The ‘regular season’ play at the Arizona Fall League for 2013 has come to an end and eight young players from the Orioles’ organization saw action for the Surprise Saguaros. Highlighted below is a brief overview of how each performed:
Tim Berry: The 22-year-old Berry pitched 14.2 innings through 7 games, 2 of which were starts. His record finished 2 & 0, with an ERA of 1.84 and he struck-out 11 hitters. All in all, a very promising campaign.
Jason Gurka: Gurka, a 25-year-old who spent the 2013 season at AA Bowie, also had a promising trip to Arizona and like Berry, finished with a 2 & 0 record. In 11 games he pitched 13.1 innings and worked to an ERA of 3.38. He struck-out 8 hitters.
Branden Kline: A Maryland native, 22-year-old Kline did not have an enjoyable AFL campaign. In 10 appearances he pitched 13.2 innings and allowed 16 earned runs, despite striking-out 14 hitters.
Eduardo Rodriguez: One of the most promising young pitchers on the Orioles radar, 20-year-old Rodriguez threw 14.2 innings in 5 starts, working to an ERA of 5.52 – Somewhat higher than he would have liked. He struck-out 16 hitters but allowed 16 hits and 6 walks. Command was an issue early in the campaign however improved later on.
Michael Ohlman: 22-year-old Ohlman played in 10 games, hiting .290 and achieving an on-base percentage of .476. He drew 11 walks and of Ohlman’s 9 hits, 7 were extra-bases (3 doubles and 4 home runs). Impressive stuff from the young Catcher.
Jonathan Schoop: After a dream ending to his 2013 season with the Orioles, 22-year-old Schoop struggled in Arizona, hitting just .177 in 16 games. Schoop did blast 3 home runs, however the 17 strike-outs is concerning. Also somewhat concerning was the 5 errors he committed in the field.
Dariel Alvarez: The 24-year-old from Cuba appeared in 19 games, hitting .239 with an on-base percentage of .268. A solid campaign, but he probably would have hope for better.
Henry Urrutia: After an impressive 2013 season which saw Urrutia dominate at AA Bowie and AAA Norfolk, as well as performing strongly in his limited amount of appearances with the Orioles, Urrutia also dominated in Arizona. In 18 games Urrutia had 26 hits and an average of .377. Any doubts about his power were silenced after he hit 3 big home runs, including a massive grand slam bomb over center field.
The Surprise Saguaros played in the AFL Championship game on Saturday and a number of the Orioles again featured heavily. Urrutia went 2 for 3 with 2 doubles, Schoop went 1-3, Rodriguez pitched 3 scoreless innings and Berry also threw a scoreless innings.
Written by: Daniel Clark of Pen and Paper Sports
