Opening day for the MLB draws closer as the Baltimore Orioles have their first game against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday, March 30th. The Orioles have announced their starting rotation to start the season. Changes will likely be made with Grayson Rodriguez and D.L. Hall likely gaining spots at some point in the near future. The Orioles rotation will consist of Kyle Gibson, Dean Kremer, Cole Irvin, Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells.
Kyle Gibson will be the Orioles opening day starter, as I already said I am not overly thrilled at Gibson or his signing. Gibson seemed like a depth move not a guy deserving of the number one spot. Gibson had a 5.05 era last season which is higher than anyone else on this list.
Dean Kremer will be the number two starter for the Orioles. Kremer had a breakout season last year with a 3.23 era and an eight and seven win loss record. Kremer pitched for Israel in the World Baseball Classic before rejoining the Orioles. Look for Kremer to improve upon his success from last year.
Cole Irvin was acquired from the Oakland Athletics during the offseason and is currently listed as the Orioles third starter. Irvin had his best season as a Pro last year with a 3.98 era. With a better support cast I think Irvin can have more success this year. Irvin is a solid addition to the rotation.
While the fourth and fifth spot are not yet listed it looks like Kyle Bradish will take the fourth spot. Bradish made his MLB debut last season and was one of the Orioles top prospects when he made his debut. Bradish got off to a really tough start and found himself on the injured list before tweaking some things in Norfolk. When Bradish came back he was a different pitcher, going deep in games and bringing a high era down from being in the high 7’s to 4.90. The Orioles hope that the Bradish they get this year is more consistently the Bradish of late last season. Bradish has the stuff to be a great starter in the MLB.
Tyler Wells claims the final spot in the rotation. Wells started off the season great and for most of the first half he was the Orioles best starter. The Orioles wanted to be careful with Wells as he has had injury problems and was the teams closer the year before. Wells eventually sustained a minor injury and looked like he ran out of gas which caused his era to rise to 4.25 while it was in the low 3’s for most of the season. Wells would eventually be shut down. Wells has the stuff and accuracy to be a front of the line starter, the debate is if his injury history would make him suitable for the bullpen. When Wells is on and healthy he is able to shutdown most offenses.
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