Orioles reached agreement on 1 year deal with LHP Wesley Wright

[33rdst]

I'm a bit skeptical about Wright's ability to replace Matusz. I'm particularly concerned about his ability to get important outs in pressure situations. He has been pitching for second division teams who were out of the race by the end of August at the latest. How will he perform on a team in the hunt in September. Matusz has driven us crazy at times but he's also gotten some big outs for us too.

[OsLuvrInKy]

There is probably a pretty good chance that Miller isn't going to be as good as he was last year. I'm not saying Wright is in the same class of relievers, he's not, but Miller may not be lights out, either.

I was thinking along the same lines when I read this one....

Is he good enough to be a Miller replacement?

Is everyone sure that Miller is gonna be good enough to be a Miller replacement?

Lot of truth in the line of thinking that says relievers fluctuate to much from year to year to be worth BIG bucks.

[mdbdotcom]

I'm a bit skeptical about Wright's ability to replace Matusz. I'm particularly concerned about his ability to get important outs in pressure situations. He has been pitching for second division teams who were out of the race by the end of August at the latest. How will he perform on a team in the hunt in September. Matusz has driven us crazy at times but he's also gotten some big outs for us too.

As long as he doesn't come into the game to face a lefty, walk the guy, and leave his mess for O'Day to clean up like Matusz has done do many times over the last two seasons, I'll be happy.

[Frobby]

But .Wright is certainly not a loogy. He's a one inning lefty - that can get a righty out. Not a Miller of 2013-14 but Not bad either. I like it. He's on the team.

Agreed. He faced RHB's 60% of the time last year (with much better success than Matusz- .719 OPS against RHB). That doesn't happen with a true LOOGY and a true LOOGY typically doesn't possess 4 pitches.

I will back off my statement that Wright is a LOOGY. I took a look at how often certain lefties pitched against RHB, and how many innings per game they threw in 2014.

Britton: 67.3% v. RHB, 1.08 IP/G

Matusz: 50.4% v. RHB, 0.82 IP/G

Miller: 59.5% v. RHB, 0.85 IP/G

McFarland 57.6% v. RHB, 1.59 IP/G

McGee: 72.3% v. RHB, 1.03 IP/G

Breslow: 55.0% vs. RHB, 0.91 IP/G

Cecil: 61.1% v. RHB, .80 IP/G

Loup: 64.3% v. RHB, 0.97 IP/G

Coke: 55.6% v. RHB, 0.94 IP/G

Rzepczynski: 44.9% v. RHB, 0.63 IP/G

Duke: 55.9% v. RBH, 0.79 IP/G

Sipp: 50.5% v. RHB, 0.90 IP/G

Duensing: 54.6% v. RHB, 0.88 IP/G

Perkins: 72.3% v. RHB, 0.98 IP/G

Beimel: 53.8% v. RHB, 0.80 IP/G

Cotts: 65.4% v. RHB, 0.91 IP/G

Wright: 59.3% v. RHB, 0.83 IP/G

Of that group of 17 pitchers, Wright was 8th in percentage of RHB faced, and 12th in IP/G. Matusz was 16th in percentage of RHB faced, and 13th in IP/G. Certainly Matusz is more of a LOOGY than Wright, though in IP/G, they are very close.

As to Rzepczynski, wow, he is an extreme LOOGY. 17th of 17 in both percentage of RHB faced and IP/G, and both by a wide margin.

[Crazysilver03]

Like all relievers, the don't accumulate much WAR. But Wright blows Miller out of the water in lifetime WAR.

I don't know if there is an actual point here but Miller did accumulate a lot of negative WAR as a starter.

[Frobby]

As long as he doesn't come into the game to face a lefty, walk the guy, and leave his mess for O'Day to clean up like Matusz has done do many times over the last two seasons, I'll be happy.

Matusz pitched to one batter and walked him two times this season, and once last season. He had eight appearances in that two-year span where he failed to record an out. Wright has had 13 no-out appearances in that span.

[canonfaz]

Matusz pitched to one batter and walked him two times this season, and once last season. He had eight appearances in that two-year span where he failed to record an out. Wright has had 13 no-out appearances in that span.

Matusz is definitely a case where the stats tell a better story than my eyes. Almost every time Matusz gets an out it surprises me. I don't know if it's his body language on the mound or his seemingly average pitches, but I just never have a good feeling when Matusz is on the mound (unless he is facing Ortiz).

[Guest]

I've heard rumblings that Wright's deal is worth $1.7 million. He earned $1.425 million this season.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2014/12/leftovers-for-breakfast-33.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[clapdiddy]

I've heard rumblings that Wright's deal is worth $1.7 million. He earned $1.425 million this season.

http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2014/12/leftovers-for-breakfast-33.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Right player...right price.

[PaulFolk]

He's like a Darren Oliver. He is only 29 or 30.

I don't think Oliver is the best comparison. He didn't become a reliever until he was 35 years old. Wright is 29 and has been a reliever since he was 23. He also strikes out more batters but also walks more than Oliver.

Based on his BR similarity scores, Wright is more like a Yorkis Perez or Will Ohman.

[MurphDogg]

I don't think Oliver is the best comparison. He didn't become a reliever until he was 35 years old. Wright is 29 and has been a reliever since he was 23. He also strikes out more batters but also walks more than Oliver.

Based on his BR similarity scores, Wright is more like a Yorkis Perez or Will Ohman.

Except they are both black. So Darren Oliver it is!

[DrungoHazewood]

Is everyone sure that Miller is gonna be good enough to be a Miller replacement?

I think the greatest fallacy in discussing the O's offseason is the idea that resigning Markakis, Cruz, and Miller would provide their 2014 production in 2015. I think it's a near certainty that the three of them will provide less value in '15 than they did in '14. Maybe half as much.

[Aristotelian]

Except they are both black. So Darren Oliver it is!

Arthur Rhodes?

[Ruzious]

There is probably a pretty good chance that Miller isn't going to be as good as he was last year. I'm not saying Wright is in the same class of relievers, he's not, but Miller may not be lights out, either.

So, you're agreeing with me but trying to make it sound like you're not agreeing with me?

[SouthRider]

This guy is so good he was released by two separate teams. He also is so good that when "MLB tonight" went through the flurry of moves made on Tuesday - and there were a lot of them - this move wasn't even mentioned. It did make the crawl transactions at the bottom of the screen though.