Results tagged ‘ Pat Egan ’
Pat Egan, relief pitcher
What will it take for the brass to look at him?
He’ll have to keep pitching brilliantly and the Orioles’ bullpen will have to implode. After spending 2010 and 2011 pitching effectively at Bowie and ineffectively at Norfolk, he returned to Bowie for 2012 and pitched even more effectively than he had in 2010 and 2011. He was promoted to Norfolk late in the year, and pitched effectively in 16 innings.
Egan’s a classic right-handed sinkerball pitcher. He has great control and doesn’t give up home runs, but doesn’t strike out batters and gives up hits. Even at Bowie in 2012, posting a 1.60 ERA, he gave up 50 hits in 50 2/3 innings. He’s not the type of pitcher who gets chances, but if he pitches well enough in Norfolk, his numbers will eventually grab someone’s attention. And if the Orioles then need a relief pitcher, he might get the call. He might have a good year as a major leaguer, but probably not.
Pat Egan, relief pitcher
Where does he stand?
It’s amazing. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a pitcher who was so effective at AA be so ineffective at AAA. Egan, a tall (6’7″) right-hander who doesn’t throw hard, pitched the first half of 2010 at Bowie and was great; so he got promoted to Norfolk and was terrible. He started the 2011 season at Norfolk and was terrible, so he got demoted to Bowie and pitched great. Overall, he’s pitched 85 innings at Bowie with a 2.33 ERA, 64 hits allowed, and a 20-58 walk-to-strikeout ratio; he’s pitched 75 2/3 innings at Norfolk with a 5.11 ERA, 110 hits allowed, and a 25-39 walk-to-strikeout ratio.
He’s certainly not as good as his AA numbers, nor probably not as bad as his AAA numbers. Egan is a pitch-to-contact type, and it’s possible that AAA betters are substantially better at making solid contact than AA batters. Norfolk hasn’t had a really strong infield defense, and maybe Egan’s been more adversely affected by that than other pitchers.
Whatever the reason, on June 28, 2010, Pat Egan was a 25-year-old pitcher who had established himself in AA and was looking to conquer AAA. Today, Pat Egan is a 27-year-old pitcher who has established himself in AA, and has failed miserably in AAA. Egan’s prospects for a baseball career have dimmed considerably. To continue his career, he’s got to start 2012 in AAA and pitch well in AAA.
Opening Day Roster
Major-league opening day is March 31, and the Tides’ opening day is a week later, April 7. The impending cutdown of the major-league roster means that the minor-league rosters will be identified, and so I’ve been following the Orioles transactions in the small print of the newspapers. There’s really no difference between being “optioned” and being “assigned to minor league camp” — players on the 40-man roster are optioned and players not on the 40-man roster are assigned to minor league camp. Final team assignments won’t be made, in some cases, until the day before the minor league season begins.
That doesn’t mean we don’t have a pretty good idea about some of the Tides. For example, Matt Angle has been optioned to Norfolk. Angle had a good 2010 season for the Tides, and he plays center field, so it’s almost certain that he’ll actually end up in Norfolk. For other players, it’s a numbers game. Although Chorye Spoon pitched pretty well in the Eastern League, and would usually be promoted to the Tides this season, he may wind up back in the Eastern League if Norfolk has too many other starting pitchers for the Tides. (That happened to Jason Berken two years ago; he was promoted after about a week when a spot opened up.) On the other hand, guys like Pedro Viola and Pat Egan are organization roster filler, and will be assigned wherever there’s room. And, some players, both former prospects and veteran free-agent signings, may be released outright if their particular skills aren’t needed.
Pat Egan, relief pitcher
Why would the Brewers select him in the Rule 5 Draft? Can he stick?
Egan, who is 6’8″ and a member of the Very Tall Pitchers Without Good Fastballs club, was terrible with the Tides after he was called up from Bowie. He didn’t strike anybody out (17 in 37 innings) and was generally hit hard (54 hits in those 37 innings.) The good news is (1) he pitched much better in lower levels from 2008 through the first half of 2010; (2) he didn’t give up home runs; and (3) he didn’t walk anybody (9). It seems clear that he’s a pitch-to-contact sinker/slider pitcher. The Brewers took him in the major-league phase of the Rule 5 draft.
I don’t get it. Egan turned 26 in October, so he has zero star potential. Based on what I saw in AAA, there’s no way he can help a major-league team right now. I’m guessing that the Brewers’ scouts saw something in him that they liked. The Orioles took a Brewers pitcher who’s equally unready in the Rule 5 draft; maybe they’ll just work out a deal.
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