Orioles make a sneaky bullpen move on a reliever seeking redemption

Sometimes, the moves that fly under the radar are the ones that can pay off the most, especially in the volatile world of relievers. We might find that to be the case with one of the Baltimore Orioles' latest depth signings, Hans Crouse.

The Orioles have made a lot of moves so far this offseason, but the pitching staff is still far from settled. That is especially true of the bullpen, which could still use multiple reinforcements.

Orioles relievers ranked 25th in baseball last season with a 4.57 ERA. The group is obviously worse now than it was then. The strange re-acquisition of Andrew Kittredge helped, but this is largely the same collection that finished last season, with Ryan Helsley looking to rebound and fill Felix Bautista's footsteps.

Baltimore has other needs, too. Another starter is on the radar. A utility man for the bench would be a nice add. With that, there might not be much left for Mike Elias to plug the remaining bullpen holes, and the options in free agency are underwhelming. That's why Crouse might get a shot. If he does, he might prove to be a diamond in the rough.

Hans Crouse could become a big piece for the 2026 Orioles' bullpen

A second-round pick in 2017, Crouse was once a highly-touted prospect, topping out at No. 7 in the Texas Rangers' system. A high school arm, he originally worked as a starter in the minors and turned heads with an electric fastball that topped out at 102 miles per hour, paired with an extreme and eccentric competitive streak.

Unfortunately, injuries derailed him early on, and he has never thrown more than 87.2 frames in a single season at any professional level. In 2023, with the Philadelphia Phillies, he became exclusively a reliever, but still could only manage 22 innings of work.

The following year, he arrive in Anaheim with the Los Angele Angels and started turning heads. Pitching for the Angels' Triple-A affiliate, Crouse made 29 appearances and threw 31.2 innings, posting an eye-popping 16.77 K/9 and a superb 2.27 ERA. That performance earned him a call-up to the big leagues for his first extended action.

After years of injuries, the-now-27-year-old Crouse no longer possesses that elite velocity and became more of a sinker-slider pitcher with an occasional change-up thrown in to keep hitters off balance. Down the stretch, he recorded a 2.84 ERA and posted a 31.8% strikeout rate. Walks were an issue, coming in at 15.9%, but Crouse had some truly dominant underlying metrics that should have you excited.

The righty excelled at limiting hard contact, posting a minuscule 29.6% hard hit rate. His strikeouts were no fluke, as evidenced by his 35.4 whiff rate. That combination made him extremely tough to hit, posting a batting average against of .159, which was almost identical to his .164 xBA.

Unfortunately, Crouse missed the 2025 season due to a torn lat muscle, once again unable to capitalize on any momentum and overcome his biggest stumbling block. He'll get a shot in spring training to earn a big league role with the Orioles, and if healthy, he might just wrestle one away.

Worst-case scenario, he gets stashed at Triple-A Norfolk until needed. One way or another, it feels inevitable that he'll get another shot to prove himself.