New O's RHP López looks for fresh start with Orioles

Right-hander Jorge López, the newest Orioles pitcher, might look at the club's roster and realize that several players once claimed on waivers by the team are currently playing very well. He'd like to be next.

Designated for assignment recently by the Kansas City Royals, he was a waiver claim of the Orioles during last Sunday's game at Washington. He's not had consistent major league success yet and hopes a fresh start in Baltimore can boost that possibility.

His resume shows he was a second-round draft pick out of Caguas, Puerto Rico by Milwaukee in 2011. Six times for the Brewers - every year from 2012 through 2017 - he was a top 30 prospect. Following the 2015 season, when he was the Double-A Southern League Pitcher of the Year, he was rated as Milwaukee's No. 2 prospect and was No. 59 in Baseball America's top 100. He pitched in the Futures Game in 2014.

At the time he was selected in the second round in 2011, he was Puerto Rico's second-highest-drafted pitcher ever, behind Luis Atilano, whom Atlanta took in the first round (35th overall) in 2003.

Kansas City acquired López in July 2018 in a deal that sent Mike Moustakas to Milwaukee. Now he's trying to wrap his head around one team cutting him loose but another giving him his latest major league shot.

"I will say a lot I've gone through in my head," López, 27, said in a Zoom interview today. "I'm a really positive guy and I take it a day at a time. Been kind of crazy, my first time getting DFA'd. It was kind of like a shock, but I knew there was a possibility of a team picking me up. I'm such a blessed man being here with the Orioles. I'm really pumped since the day they picked me. Getting to talk with all the staff, everybody, the treatment has been great so far. It's been exciting."

Now the O's will try to take another player with promise and potential and see if he can achieve big league success for the first time. Manager Brandon Hyde seemed pretty excited to get López when he talked about him today.

The Orioles saw his potential in person last year at Camden Yards. On Aug. 19 he started for the Royals and pitched five innings against the Orioles, allowing just one run on two hits.

"He threw the ball great against us," said Hyde. "I'm really excited to add him. This is a guy that has starter stuff. He's got a really good fastball. I love the frame. I love the delivery. He's got a mid-90s fastball with movement and I like the breaking ball. Really excited about adding him. He'll be long relief to start and we'll see how it goes. A nice add for our roster."

Hyde added that López, who is out of options, could make a start for the club later in the year.

López went 4-9 with a 6.33 ERA in 123 2/3 innings in 2019 for the Royals, making 18 starts among his 39 games. In 190 career innings with the Brewers and Royals he is 7-15 with a 5.97 ERA along with a 3.3 walk rate and 7.4 strikeout rate. He made his first opening day roster last year and was in Kansas City's rotation to start the year, but he went 0-6 with a 7.07 ERA in 10 games.

López said he does indeed look at joining the Orioles as a fresh start and clean slate.

"Absolutely," he said. "The first time it happened in 2018 was the same kind of thing. Just get my mind clean when I got traded to Kansas City. This is a little different, but I just have to clean my mind and execute what is going next. I'm a new guy. I'm a new student for the Orioles, and just try to take advantage of what they can bring me.

"I played versus Renato Núñez a couple of times when he was with the A's. I played with (Pedro) Severino in 2017 with the Aguilas, that was winter ball. And we had a really good connection. Really good experience. We had a championship that year. Those are the only two guys I know much."

Now he'll try to join players like Núñez, Severino, Hanser Alberto and Cole Sulser who have made fresh starts with the Orioles and run with his. What will be the key for him to have major league success in Baltimore?

"Just concentrate a little bit more from my pitching point, having to mix my pitches and I think get confidence on the mound," López said. "Try to take it pitch by pitch. I haven't had a lot of success, I know that. But that doesn't mean the talent isn't there. I'm at the point right now I have to execute every pitch. When I'm really good and I feel really good, a lot of things can happen. Can bring a lot to the game with more confidence and focus on the games. My thought is always help the team to get the win. Coming here it just, like, refreshes my mind. It's more about attacking the zone and making better pitches."