Hello everyone -- apologies for the lack of Prospect Reports, but I've been having difficulty finding time to get myself to Bowie or Frederick recently. Regardless, I expect to be back doing them soon(ish). This week however I would like to talk about some of the things happening in the O's system, because it remains as the bright spot for O's fans everywhere. Certainly after being swept by the Marlins, the O's faithful can enjoy looking to the future.
1. Brandon Snyder makes the move to Norfolk -- Yes, yes, yes, this is old news (Falco is going to get mad when he sees that I'm writing about old news, but oh well). Still, it's important that I take some time to address this as so many people are late to the game in recognizing Snyder's rise to legit prospect status. For those of you who read my Prospect Report last season, it was apparent that the writing was on the wall for Snyder to make a big time comeback. He's one of the feel-good stories in this organization, having rebounded strongly from a shoulder injury which appeared to derail his career. He still has the high average at the plate, like last year, but he has improved vastly in his ability to stay off of bad pitches and it has shown in his improved OBP. His power stroke is starting to develop as indicated by his 10 home runs in 201 at-bats for the Baysox, and after a slow start at Norfolk he is now hitting a clean .280 in 25 at bats. Keep an eye on this kid, he will be in Baltimore sooner than you think.
2. Matusz and Tillman selected to pitch in the Futures Game -- These two top prospects for the Orioles have been selected to pitch for Team USA in the Futures Game, and now the Orioles have had four pitchers in the past three years invited to the game. This represents a quantum leap for the organization, and gives fans alot to look forward to. As of right now, I can say that Chris Tillman is putting more and more pressure on my assertion that he must not be exposed to the majors this season, as he has continued to show the poise and professionalism that led to his domination of AA hitters last year. Brian Matusz seems to be on the Wieters timetable, but either way it appears that these two will undoubtedly be in the Orioles rotation early next season. No, the future is not now. But it's coming quick.
3. Brandon Erbe on the mend -- I'll keep this short, seeing as I'm writing this on my lunch break. But it's important for O's fans to keep an eye on Brandon Erbe who is looking to continue his rehab tonight at Aberdeen, returning from shoulder fatigue which kept him out after only starting four games for the Baysox. In those four games Erbe was nothing short of brilliant, striking out 19 while walking only 8 and posting a ridiculous 0.90 ERA. Brandon Erbe is a local boy from Owings Mills, and he's got the sort of stuff to translate into a big-time starter for the O's down the line. How he is handled with this delicate situation now could have big ramifications on whether he reaches that potential.
Showing posts with label Brandon Erbe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brandon Erbe. Show all posts
Friday, June 26, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Developing Stories in the 2009 Minor League Season
I've decided that, mostly due to my inability to get out to some minor league games this week, I'm going to have to skip this week's Prospect Report. There have been some players who have absolutely warranted reports being done, particularly Brandon Erbe, but I want to get a longer look before I tackle some of the bigger prospects in this system. But I thought I would take this time to take a step back and look at some of the bigger storylines playing out through the O's farm system.
Brandon Erbe's surprising dominance: Brandon Erbe has absolutely exploded onto the scene this season; I won't go into too much depth, because I'd like to save it for a later Prospect Report. Erbe blasted onto the map a few years ago out of high school, but the Pasadena native struggled badly in Frederick in 2007 and had a decent, but not overwhelming season in 2008. Making the jump to Bowie this year, Erbe was not expected to be as dominant as he has been, pitching to a 0.90 ERA in four starts this season, striking out 19 while walking 8. Brandon Erbe has long been known as a pitcher with phenomenal stuff but severe inconsistency. Maintaining anywhere near this level of excellence throughout this season will be a huge storyline to follow.
Billy Rowell moving to right field: Okay, now this was a weird one entering the season. Billy Rowell was once the premier prospect in this organization, but after a horrendous year in Frederick and continuing questions about his attitude, Rowell has fallen off to the point of being considered a huge bust. Now the former third baseman has been moved to the outfield in an attempt to allow him to focus on his hitting, and it seems to be starting to work. His average has slowly climbed up after a poor start, and by many accounts Rowell has been working harder in his hitting and is consciously trying to fix his game. This is a desperate move by the organization, but a wise one; if his bat can be salvaged and the raw power can materialize, the Orioles can find a place for him at first, third, or DH. The first step for a player of his natural abilities is to get his bat in order and find a place for him defensively. But he certainly won't stay at right field forever.
Young position players struggling to take hold in Delmarva: While it's difficult to find many position prospects in the upper levels of the O's system, a number of draftees from last year are trying to establish themselves in Delmarva. Among them are second baseman L.J. Hoes, shortstop Greg Miclat, and outfielders Ronnie Welty, Xavier Avery, and Kyle Hudson. All five of these players started off very slowly, and aside from Welty, all continue to bat under .300 with zero home runs combined (Welty is batting .309 with 1 hr). While it is expected that players like LJ Hoes (.260 avg) and Xavier Avery (.180) would struggle early on because they are right out of high school, polished players like Kyle Hudson and Greg Miclat were not expected to struggle so much. This is particularly true for Miclat, who was very polished coming out of UVA as a high average hitter, but is only hitting .200 through 16 games. Expect him to bounce back strong and end with a higher average. Watching these young hitters sink or swim in their first professional season is an important storyline for the future of the Orioles down the line.
Nolan Reimold - The Man, The Legend: Okay, well he's not playing that well, but the point still remains. Reimold feels that he should be in the majors right now, and rather than raising a fuss to the media he's just going about his business and proving it through his play. Now, rather than it being just him telling the Orioles that they are making a mistake by keeping him in Norfolk, he has much of the fan base clamoring for him instead. Reimold has been on an absolute tear this season, batting .403 with 6 home runs, 19 rbis, and 4 stolen bases. He has even increased his walks and cut down on his strikeouts, with a decent 14:9 K:BB ratio. MacPhail will keep the Pie experiment alive for awhile longer, but the pressure is mounting to bring in the home prospect to replace him already. It's just important to remember that Reimold is known for being streaky; the question has not been whether or not he could hit .400 over a period of a month, but it's whether he can avoid following it with a few weeks of batting .200.
Brandon Erbe's surprising dominance: Brandon Erbe has absolutely exploded onto the scene this season; I won't go into too much depth, because I'd like to save it for a later Prospect Report. Erbe blasted onto the map a few years ago out of high school, but the Pasadena native struggled badly in Frederick in 2007 and had a decent, but not overwhelming season in 2008. Making the jump to Bowie this year, Erbe was not expected to be as dominant as he has been, pitching to a 0.90 ERA in four starts this season, striking out 19 while walking 8. Brandon Erbe has long been known as a pitcher with phenomenal stuff but severe inconsistency. Maintaining anywhere near this level of excellence throughout this season will be a huge storyline to follow.
Billy Rowell moving to right field: Okay, now this was a weird one entering the season. Billy Rowell was once the premier prospect in this organization, but after a horrendous year in Frederick and continuing questions about his attitude, Rowell has fallen off to the point of being considered a huge bust. Now the former third baseman has been moved to the outfield in an attempt to allow him to focus on his hitting, and it seems to be starting to work. His average has slowly climbed up after a poor start, and by many accounts Rowell has been working harder in his hitting and is consciously trying to fix his game. This is a desperate move by the organization, but a wise one; if his bat can be salvaged and the raw power can materialize, the Orioles can find a place for him at first, third, or DH. The first step for a player of his natural abilities is to get his bat in order and find a place for him defensively. But he certainly won't stay at right field forever.
Young position players struggling to take hold in Delmarva: While it's difficult to find many position prospects in the upper levels of the O's system, a number of draftees from last year are trying to establish themselves in Delmarva. Among them are second baseman L.J. Hoes, shortstop Greg Miclat, and outfielders Ronnie Welty, Xavier Avery, and Kyle Hudson. All five of these players started off very slowly, and aside from Welty, all continue to bat under .300 with zero home runs combined (Welty is batting .309 with 1 hr). While it is expected that players like LJ Hoes (.260 avg) and Xavier Avery (.180) would struggle early on because they are right out of high school, polished players like Kyle Hudson and Greg Miclat were not expected to struggle so much. This is particularly true for Miclat, who was very polished coming out of UVA as a high average hitter, but is only hitting .200 through 16 games. Expect him to bounce back strong and end with a higher average. Watching these young hitters sink or swim in their first professional season is an important storyline for the future of the Orioles down the line.
Nolan Reimold - The Man, The Legend: Okay, well he's not playing that well, but the point still remains. Reimold feels that he should be in the majors right now, and rather than raising a fuss to the media he's just going about his business and proving it through his play. Now, rather than it being just him telling the Orioles that they are making a mistake by keeping him in Norfolk, he has much of the fan base clamoring for him instead. Reimold has been on an absolute tear this season, batting .403 with 6 home runs, 19 rbis, and 4 stolen bases. He has even increased his walks and cut down on his strikeouts, with a decent 14:9 K:BB ratio. MacPhail will keep the Pie experiment alive for awhile longer, but the pressure is mounting to bring in the home prospect to replace him already. It's just important to remember that Reimold is known for being streaky; the question has not been whether or not he could hit .400 over a period of a month, but it's whether he can avoid following it with a few weeks of batting .200.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Prospect Report: Postseason Awards
Yes, yes, another opinion post, I know. But! I promise I’ll get back to writing actual prospect reports once we move closer to the Arizona Fall League. But in the meantime, seeing as the Orioles recently announced their postseason minor league awards (naming Matt Wieters the Player of the Year and Brad Bergesen the Pitcher of the Year) I felt I would put in my own award picks. While I am in complete agreement with the Orioles on those two picks, I thought I’d throw in some awards of my own to hand out.
Pitcher of the Year – Brad Bergesen – I felt like possibly going in a different direction, but if I did it would be for no other reason than to be contrarian. Bergesen was outstanding this year, setting the Bowie Baysox team record for wins after coming up from High-A Frederick. No reason to disagree with the organization on this one, however Chris Tillman is a tempting pick simply for his upside.
Player of the Year – Matt Wieters – Goes without saying; although Montanez won the triple crown in the Eastern League Matt Wieters established himself as possibly the best prospect in baseball. Because of his outstanding play both offensively and defensively, not to mention his consistent improvement throughout the year even through an upward move in competition, Wieters is the clear winner. It is a tough break for Montanez, because any other year he would’ve been bringing home this piece of hardware.
Most Improved Pitcher – Brad Bergesen – Bergesen picks up his second award here, albeit by a very slim margin. Bergesen went 3-6 last year in ten starts at Frederick with an ERA of 5.75 runs per game, and solidified his, well, anonymity. Essentially forgotten, he burst onto the scene this year and (see above) put up the finest performance of any pitcher in the organization. I will mention however, that a strong case can be made for Brandon Erbe. Erbe tweaked his mechanics over the offseason and regained his high prospect status with a resurgent performance this year after a horrendous 2007.
Most Improved Player – Brandon Snyder – What can I say, I’m a huge fan of Brandon Snyder. The topic of my very first Prospect Report this summer, Brandon Snyder had a fantastic season at High-A Frederick which has helped complete his comeback from a serious shoulder injury early in his career. Snyder was essentially dismissed after his lackluster play following shoulder surgery, putting up merely average numbers at Delmarva. He followed that disappointment by leading the Hawaiian League in batting and catching fire at Frederick. He finished the year batting .315 with 13 home-runs and 80 runs batted in for the Keys, picking up the offensive slack once Wieters left for Bowie.
Most Disappointing Pitcher – Tim Bascom – Bascom struggled mightily in his second professional year, pitching to a 5.78 ERA with a record of 6-5 in 19 starts. His career started in stunning fashion last season as he impressed mightily at Delmarva and contributed to the Keys’ run to the playoffs late in the year. Bascom raised hopes as being a big-time prospect, but his struggles this year raise serious doubts as to that possibility.
I will note, however, that it was seriously tempting to make this a shared award with Pedro Beato—Beato’s recent shoulder surgery causes me to cut him some slack. All that aside, I will say that Pedro Beato’s significant drop in velocity and performance makes me far more worried than Bascom’s struggles as they indicate more of a serious long-term problem. While Beato was a notable prospect before the season, I’m relatively certain that that run is over for good.
Most Disappointing Player – Billy Rowell – He struggled in every way imaginable this season; his batting average plummeted, minimal power production, poor defense, a lack of effort, and a poor attitude. Rowell has all of the gifts in the world, and that’s what makes his season the most disappointing of anyone in this system. Yes, he is very young, but couple the bad numbers with the arguably worse intangibles and he gets this ‘award’ in a runaway.
Manager of the Year – Brad Komminsk – I understand this is a prospect award segment, but I did want to take a moment to recognize Komminsk for his fantastic work with the Bowie Baysox this summer. He both developed young talent and created a winning atmosphere with a team that hadn’t found themselves in the playoffs for ten years. He did a masterful job handling his pitching staff and he deserves to be commended by all Orioles fans for his performance.
Special Awards:
Melvin Mora Award (or, “the late-bloomer award”) – Luis Montanez – “Sweet Lou”, they’ve come to call him in Bowie; Luis Montanez has found new life with the Baltimore Orioles. He was first drafted in 2000 as the 3rd overall pick by the Chicago Cubs, and failed to match up to expectations. His early encounters with the higher levels of competition were marked by failure and disappointment. For that reason he was essentially given up on and the Orioles picked him up as a minor league free agent. Fast forward and you have a 26-year old outfielder winning the Triple Crown in a league that he didn’t even play in for a month, batting .305 in the majors with three home runs in 36 games. That’s what we like to call a late-bloomer.
Mark Prior Award (or, “the once-amazing-talent-who-can-never-find-the-field-anymore award”) – Hayden Penn – This should be relatively easy for any Orioles fan who has had the misfortune of tracking this once top prospect during the past few years. Unlike Mark Prior, Hayden Penn’s injuries do not all stem from the arm, but the comparison still remains. Hayden Penn’s string of injuries makes it difficult to discern whether his lackluster performance is a result of diminished ability or simply not having enough time and opportunity to get into a groove. Whether it is appendicitis, a shattered bat on the leg, or merely a sore shoulder, this prospect can’t catch a break. Here’s to hoping for next year.
Manny Ramirez Award (or, “the fantastic-hitter-but-please-don’t-make-an-error award”) – Ryan Adams – The good: he has drawn rave reviews for his bat at Delmarva, reflected in an impressive .308 batting average for the 21-year old. The bad: he broke the record for errors in a season at second base. Hence the Manny Ramirez comparison. Unfortunately he’s not a good enough hitter to move to a corner infielder or outfielder position, and is going to have to get things straight to stay at second base. This is why people are very divided on what sort of prospect he will be, and why I personally leave him off of my Top-20 Orioles Prospects.
Jeff Fiorentino Award (or, “the horrendously-overmatched award”) – Billy Rowell – At 19, Billy Rowell proved that he had no business playing at High-A Frederick in his dismal performance this season. Many Orioles fans remember Jeff Fiorentino, who was rushed up to Baltimore early in his career and was hopelessly overmatched at the major league level. The one difference with Rowell is that I believe the organization had good reason to put him in this situation. With Billy Rowell the problem is with arrogance, and so I believe the Orioles front office might have been looking for him to experience this failure to ‘bring him down to earth’, so to speak.
Jamie Moyer Award (or, "the way-too-old-to-be-still-around award") - Julio Manon - Yes, that Julio Manon, who made a brief appearance with the Orioles last season and got pounded. Probably because of his straight fastball that serves up hits to major leaguers. Nonetheless this 35-year-old pitcher is still going, serving as the closer for the Bowie Baysox this season and accumulating a league-best 32 saves this season. If the man loves the game and can contribute to the Baysox, who am I to argue?
Photo Credits (top-to-bottom): Matt Wieters (MiLB.com); Brandon Snyder (Mike Janes/MLB.com); Lou Montanez (Will Bentzel/MLB.com)
Pitcher of the Year – Brad Bergesen – I felt like possibly going in a different direction, but if I did it would be for no other reason than to be contrarian. Bergesen was outstanding this year, setting the Bowie Baysox team record for wins after coming up from High-A Frederick. No reason to disagree with the organization on this one, however Chris Tillman is a tempting pick simply for his upside.
Player of the Year – Matt Wieters – Goes without saying; although Montanez won the triple crown in the Eastern League Matt Wieters established himself as possibly the best prospect in baseball. Because of his outstanding play both offensively and defensively, not to mention his consistent improvement throughout the year even through an upward move in competition, Wieters is the clear winner. It is a tough break for Montanez, because any other year he would’ve been bringing home this piece of hardware.
Most Improved Pitcher – Brad Bergesen – Bergesen picks up his second award here, albeit by a very slim margin. Bergesen went 3-6 last year in ten starts at Frederick with an ERA of 5.75 runs per game, and solidified his, well, anonymity. Essentially forgotten, he burst onto the scene this year and (see above) put up the finest performance of any pitcher in the organization. I will mention however, that a strong case can be made for Brandon Erbe. Erbe tweaked his mechanics over the offseason and regained his high prospect status with a resurgent performance this year after a horrendous 2007.
Most Improved Player – Brandon Snyder – What can I say, I’m a huge fan of Brandon Snyder. The topic of my very first Prospect Report this summer, Brandon Snyder had a fantastic season at High-A Frederick which has helped complete his comeback from a serious shoulder injury early in his career. Snyder was essentially dismissed after his lackluster play following shoulder surgery, putting up merely average numbers at Delmarva. He followed that disappointment by leading the Hawaiian League in batting and catching fire at Frederick. He finished the year batting .315 with 13 home-runs and 80 runs batted in for the Keys, picking up the offensive slack once Wieters left for Bowie.Most Disappointing Pitcher – Tim Bascom – Bascom struggled mightily in his second professional year, pitching to a 5.78 ERA with a record of 6-5 in 19 starts. His career started in stunning fashion last season as he impressed mightily at Delmarva and contributed to the Keys’ run to the playoffs late in the year. Bascom raised hopes as being a big-time prospect, but his struggles this year raise serious doubts as to that possibility.
I will note, however, that it was seriously tempting to make this a shared award with Pedro Beato—Beato’s recent shoulder surgery causes me to cut him some slack. All that aside, I will say that Pedro Beato’s significant drop in velocity and performance makes me far more worried than Bascom’s struggles as they indicate more of a serious long-term problem. While Beato was a notable prospect before the season, I’m relatively certain that that run is over for good.
Most Disappointing Player – Billy Rowell – He struggled in every way imaginable this season; his batting average plummeted, minimal power production, poor defense, a lack of effort, and a poor attitude. Rowell has all of the gifts in the world, and that’s what makes his season the most disappointing of anyone in this system. Yes, he is very young, but couple the bad numbers with the arguably worse intangibles and he gets this ‘award’ in a runaway.
Manager of the Year – Brad Komminsk – I understand this is a prospect award segment, but I did want to take a moment to recognize Komminsk for his fantastic work with the Bowie Baysox this summer. He both developed young talent and created a winning atmosphere with a team that hadn’t found themselves in the playoffs for ten years. He did a masterful job handling his pitching staff and he deserves to be commended by all Orioles fans for his performance.
Special Awards:
Melvin Mora Award (or, “the late-bloomer award”) – Luis Montanez – “Sweet Lou”, they’ve come to call him in Bowie; Luis Montanez has found new life with the Baltimore Orioles. He was first drafted in 2000 as the 3rd overall pick by the Chicago Cubs, and failed to match up to expectations. His early encounters with the higher levels of competition were marked by failure and disappointment. For that reason he was essentially given up on and the Orioles picked him up as a minor league free agent. Fast forward and you have a 26-year old outfielder winning the Triple Crown in a league that he didn’t even play in for a month, batting .305 in the majors with three home runs in 36 games. That’s what we like to call a late-bloomer.
Mark Prior Award (or, “the once-amazing-talent-who-can-never-find-the-field-anymore award”) – Hayden Penn – This should be relatively easy for any Orioles fan who has had the misfortune of tracking this once top prospect during the past few years. Unlike Mark Prior, Hayden Penn’s injuries do not all stem from the arm, but the comparison still remains. Hayden Penn’s string of injuries makes it difficult to discern whether his lackluster performance is a result of diminished ability or simply not having enough time and opportunity to get into a groove. Whether it is appendicitis, a shattered bat on the leg, or merely a sore shoulder, this prospect can’t catch a break. Here’s to hoping for next year.
Manny Ramirez Award (or, “the fantastic-hitter-but-please-don’t-make-an-error award”) – Ryan Adams – The good: he has drawn rave reviews for his bat at Delmarva, reflected in an impressive .308 batting average for the 21-year old. The bad: he broke the record for errors in a season at second base. Hence the Manny Ramirez comparison. Unfortunately he’s not a good enough hitter to move to a corner infielder or outfielder position, and is going to have to get things straight to stay at second base. This is why people are very divided on what sort of prospect he will be, and why I personally leave him off of my Top-20 Orioles Prospects.
Jeff Fiorentino Award (or, “the horrendously-overmatched award”) – Billy Rowell – At 19, Billy Rowell proved that he had no business playing at High-A Frederick in his dismal performance this season. Many Orioles fans remember Jeff Fiorentino, who was rushed up to Baltimore early in his career and was hopelessly overmatched at the major league level. The one difference with Rowell is that I believe the organization had good reason to put him in this situation. With Billy Rowell the problem is with arrogance, and so I believe the Orioles front office might have been looking for him to experience this failure to ‘bring him down to earth’, so to speak.
Jamie Moyer Award (or, "the way-too-old-to-be-still-around award") - Julio Manon - Yes, that Julio Manon, who made a brief appearance with the Orioles last season and got pounded. Probably because of his straight fastball that serves up hits to major leaguers. Nonetheless this 35-year-old pitcher is still going, serving as the closer for the Bowie Baysox this season and accumulating a league-best 32 saves this season. If the man loves the game and can contribute to the Baysox, who am I to argue?
Photo Credits (top-to-bottom): Matt Wieters (MiLB.com); Brandon Snyder (Mike Janes/MLB.com); Lou Montanez (Will Bentzel/MLB.com)
Friday, August 22, 2008
Brandon Erbe: In Control (ATH and Scout.com Report)
Before the summer ends, I traveled to Frederick to see the Keys for orioles.scout.com. My friend Michael Jaffe sent me to check out Brandon Erbe on Thursday, and we chose the right day. You can check out the article here. Hopefully I'll be checking out a few more games before seasons end.
Brandon Erbe: In Control
Brandon Erbe made a good first impression in his full season debut in 2006 leading to lofty expectations in what turned out to be a disappointing 2007. This year, Erbe is reaching those expectations, putting 2007 behind him. Inside, find out what has contributed to Erbe's turnaround.
Brandon Erbe, Baltimore’s 3rd Round pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, had a disappointing 2007 despite the high expectations a solid full season debut in 2006 created. In his second year with Frederick, the 20-year-old has worked on his complimentary pitches and sharpened his mechanics, greatly improving from last season. In one year’s time, he has dropped his ERA from 6.26 in 2007 to 4.71 this season.
Thursday night, Erbe threw six shutout innings, notching six strikeouts in a 2-1 extra innings victory over the Lynchburg Hillcats. Though 97 pitches were thrown, only five runners reached base, two on walks, the fifth consecutive start Erbe has walked three or fewer batters.
Already armed with a powerful mid-90s fastball, a lot of the year has been spent working on refining Erbe’s other pitches, including his changeup, curveball, and slider. The Carolina League has solid fastball-hitting squads, giving Erbe the chance to work on the latter pitches.
“I’m gonna need my changeup in the future, and you really don’t get better with it unless you throw it, that’s what I did tonight,” Erbe said about tonight’s performance, “By the end of the game they were looking for changeups, looking for curveballs, so I threw a few sliders.”
Erbe said that today’s win “gives me confidence in my other pitches like my changeup and my slider, so I know I can throw them when I need to.”
Frederick pitching coach Blaine Beatty, who has worked with Erbe his entire time with the Keys, has been helping Erbe change his delivery while improving his pitches, and was very happy about Erbe’s performance Thursday night.
“Tonight when he went into the game, we wanted to establish the fact that this is a good fastball-hitting team, and he had to use all of his pitches, especially his changeup,” Beatty explained “That changeup was a key pitch tonight.”
In addition to improving command, a stress this season has been working on the slider and change. One stat that generally indicates an improved change is the batting average against for left-handed batters against right-handed pitchers, and vice versa. Erbe has limited lefties to a .236 average, more than 50 points lower than last year.
Though the ERA may seem high, Erbe has established solid control during the season. He leads the Keys with 142 strikeouts to only 47 walks in 143.2 IP, reducing his walks per nine innings to the lowest of his career, 3.06 BB/9 IP.
Coach Beatty isn’t worried about the high pitch-count. Erbe does have two complete games, the only ones Frederick has this season.
“That might be his M.O. for a while until he really settles in gets it doing with his new delivery.”
Though Erbe is improving, he knows he has work to do, but tonight was a good sign for the future.
“Tonight is what I kind of approach, I have to throw my off-speed stuff for a strike and be consistent around the zone. If I can keep guys off my fastball and guessing a little bit, that’s when success is going to come.”
There is no word on whether or not Erbe will pitch in the fall or winter for the Orioles. But for now, he’s focused on the remainder of the season, as the Keys are currently 4 games out of a playoff spot with 9 games remaining.
Brandon Erbe: In Control
Brandon Erbe made a good first impression in his full season debut in 2006 leading to lofty expectations in what turned out to be a disappointing 2007. This year, Erbe is reaching those expectations, putting 2007 behind him. Inside, find out what has contributed to Erbe's turnaround.
Brandon Erbe, Baltimore’s 3rd Round pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, had a disappointing 2007 despite the high expectations a solid full season debut in 2006 created. In his second year with Frederick, the 20-year-old has worked on his complimentary pitches and sharpened his mechanics, greatly improving from last season. In one year’s time, he has dropped his ERA from 6.26 in 2007 to 4.71 this season.
Thursday night, Erbe threw six shutout innings, notching six strikeouts in a 2-1 extra innings victory over the Lynchburg Hillcats. Though 97 pitches were thrown, only five runners reached base, two on walks, the fifth consecutive start Erbe has walked three or fewer batters.
Already armed with a powerful mid-90s fastball, a lot of the year has been spent working on refining Erbe’s other pitches, including his changeup, curveball, and slider. The Carolina League has solid fastball-hitting squads, giving Erbe the chance to work on the latter pitches.
“I’m gonna need my changeup in the future, and you really don’t get better with it unless you throw it, that’s what I did tonight,” Erbe said about tonight’s performance, “By the end of the game they were looking for changeups, looking for curveballs, so I threw a few sliders.”
Erbe said that today’s win “gives me confidence in my other pitches like my changeup and my slider, so I know I can throw them when I need to.”
Frederick pitching coach Blaine Beatty, who has worked with Erbe his entire time with the Keys, has been helping Erbe change his delivery while improving his pitches, and was very happy about Erbe’s performance Thursday night.
“Tonight when he went into the game, we wanted to establish the fact that this is a good fastball-hitting team, and he had to use all of his pitches, especially his changeup,” Beatty explained “That changeup was a key pitch tonight.”
In addition to improving command, a stress this season has been working on the slider and change. One stat that generally indicates an improved change is the batting average against for left-handed batters against right-handed pitchers, and vice versa. Erbe has limited lefties to a .236 average, more than 50 points lower than last year.
Though the ERA may seem high, Erbe has established solid control during the season. He leads the Keys with 142 strikeouts to only 47 walks in 143.2 IP, reducing his walks per nine innings to the lowest of his career, 3.06 BB/9 IP.
Coach Beatty isn’t worried about the high pitch-count. Erbe does have two complete games, the only ones Frederick has this season.
“That might be his M.O. for a while until he really settles in gets it doing with his new delivery.”
Though Erbe is improving, he knows he has work to do, but tonight was a good sign for the future.
“Tonight is what I kind of approach, I have to throw my off-speed stuff for a strike and be consistent around the zone. If I can keep guys off my fastball and guessing a little bit, that’s when success is going to come.”
There is no word on whether or not Erbe will pitch in the fall or winter for the Orioles. But for now, he’s focused on the remainder of the season, as the Keys are currently 4 games out of a playoff spot with 9 games remaining.
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