Gray Fenter

[LookinUp]

He pitched 83 innings last year and is at 67 this year. I do wonder why he hasn't been sent to Frederick yet given his age and results. It seems like he could throw another 30-40 innings this year if they wanted. 

I'd like to see him against better competition to start to understand whether he's an old guy tearing up a young league or an actual good prospect. Still, I assume the org has its reasons and they're related to his development, so I'll just have to be patient.

[MurphDogg]

He is Rule 5 eligible and I don't see any way the Orioles add him to the 40-man roster at the end of this season, so it really behooves them for him to lay low the rest of this season. If he were to go up to Frederick and have a great six weeks, maybe someone takes a flier on him as a Rule 5 look-and-see in spring training to see if he can hold down a long relief spot in an MLB bullpen.

 

If he start next season at Frederick and goes to Bowie if he pitches well, he can potentially get back his prospect luster and potentially get added to the 40-man roster after next season.

[LookinUp]

27 minutes ago, MurphDogg said:

He is Rule 5 eligible and I don't see any way the Orioles add him to the 40-man roster at the end of this season, so it really behooves them for him to lay low the rest of this season. If he were to go up to Frederick and have a great six weeks, maybe someone takes a flier on him as a Rule 5 look-and-see in spring training to see if he can hold down a long relief spot in an MLB bullpen.

 

If he start next season at Frederick and goes to Bowie if he pitches well, he can potentially get back his prospect luster and potentially get added to the 40-man roster after next season.

I would certainly take a risk on him if I were another team. There's virtually no risk to bringing a guy like that to spring training. I wonder if the O's are considering protecting him? My guess is they are.

 

[sportsfan8703]

Another good outing. 

5 IP 0ER 8K 3BB 2H ERA-2.03 for the year. 

23yo but had TJ surgery. I’d say he’s back on the prospect radar. 

[Luke-OH]

2 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

99 pitches in 5 innings.  Just saying.  Good to see him putting together a nice season.  Coincidentally, Nate Showalters other guy, Jaylen Ferguson is showing a pulse at Delmarva after showing absolutely nothing for years.

I watched a number of his plate appearances, he looks like a ballplayer, it's a premium pro body and he can really hit a fastball. I don't think he can throw enough for centerfield and I don't think the bat plays in a corner though.  

[hoosiers]

I enjoyed watching Ferguson at Aberdeen when he has been in the NY/NJ area.  He has some nice speed and some athleticism, but barely has fit into his uniform and has been overmatched as a hitter.  I was surprised so see him still with the organization this year, frankly, and thought he was just a good defensive CFer to have in our system.  If JF added some weight and strength, I am sure that it would improve his prospect profile, but he seems far behind guys like Nichting and I expect he will soon be passed by Stowers and Watson, but would love to be wrong.

[Frobby]

3 scoreless innings tonight, 1 hit, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts.   ERA to 1.95.  

[Luke-OH]

6 minutes ago, Frobby said:

3 scoreless innings tonight, 1 hit, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts.   ERA to 1.95.  

The curveball looked really good tonight, best I've seen it. The fastball was only low 90s, but he's got some ride on it and he is pretty good at locating it up and then breaking off the 12-6 curve from a high arm slot. Changeup practically non-existent, I don't see how it can work as a starter, but think he'd be a fast mover in the pen. 

[sportsfan8703]

7 hours ago, Luke-OH said:

The curveball looked really good tonight, best I've seen it. The fastball was only low 90s, but he's got some ride on it and he is pretty good at locating it up and then breaking off the 12-6 curve from a high arm slot. Changeup practically non-existent, I don't see how it can work as a starter, but think he'd be a fast mover in the pen. 

So as a reliever profile, where would you view him If you had to rate him against Phillips, Carroll, Pop?  Just trying to see what I should reasonably expect from him. 

[Luke-OH]

5 minutes ago, sportsfan8703 said:

So as a reliever profile, where would you view him If you had to rate him against Phillips, Carroll, Pop?  Just trying to see what I should reasonably expect from him. 

Pop is better if he recovers from TJS successfully. That's an easy call. 

Carroll is tricky because he's been hurt all year and unlike Pop, I'm not sure what the prognosis is. Carroll at his best (2017 AFL) is clearly better than Fenter, Carroll in minor league video in 2018 is pretty comparable, Carroll with the better fastball, Fenter with the better breaking ball. As of this moment, I'd take Fenter even though he's still in the low minors. 

He's better than Phillips, Phillips has a tick or two on him but Fenter has better command and a much better breaking ball. 

[sportsfan8703]

1 minute ago, Luke-OH said:

Pop is better if he recovers from TJS successfully. That's an easy call. 

Carroll is tricky because he's been hurt all year and unlike Pop, I'm not sure what the prognosis is. Carroll at his best (2017 AFL) is clearly better than Fenter, Carroll in minor league video in 2018 is pretty comparable, Carroll with the better fastball, Fenter with the better breaking ball. As of this moment, I'd take Fenter even though he's still in the low minors. 

He's better than Phillips, Phillips has a tick or two on him but Fenter has better command and a much better breaking ball. 

Fenter has been a good story. Was just making sure that I wasn’t thinking he was a back end rotation type, and really he is Carroll/Phillips type. I’ll take it. It’s not like we’re over flowing with results from the pen in MLB/AAA. 

[Ruzious]

But if they think he's a prospect, they gotta move him up - he's a 23 year old in the Sally League.  

[Ruzious]

13 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

Or what?  Either way, he almost undoubtedly starts at Frederick next year.

Last I checked, that would be moving him up.  

[Ruzious]

1 minute ago, RZNJ said:

Seemed like you were saying they gotta move him up ASAP.

Generally speaking, if they have 23 year olds in the Sally League that they consider legitimate prospects, they should move them up at a relatively fast rate.  

[Tony-OH]

I think a lot of people have been ignoring Gray Fenter, but I watched an outing of his and I gotta say he's definitely on the prospect radar. I've seen him up to 95 MPH this year with an hammer 12-6 curveball. I think he'll throw harder in a relief role and could be a 96-97 guy with a hard curve. 

Over his last 12 starts since June 1st, batter have slashed .187/.279/.235/.514 off him and he has a 1.53 ERA, 60 Ks and 20 BBs over the 47 IP. His command is not always great, but he gets a ton of swing and miss on his fastball as well as the curve. He'll be 24 next year so the Orioles might want to consider making that switch to the pen and putting him on the fast track.