3 studs and 3 duds: Baltimore Orioles pitching staff
We're winding down with the month of April. So far, the Baltimore Orioles are out to a good start with a winning record in a tightly contested AL East. However, improvements can still be made for a team with playoff aspirations. I decided to do a series called three studs and three duds, for both the lineup and the pitching staff.
I did the lineup last week, now it's time to cover the pitching staff.
Three studs and three duds of the Baltimore Orioles pitching staff
Stud: Tyler Wells, SP
Wells, who somewhat surprisingly won a rotation spot over Grayson Rodriguez in spring training, has been off to a hot start this season. He has a 2.70 ERA and 0.686 WHIP over 23 1/3 innings, making three starts and one emergency relief outing. He's built his bWAR up to 0.9 already.
Wells has his share of strong underlying metrics to back it up. Despite a 29th percentile ranking in strikeout percentage, he boasts a 96th percentile ranking in walk percentage, his best rating. He also sits in the 81st percentile in chase rate and the 93rd percentile in fastball spin.
Stud: Kyle Gibson, SP
Chosen as the team's opening day starter, Gibson has been one of the Orioles better starters at this point of the season. Through five starts, he has a 3.60 ERA and 1.167 WHIP over 30 innings pitched, getting credit for a win in four of his five starts. He's built up his bWAR to 0.8, just behind Wells.
Gibson's best metric rating is his extension, sitting in the 88th percentile. It's a sharp drop after that, with his next best being a 59th percentile walk percentage rating, and a 54th percentile hard hit percentage rating right after that.
Stud: Mike Baumann, RP
Converted to a short reliever in spring training, Mike Baumann has had some spectacular performances since cracking the opening day roster. He boasts a 0.79 ERA and 0.971 WHIP, throwing 11 1/3 innings in nine relief appearances, giving him a 0.6 bWAR. I was considering putting Yennier Cano here, but he hasn't been with the team all season and has six appearances under his belt.
Baumann's best metric is a 93rd percentile rating in barrel percentage. He also sits in the 83rd percentile in fastball velocity, 75th percentile in expected slugging percentage, and 68th percentile in strikeout percentage, among others.
We covered the studs, now let's take a look at the duds.
Dud: Austin Voth, RP
After excelling following a waiver claim by the Orioles in 2022, this season has been a failure to launch for Voth. Utilized in a long relief role instead of the rotation, Voth looks more like the pitcher the Orioles put in a claim for instead of the one who played well in Baltimore.
So far in seven appearances out of the bullpen, Voth has allowed eight runs on 14 hits and two walks in 9 2/3 innings. That's not even counting the inherited runners he has allowed to score. Technically, things should be even worse, as Voth has a FIP of 8.60. In a word, yikes.
Dud: Cionel Pérez, RP
Following a dominant 2022 in which he emerged as a quality high leverage reliever, Pérez has returned to 2021 Cincinnati form. He has a 5.19 ERA in 8 2/3 innings, getting charged with five runs on 18 hits. He does have a 3.21 FIP, so there is some bad luck in there that should even out in due time. For the sake of the bullpen, hopefully it happens soon.
Dud: Dean Kremer, SP
Being slotted into the two spot in the rotation behind Kyle Gibson, Kremer was someone who is being relied on to continue his progress from 2022. So far, it just hasn't happened. Through five starts, Kremer has a 6.20 ERA, 6.57 FIP, and 1.378 WHIP over 24 2/3 innings, allowing 17 runs.
The only metrics Kremer is passable in are a 68th percentile walk percentage rating, a 59th percentile fastball spin rating, and a 53rd percentile fastball velocity rating. Everything else is under the 50th percentile. Kremer needs to rebound quickly if the Orioles are to be taken seriously.