Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports
For one reason or another, a lot of MLB experts are questioning the Baltimore Orioles choice to trade for Bud Norris formerly of the Houston Astros. Norris was the one the O’s decided to bring in at the trade deadline to bolster their starting rotation. He has performed very well this season and in years past but many think the leap from the struggling Astros to the playoff fighting Orioles will be too much for the young pitcher. I couldn’t disagree more.
Norris couldn’t feel a ton more strange pressure than he did when he had to switch clubhouses and uniforms in the middle of the Astros and Orioles series this week. He just went out, limited his team to a couple of runs and got the win. The Orioles are a great offensive team. If Norris can hold the other team to three or fewer runs, he’ll pick up quite a few runs before the end of the season.
As far as the pressure of playing for the playoffs and potentially in the playoffs, his own excitement over the deal speaks to why I think he will be fine. Norris said he liked Houston but has watched other fellow players get traded to contenders for a few years now and was very excited to get the chance to play for the playoffs himself.
The fact that he is pumped about it isn’t going to make him good at pressure baseball all by itself but the way Norris pitches and his demeanor on the mound should speak to the rest of it. He won’t be overwhelmed by extra pressure. He strikes me as the type of guy that will flourish in the pressure role and might even end up as a much better pitcher than he is right now. Plus, judging by the picture above, he doesn’t appear to be all that stressed out. It may very well be that he can wash all that off with a bottle of champagne after a successful stretch run.
David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google Plus.
