Baltimore Orioles Executive Vice President Dan Duquette says the team needs to do a better job developing their young pitching if they hope to continue competing in the AL East, reports the Baltimore Sun.
Orioles need to improve developing young pitchers, Dan Duquette says
The Orioles missed the postseason despite an excellent offensive performance.
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Of six Baltimore pitchers to start at least 10 games in 2013, only Chris Tillman spent more than a year in the Orioles' minor league system to develop. Other top pitching prospects such as Jake Arrieta, Zach Britton and Brian Matusz have all disappointed in their time with the Orioles.
“We have to do a better job with our developmental program,” Duquette told the Sun. “But we’ve made some strides. We have some young pitchers on the horizon, but again, if you’re going to be in the playoffs and you’re going to compete, you’re going to need some solid dependable starting pitcher, and I would say a pitcher who starts 30 games and gives 200 innings, that’s terrific. Tillman should be commended, but our goal would be to develop four pitchers like that.”
The Orioles missed the postseason in 2013 despite scoring the fifth most runs in the MLB. The team’s starting rotation had the fourth-worst ERA (4.57) in the American League. Further, only two starters were able to pitch 150 innings and Tillman was the only pitcher to toss 200 innings while making at least 30 starts.
Duquette says the team will take a look at starting pitching on the free agency and trade markets, but does not foresee the Orioles making a big splash that way.
Baltimore has two big-time pitching prospects coming in Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman, though Bundy is out for several more months after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June.
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