a much better job of limiting those walks in Triple-A to close out the year. Adley effect?
RHP Logan Gillaspie was also surprisingly added to the 40-man roster, but he quietly put together a big season in the minors last season. He struck out 11.85/9 with Bowie and while his ERA sat at 5.60, his FIP was nearly two full runs lower at 3.88. Eric Longenhagen at FanGraphs was a big fan of Gillaspie’s after watching him pitch in the Arizona Fall League, with his upper-90s fastball and wipeout slider, which was on full display in the Championship game.
Recent additions Bryan Baker and Cionel Perez also provide a bit of intrigue. You can read my write ups on these guys here. The Orioles are sure to roll out a large number of relievers this year, with young arms like Isaac Mattson, Marcos Diplan, Nick Vespi, Nolan Hoffman, and others likely to receive good looks. Minor League Rule 5 pickup Cole Uvila is also a fascinating player to keep an eye on.
I could keep going with another 10 names or so, but you have already spent a lot of time here reading about bullpen arms, which I thank you for. Relievers are weird and funky, and often times a different breed, which is why I love them so much. Let’s hope the Orioles are able to find a few guys just unique enough to carve out a successful role in the big leagues in 2022.
Orioles Analyst
A former high school teacher and coach in the mountains of Virginia, Nick Stevens has been writing about the Baltimore Orioles and their minor league system for five years. When he isn’t at a minor league stadium, he’s enjoying a Wizards game or supporting his alma mater, James Madison University. Co-Host of The Verge.