It’s that time of year in baseball where promising prospects finally get an opportunity to show what they can do at the major league level. MLB rosters expand to 40 on September 1 and there are plenty of players that could potentially help the Baltimore Orioles down the stretch if called up.
The fact that things are a bit different this year with the team being right in the thick of the American League pennant race means that not as many prospects will get the call this go-round and the team will instead rely on a few more veterans down the stretch than in seasons past.
One of their prized prospects, Manny Machado, was already called up on August 9 and has contributed nicely with the bat and helped stabilize third base defensively – a position he’s essentially had to learn on the fly. I have to say that I’ve been very impressed with his ability to handle all of that in the middle of a pennant race.
There was a rumor floating around for a while that, top pitching prospect, Dylan Bundy was going to get the call when rosters expanded but manager Buck Showalter hinted that Bundy would be heading to the Instructional League as opposed to the Major Leagues.
It would have been pretty cool to see Bundy with the big-league club for this playoff run we are on, but he has already thrown 103.2 innings this season and his innings limit has been reportedly been set at 125. It didn’t seem likely that he would come close to that mark a couple of weeks ago but now that the Bowie Baysox have clinched an Eastern League playoff berth he will most certainly hit, if not eclipse, that mark.
Not calling Bundy up to the majors once rosters expand is the right decision, in my opinion.
Why?
Well, it’s because he wouldn’t be able to do squat for us come playoff time – assuming we get in of course. Since he wouldn’t be called up before September 1 he is ineligible for the playoff roster unless he’s replacing someone that went on the disabled list, and I just don’t see that happening. Not that someone wouldn’t become saddled down by some phantom injury (Kevin Gregg and Ryan Flaherty come to mind) to make room for someone else, but I just don’t see that scenario playing out to make room for Bundy.
Don’t worry; his time will come – next season.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the Orioles have a number of players that were on the active roster and then went on the disabled list. A spot will need to be made for each of them, especially once playoff rosters have to be set.
Players returning from the disabled list that will be practically guaranteed a spot on the playoff roster are Jason Hammel, Troy Patton, Wilson Betemit, and Jim Thome. These four players are all going to be on the roster for the playoffs unless there are any further complications with their health – Patton is the one who worries me the most from that perspective.
With all of that being said, here are five players that I believe are deserving of getting called up:
| Player | 40-Man Roster |
| Jake Arrieta | Yes |
| Xavier Avery | Yes |
| Zach Clark | No |
| Luis Exposito | Yes |
| L.J. Hoes | No |
Arrieta was the Orioles opening day starter for this season and had the type of season you’d rather forget. His ‘contributions’ to the big league club consist of a 3-9 record with a 6.13/4.05 ERA/FIP over 101.1 innings of work (18 starts). However, time in Triple-A has served him well as he appears to finally be ready (mentally) to come back to the big leagues after posting a 4-4 record with a 4.24/4.04 ERA/FIP over 51 innings of work (9 starts) with Norfolk.
I know those numbers aren’t eye-popping or anything but he has worked on the mental side of the game, in that he doesn’t completely implode when a runner or two gets on base against him now. Arrieta will be pitching out of the bullpen now that the rotation is pretty settled (at the moment), if he’s called up which I think we all know he will be, and I think that’s where he will really shine.
Speedy outfielder Avery should also be recalled from Norfolk as he is already on the 40-man roster and is thought of highly enough that he already had two brief stints with the Orioles that saw him bat a combined .233/.317/.356 with six stolen bases and solid defense in left field. Avery will be able to provide speed and defense off the bench down the stretch, two qualities that define a solid fourth outfield option in the major leagues.
Right-handed pitcher Clark would be a great option to call up to stash in the bullpen as he is 14-7 with a 2.95 ERA over 158.2 innings of work between Bowie and Norfolk. The only real obstacle to him being brought up though is the fact that he’s not currently on the 40-man roster. It could be pretty difficult finding someone on the 40-man to take off considering how spectacular the bullpen has been and there just aren’t too many guys on the 40-man that are expendable at the moment.
Catcher Exposito could also get the call back to the Major Leagues when rosters expand. Even though Exposito struggled with the bat during his brief stay with the Orioles in May, he is on the 40 man roster so not only is he easier to call up, but he could provide additional insurance behind the plate for Matt Wieters.
Finally, my dark horse candidate for being called up is 22 year-old Hoes. He is having a fantastic season for Norfolk, batting .307/.378/.406 in 78 games for the club after spending his first 51 games of the season with Bowie. Hoes is also not on the 40-man roster so calling him up is even less likely but you never know – perhaps they think highly enough of him that they will find someone to ship out of town for him.
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