Shane Baz made his Baltimore Orioles debut Friday afternoon against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Orioles acquired Baz in a blockbuster trade with the Tampa Bay Rays on December 19. In return the Rays received a haul of prospects including former first round picks in Caden Bodine and Slater de Brun. The Orioles also sent highly ranked prospects Michael Forret and Austin Overn in the deal.
Baz’s Stellar Spring Debut
Shane Baz showed out in his debut in Oriole orange Friday. He went 2 1/3 innings against the Pirates, fanning four hitters in the process. Along the way Baz also created eight whiffs and a whiff rate of 36%. Baz’s arm also looks to already be in mid-season form as his fastball topped out at 98.6 mph in the game. Additionally, the Pirates could not muster a single hit off of the righty and only achieved two baserunners via walk with Baz on the mound.
After his acquisition in December, Orioles President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias raved about the new arm and former 12th overall pick coming to the Orioles. Elias said that he “had a lot of familiarity with Baz” and had even met his parents during the draft process in 2017. Baz, a Houston, Texas native, entered professional baseball while Elias worked with the Houston Astros. Elias said of Baz, “I think he’s kind of a perfect fit for us in our rotation and our team right now,” and added that Baz “is probably one of the best starting pitcher arms in the major leagues.” The Orioles starter backed up that praise with his stellar performance in his spring training debut.
Looking Ahead
The Baltimore Orioles will host the Atlanta Braves on Saturday at 1:05 pm Eastern at Ed Smith Stadium. Kyle Bradish will take the mound against Spencer Strider, who will be making his spring debut.
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