Baltimore Orioles: Spenser Watkins looking solid on mound early in 2022

Spenser Watkins was drafted in the 30th round of Major League Baseball Draft in 2014 by the Detroit Tigers. After never reaching the Majors in the Tigers, and before he signed a minor league deal with the Baltimore Orioles back in February of 2021, Watkins was slated to be the new head coach of the Paradise Valley freshman high school baseball team in Arizona. Talk about a change of plans for the better!

Spenser Watkins looked solid again on the mound for the Baltimore Orioles

Spenser Watkins continued the Baltimore Orioles’ solid pitching performances on April 18 against the Oakland Athletics. He went 5 innings, allowing two hits, one walk, and one earned run while also recording a strikeout. A few unfortunate defensive blunders by Ramón Urías and Rougned Odor ended up costing them in a 5-1 loss.

After taking two of three against the New York Yankees, Watkins continued the Orioles’ strong pitching to begin the 2022 Major League Baseball season. Through his first two games, Watkins has thrown 8.0 innings while posting a 2.25 earned run average. The 29-year-old looks to continue his success while the opportunity presents itself this year in Baltimore.

The team’s pitching staff as a whole has been off to an excellent start. Through the first 10 games, the pitching staff has combined for an earned run average of 2.86. With the ace of the staff (John Means) being transferred to the 60 day injured list, the door is wide open for pitchers to make an impact at the big league level. The experience alone could be vital to help the team’s development of pitchers. Losing Means is an absolutely terrible blow to the organization, but once again will provide opportunities for players to succeed.

If the team’s offense can get into gear, especially while the arms are performing at such a high level, maybe the Orioles can win a few more games than what was initially predicted when the 2022 campaign began