With Opening Day less than two weeks away, we’ll take a look at a member of the 2015 Orioles every day as they try to defend their American League East title this season.
March 9 – Adam Jones
March 10 – Chris Tillman
March 11 – J.J. Hardy
March 12 – Zach Britton
March 13 – Chris Davis
March 14 – Wei-Yin Chen
March 15 – Jonathan Schoop
March 16 – Travis Snider
March 17 – Kevin Gausman
March 18 – Alejandro De Aza
March 19 – Tommy Hunter
March 20 – Manny Machado
March 21 – Brad Brach
March 22 – Steve Pearce
March 23 – Darren O’Day
March 24 – Caleb Joseph
March 25 – Wesley Wright
March 26 – Delmon Young
RHP Miguel Gonzalez
Opening Day age: 30
Contract status: Under club control through the 2017 season
Minor-league options remaining: One
2014 stats: 10-9, 3.23 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 6.3 K/IP, 25 HR, 159 innings
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Why to be impressed: Gonzalez continued to exceed expectations to a dramatic degree in 2014 as he posted the best ERA of anyone in the rotation despite the disruption of a demotion to Triple-A Norfolk in August because of a crowded rotation. He posted a miniscule 2.09 ERA over the final three months of the season, which included the first complete-game shutout of his career in early September.
Why to be concerned: As mentioned above, sabermetricians aren’t a fan of Gonzalez, whose 4.89 FIP (fielding independent pitching) indicates how much he might benefit from his defense — and perhaps some good fortune. The right-hander allowed a career-high 1.4 homers per nine innings, and his tendency to frequently give up fly balls benefited from Camden Yards playing much more like a pitchers’ park in 2014, something you wouldn’t expect to continue this year.
2015 outlook: It remains unclear whether a crowded rotation might force Gonzalez to the bullpen or Norfolk for periods of the 2015 season, but he’s been a dependable contributor for three straight reasons and epitomizes what the Orioles have been about for the last three years. It would be difficult for Gonzalez to match his ERA from a year ago, but I won’t bet against him posting another season of 150-plus innings with an ERA of 3.75 or better. Simply put, he’s smart and one heck of a competitor on the mound.
