Armando Gabino, pitcher

What happened to him?

After pitching very well with Norfolk in 2010, Gabino started 2011 with the Tides and continued to pitch well. Then, suddenly, he completely lost his control and became ineffective, and was sent back down to Bowie. Eventually, he regained his control and pitched well for Bowie, but because the BaySox were in a playoff race and Norfolk wasn’t remained in AA.

Unfortuately for Gabino, his 2011 probably derailed his chances for a decent big-league shot. Gabino turned 28 at the end of August, 2011. Had he not suffered his control lapse and subsequent demotion, he might have been promoted to Baltimore and given a chance to prove himself. Had he done so, he’d be entering 2012 as a 28-year-old major-league pitcher — certainly not a potential star, but someone who could have a two-to-three-year career as a middle relief pitcher. Now, however, he’s a 28-year-old AA pitcher who washed out of AAA. That’s a big difference.