2080: Organizational Report

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https://2080baseball.com/2018/05/weekly-prospect-spotlights-michael-baumann-and-orioles-reports/

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“The first thing I [wanted to do] was get on the same page with my catcher,” Baumann told 2080 Baseball.

He and Stuart Levy, his batterymate at Frederick, game-planned almost as soon as Baumann arrived. He said they talked about how to approach the hitters he would be facing and went over his plan of attack. A big part of that was Baumann continuing to lean on his bread-and-butter pitch, the fastball. But his approach has grown since being drafted in the third round a year ago, and that has meant an increased reliance on his secondary pitches.

“My confidence in my slider and curveball have really grown this year,” Baumann said. “But I still look to attack first with my fastball.”

Baumann has the build of a future rotation staple at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, and has pitched like a true professional since being drafted by Baltimore. In 10 appearances in the Class A Short-Season New York-Penn League in 2017, Baumann gave up only 25 hits in 41 1/3 innings, and walked just 19 batters against 41 strikeouts. He has continued to stymie hitters this season, allowing an average of less than one baserunner per inning.

There’s a pretty simple answer for this success, according to Baumann. He said he trusts his favorite pitch – the fastball – to keep hitters off balance, and his growing confidence in further expanding his repertoire has helped as well. Baumann’s fastball is a slightly above-average pitch that touches the mid 90s, and if he truly can continue to develop his secondaries, his already steady climb through the Orioles system will continue.