by Wildcard
I am saying that Britton, O’Day, Brach, Givens , Hart and Nuno have the first 6 spots.
Here’s how I see the competition:
Zach Stewart – Surprisingly, 30 year old Stewart may have the lead at the moment. With three lefties in the pen already a right-handed pitcher may be desirable for the last spot. Stewart still has an option which helps his cause. He has yet to give up a run in 5.1 IP.
Oliver Drake – Has had a bad start to his spring but he is out of options. He can’t afford any more bad outings but if he throws zeros for the rest of ST he is still in it. His last two years at AAA and September with the O’s speak loudly in his favor.
Jayson Aquino – Is the darling of ST. Buck raves about his improvement. But he is left handed and has not pitched much above AA. O’s management have talked about him being in the rotation in AAA. He has an option.
Chris Lee, Mike Wright, and Gabriel Ynoa – Are all pitching well. All have options. The question is would the O’s rather have all three starting at AAA.
Richard Bleier – Is pitching well with a 2.25 ERA in 4 IP. Another lefty. He is probably staying in camp instead of going to the WBC. He has an option.
Logan Verrett – Is right-handed which gives him an edge IMO and his 2.25 ERA looks good. But they are hitting for a .313 average against him and his WHIP is 1.50. He needs to improve that but he has plenty of time to do that. He has an option.
Tyler Wilson – Blew up in his last outing. In a strange interview after the game Tyler said he knows that results matter when fighting for a spot but he was working of pitches. His mindset is in question here. In another interview Donnie Hart said unless you are a veteran results matter and while fighting for a spot he can’t work on pitches and he has to go with his best. Tyler’s margin to win the last spot may be pretty small at this moment. He has an option.
Jesus Liranzo – Is pitching as well as any reliever in camp. But he is probably a one inning guy at this point and the O’s probably want a guy who can go multiple innings. He is young and hasn’t pitched much in the high minors. It looks like he has a great future. He has an option.
Joe Gunkel – Not in the competition to stay at this point. May be leaving camp with the next round of cuts. He has an option.
