Ross Wolf, relief pitcher

Who is he?

A generic pitcher who pitched for the Tides in 2009 and the first half of 2010. He was traded to Oakland for Jake Fox, which tells you how much Oakland wanted to get rid of Jake Fox.

Wolf was drafted and signed by the Marlins in 2002, and signed with the Orioles as a six-year minor league free agent after the 2008 season. There is absolutely nothing distinctive about him; I don’t think I remember any of his appearances I saw. He gives up an average number of hits; has okay but not great control; doesn’t strike out a lot of hitters. His one positive is that he doesn’t give up home runs. He generally pitched when the starter got knocked out early or at the end of blowouts.

Can he pitch in the majors?

Probably, but he won’t get much of a chance unless (1) he somehow gets promoted into a higher-leverage AAA role; (2) pitches outstandingly in that role; and (3) gets called up and pitches outstandingly in the majors. Otherwise, at best, he’ll probably be limited to pitching twelve innings a year when the staff is overworked.