With Opening Day just two weeks away, we’ll take a look at a member of the 2016 Orioles every day as they try to return to the playoffs for the third time in five years this season.
March 1 – Adam Jones
March 2 – Chris Tillman
March 3 – Jonathan Schoop
March 4 – Brad Brach
March 5 – Nolan Reimold
March 6 – Yovani Gallardo
March 7 – Matt Wieters
March 8 – T.J. McFarland
March 9 – Dariel Alvarez
March 10 – Brian Matusz
March 11 – J.J. Hardy
March 12 – Mychal Givens
March 13 – Ryan Flaherty
March 14 – Ubaldo Jimenez
March 15 – Mark Trumbo
March 16 – Darren O’Day
March 18 – Pedro Alvarez
March 19 – Oliver Drake
SP Mike Wright
Age: 26
Contract status: Under club control through at least the 2021 season
2015 stats: 3-5, 6.04 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 5.2 K/IP, 3.6 BB/IP, 9 HR, 44 2/3 innings
Why to be impressed: Wright’s major league career got off to a terrific start as he threw 14 1/3 shutout innings over his first two starts against the Los Angeles Angels and Miami. He earned the opportunities with the Orioles by posting a superb 2.22 ERA in 81 innings at Triple-A Norfolk, which prompted his first promotion in mid-May.
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Why to be concerned: The right-hander’s performance was nothing short of disastrous after those first two starts as he posted an 8.90 ERA over his final 30 1/3 innings in the majors in 2015. His fastball sits in the low-to-mid 90s, but his breaking stuff was not good enough against major league hitters in 2015 and makes you wonder whether he has the assortment of pitches needed to be a long-term starter.
2016 outlook: Wright struggled when he first got to Double-A Bowie and Norfolk, so it’s perfectly reasonable to expect him to improve in the majors whenever he might be called upon in 2016. That said, many believe he is best suited for a bullpen role that would allow him to unleash a plus fastball for shorter periods of time, but a deep group of relievers will likely leave him as rotation depth for now.
2016 not-so-scientific projections: 4-6, 4.86 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 6.4 K/IP, 3.5 BB/IP, 8 HR, 65 innings
