Baltimore Orioles: Finding Intriguing Possible Waiver Claims

The Baltimore Orioles need pitching and there may be some help on the waiver wire.

RHP Justin Shafer (Toronto Blue Jays)

Shafer, 27, has a few things going for him that may make him intriguing to the Baltimore Orioles. The former eighth-round pick still has two options remaining, giving him a bit of roster flexibility, he’s has experience working out of the bullpen against the American League East, and he doesn’t give up a lot of home runs.

He spent much of his minor league career posting impressive groundball numbers, but those have significantly dipped over the last two-three years. Still, Shafer could be worth a serious look.

In 24 Triple-A outings, Shafer struck out more than 10/9 IP and recorded one of the lower walk rates of his career (2.35/9 IP) with a 3.52 ERA. He logged 34 outings at the major league level, but saw his strikeouts drop to 8.85 per game, his walks take a big leap to 5.67/ 9 IP, and his FIP climb to 5.18, a jump from his 3.86 ERA.

Per Baseball Savant, Shafer throws four pitches, including a high-spin four-seam fastball that put him in the 89th percentile. His slider produced a 40.5% whiff rate and had an expected batting average against of .200, 77 points lower than his actual average against. That’s two solid pitches to work with, should the Orioles take a look.

RHP Luis Escobar (Pittsburgh Pirates)

Originally a third baseman when he was signed by Pittsburgh out of Colombia, Escobar is a 23-year-old righty who spent much of the season in Triple-A and made his major league debut with four outings out of the bullpen.

He’s currently ranked as the 14th-best prospect in the Pirates system, possessing a 60-grade fastball and 55-curveball that is described as a real strikeout pitch by both MLB Pipeline and this report on PiratesProspects.com.  His fastball averaged 95 mph in his very brief stint in the major leagues and most reports believe he can add a tick or two as a reliever.

In his 5.2 innings of work with the Pirates, Escobar gave up five runs on ten hits, walking four and striking out two in the process. He struck out 57 in 55 Triple-A innings. Command has been an issue for the young reliever as he climbed the Pittsburgh organizational ladder, but opponents have hit just .219 against him 498 career innings.

Escobar seems to have all the makings of a major league reliever, he just needs to solve his walk issues and take the next step in his development. Could Mike Elias and his team unlock his potential? Escobar has one option remaining, giving him the same flexibility that Shafer would also bring.