With Opening Day nearly upon us, we’ll take a look at a member of the 2017 Orioles every day as they try to return to the postseason for the fourth time in six years.
Manny Machado
Kevin Gausman
Adam Jones
Darren O’Day
Seth Smith
Mike Wright
Caleb Joseph
Donnie Hart
Jonathan Schoop
Mychal Givens
Ryan Flaherty
Brad Brach
J.J. Hardy
Ubaldo Jimenez
Mark Trumbo
Wade Miley
Welington Castillo
Zach Britton
Chris Davis
Dylan Bundy
Hyun Soo Kim
Joey Rickard
Vidal Nuno
Trey Mancini
Oliver Drake
Craig Gentry
Chris Tillman
RP Tyler Wilson
Opening Day age: 27
Contract status: Under club control through the 2021 season
2016 stats: 4-6, 5.27 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 5.3 K/9, 2.3 BB/9, 15 HR, 94 innings
Why to be impressed: Wilson found more success in a relief role than as a starting pitcher, posting a 3.86 ERA out of the bullpen compared to his 5.67 mark as a member of the rotation. The right-hander also improved both his strikeout and walk rates from his rookie season, showing good control to try to overcome his lack of overpowering stuff.
8Why to be concerned: Opponents posted a .324 average and a 1.007 on-base plus slugging percentage when facing Wilson for the third time in a game, which would suggest he’s better suited to pitch in long relief. Even with the improvement from the previous season, Wilson still didn’t miss bats and sported the lowest strikeout rate on the club among pitchers completing at least 30 innings.
2017 outlook: Wilson has the poise and control to potentially settle into a long-relief role in the major leagues, but it’s difficult to envision him doing more than that with such limited stuff. He figures to be part of the Norfolk shuttle that will cycle long relievers — and perhaps even starting pitchers — through the 25-man roster over the course of a six-month season.
2017 not-so-scientific projections: 2-3, 4.58 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 5.9 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 6 HR, 41 innings
