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Baltimore Orioles: New Pitchers Who May Contribute In 2020

By Nick Stevens

ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 02: Asher Wojciechowski #29 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches to the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning of a baseball game at Tropicana Field on September 02, 2019 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 02: Asher Wojciechowski #29 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches to the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning of a baseball game at Tropicana Field on September 02, 2019 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /
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Baltimore Orioles
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – MAY 27: Shawn Armstrong #43 of the Baltimore Orioles throws to a Detroit Tigers batter in the ninth inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on May 27, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Did Shawn Armstrong do enough to stick in the Baltimore Orioles bullpen?

Next year’s bullpen will have some intriguing, young pieces in Hunter Harvey (as long as he isn’t tried out as a starter again) and Dillon Tate. Tanner Scott also continues to show why the Orioles have stuck with him over the years and has been solid since his latest call-up (5.1 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 8 K). I’m not ready to jump on the “Tanner Scott is really good now” train, but he’s doing exactly what we want to see as the season winds down, show improvement.

The same can be said for Miguel Castro. After posting a 5.28 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, and allowing opponents to hit .262 against him before the All-Star break, he’s improved those numbers to a 2.30 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and .160 average against since the break.

The future of Mychal Givens is still up in the air, but he has also improved and could re-emerge in trade talks this offseason. But have any of the new guys done enough to stick around? I’ve got one name one the list, Shawn Armstrong.

The timing here isn’t great, considering he gave up a run in the 8th inning of Tuesday night’s game to lose a 4-3 lead against Toronto, but let’s look at the complete body of work.

Entering 2019, Armstrong had pitched a career-high of 24.2 innings back in 2017 with the Cleveland Indians. He’s now over 50 innings with the Orioles and 54 overall when you add in his 3.2 frames with Seattle to start the season. As an Oriole, Armstrong is 1-0 with a 4.47 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, and has struck out 56 opponents in 50.1 innings.

In seven September outings, Armstrong has allowed two runs in nine innings of work, striking out seven, and allowing one home run. Since returning from a forearm injury, he’s been able to rebound nicely from his disastrous August performance.

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What about that batting average against, though? The 29-year-old is allowing a .304 average since the All-Star break, this after opponents hit .235 against him before the break. A little bad luck and a less than stellar defense behind him may be contributing to that high mark. A .377 BABIP in the second half of the season and a 3.61 FIP (4.37 ERA) show he’s pitching slightly better than what his baseline results tell us.

Armstrong has been worth 0.8 fWAR with the Orioles, the highest mark of any reliever on the roster. Mychal Givens is in second at 0.7 fWAR. John Means and Dylan Bundy are the only starters on the roster who have been worth more. That says more about the starting pitching staff than Armstrong, but doesn’t takeaway from the fact that Armstrong has been valuable to the Orioles this year.

Not bad for a guy who was claimed off waivers from Seattle right after Seattle claimed Mike Wright off waivers.

Next. Cedric Mullins Ends On A High Note. dark

Neither of these two players mentioned are going to be around in two or three years, but the Orioles are going to need arms to get through the 2020 season. Did either of them do enough? Did you see something in one of the other new guys that makes you think they could stick for another year? Let us know!

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