Orioles’ Potential Pitching Rotation to Start 2020

The Orioles are continuing their rebuild, which has led to some rough seasons. In 2019, the team went 54-108, which resulted in them finishing last in the AL East.

It will be a few years before Baltimore will seriously compete, but in the meantime, they should focus on developing their talent and winning as many games as possible.

Here is a look at what the Orioles’ pitching rotation could look like if the season isn’t canceled due to COVID-19.

1) John Means

The ace of Baltimore’s staff is John Means, who has shown to have some potential. He has a career record of 12-11 with a 3.81 ERA. Means has spent a little more than a year with the Orioles and was their All-Star representative last season.

In 2019, Means went 12-11 with an ERA of 3.60. He pitched 155 innings, which is a good start for his first professional season. This season he will be focused on making the most of his innings and leading the pitching staff.

Means doesn’t have any postseason experience, but it will be a few years before he will get that opportunity in Baltimore. He missed an exhibition start with a dead arm, so he’ll need to recover quickly to be the Opening Day starter.

Alex Cobb (Photo by forbes.com)

2) Alex Cobb

Cobb has spent time with the Rays and Orioles in his eight-year career. He has a career record of 53-52 and an ERA of 3.85. His best seasons came in 2013 and 2014 in Tampa Bay, where he posted a sub-3.00 ERA in both seasons.

His time with the Orioles has been injury-plagued, as he only pitched in three games last season. He finished the season 0-2 with a 10.95 ERA and his season ended with hip surgery. Cobb is eager to prove himself again this season with the Orioles.

If the Orioles somehow shock the world and make the postseason, Cobb does have experience. In 2013 with the Rays, he had a 1.54 ERA and a 1-0 record in two starts.

3) Wade LeBlanc

LeBlanc is an 11-year veteran who has bounced around the league during his time in the majors. He has a 45-47 career record and an ERA of 4.46. With 860 career innings pitched, the lefty’s job will be to eat up innings for the Orioles, even in a shortened season.

Like past years, LeBlanc bounced around from a role in the starting rotation and bullpen last season with the Mariners. He had a 5.71 ERA in 26 games pitched. His record was 6-7, as he pitched in 121.1 innings.

He will be looking to regain his form from two seasons ago, when he went 9-5 with a 3.72 ERA.

4) Asher Wojciechowski

Wojciechowski has been a minor leaguer for the majority of his career. He has pitched for the Orioles, Reds and Astros, but with limited success. His record is just 8-12 and he has an ERA of 5.76.

He has found more success in the minor leagues with a 63-46 record and a 4.03 ERA. The Orioles have limited depth at starter in their organization, so Wojciechowski is getting his chance to prove he can be a big league pitcher, even at 31 years old.

5) Tommy Milone

Milone is another veteran who has bounced around the league in his nine-year career. The lefty has posted a career record of 50-47 and an ERA of 4.47. Milone showed promise with the A’s earlier in his career, but has had trouble recapturing what he once had.

In 2019, Milone went 4-10 with the Mariners with a 4.76 ERA. It was the first time his ERA was under 5.00 since 2015. His 111.2 innings pitched were the most he had in a season since 2015 as well.

Milone will keep the fifth spot in the rotation as long as he is pitching decently, but the Orioles may want to get young arms some experience if he struggles.

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