65 replies to this topic

[CA-ORIOLE]

Dude has one nasty splitter that's for sure. If he can command the FB with any reasonable success he'll be very good imo.

[SportsGuy]

AAAA

[BSLChrisStoner]

AAAA

Is there a reason he can't be the next Brach? 

 

[dude]

Is there a reason he can't be the next Brach? 

 

Maybe...if you trade Brach.

[SportsGuy]

Is there a reason he can't be the next Brach? 
 

Brach has better stuff.

[FFH]

Maybe, but we're talking about a guy with a mid-90's fastball and a good offspeed offering that some pitchers have built their careers off of.

He won't close, but there's no reason to think he can't be productive in the majors.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Maybe, but we're talking about a guy with a mid-90's fastball and a good offspeed offering that some pitchers have built their careers off of.

He won't close, but there's no reason to think he can't be productive in the majors.

 

Right, that's my thought.

 

Most importantly, he costs basically nothing.  Don't see him breaking camp with the O's, but figure he will be on the roster at some point.

[Matt_P]

One thing that isn’t clear to me is that PITCHf/x has Drake with a split and a changeup. If they’re the same pitch but the algorithm is tracking them differently, that’s also worth noting. The split had a swinging strike rate of 14.9 percent, which is fine but not overwhelmingly great for a breaking/offspeed strikeout pitch. The changeup, which PITCHf/x caught 31 times, had a swinging strike rate of 29 percent — super elite — and just a .444 OPS against. That is, just two singles.

 

Brooks Baseball and its proprietary models think that they are the same pitch. Brooks thinks that Drake threw 10 sinkers last year, but this is likely incorrect. The 25 sliders is interesting though and may be correct. Pitchf/x thinks he only threw 6.

 

He doesn’t throw the straight fastball too terribly much either way; in his short big league stint he threw the splitter (56 percent) far more frequently than the four-seamer (41.9 percent), and barely threw his slider at all. PITCHf/x says his heater never got above 92.9 mph last year, while the split was generally around 81-82 mph, with a high of 84.6 mph and a low of 78.9. Drake gave up just one home run last year in the big leagues — to Kevin Kiermaier of the Rays — and it came on the fastball. It’s not hard to see why he scorns the fastball, as opponents plastered it to the tune of a .263/.400/.474 line.

 

I feel like these paragraphs didn't come out right. His fastball is his second favorite pitch. I also wonder whether that's a bad sign.

[JeremyStrain]

Brach has better stuff.

 

No he doesn't.

[SportsGuy]

Disagree.  Brach throws harder and had better command.  Can debate who has the better out pitch.

 

The splitter for Drake was rarely a strike and he walked a lot of guys.

 

That being said, it was a SSS I saw of Drake, so maybe he is better than he showed but I saw nothing special out of him at all. 

[RichardZ]

I think Drake is a ML pitcher and certainly better than Chaz Roe.   I also am fearful that Brach regresses this year but that's off point.  Drake has one "great" pitch.   The split.   His effectiveness is relegated to how well he commands his average fastball.   I think his fastball plays up a bit with the straight over the top delivery and also disguises his splitter well.     At worst, I think he's a usable bullpen guy.   At best, a potential Koji Uehara clone if the command on the fastball is there.   Brach may have a better overall repertoire but he doesn't have one singular pitch as good as Drake's split.    Brach also suffers from command issues but I digress again.

[bnickle]

Was thinking about almost the exact thing yesterday. How Koji was a soft tossing fastball/change guy and the comparison to Drake. The fastball command is pretty much the only difference between the two, but it could be a huge difference. Certainly don't expect Drake to be as effective as Koji was as a RP, but I have belief he can be effective.

[CA-ORIOLE]

Koji would be nice. Of course he also reminds me of Preston Guilmet.

[BSLChrisStoner]

MASN: Oliver Drake rewarded for dominant week at Triple-A Norfolk
http://www.masnsport...-a-norfolk.html

[Mike B]

I am a believer in you always have the best 25 on your MLB roster when you are a contender.

 

The Orioles are a contender.   Who is a better fit in the pen UJ or Drake.

 

Baseball wise definitely Drake, IMO.  There are about 20 million reasons why UJ has his spot.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Rough couple of outings. Not taking advantage of the opportunity.

[You Play to Win the Game]

Rough couple of outings. Not taking advantage of the opportunity.

It's worse than that... He's currently incapable of throwing anywhere near the plate without getting lit up like a Christmas tree.

[SBTarheel]

It's been real, Ollie. All the best at Norfolk. 

 

#Worley

[Mashed Potatoes]

Terry Matthews Jr-esque so far.

[SBTarheel]

Terry Matthews Jr-esque so far.

RIP

 

But yeah.