A closer look at the pitching success for the Aberdeen IronBirds

The Orioles high Single-A Aberdeen affiliate continues to roll with a record of 33-16 (.673) which is the best mark in the South Atlantic League and the second-best among 30 high Single-A teams throughout the minors.

The IronBirds have a roster dotted with some big names and one that features two of the O’s top 10 rated prospects in outfielder Colton Cowser and infielder Coby Mayo.

Lesser known with players more unheralded and mostly unranked is the Aberdeen pitching staff that has produced a team ERA of 3.76 to rank fourth in the league. In May when Aberdeen was 17-7, its pitchers ERA of 3.21 ranked first in the league.

I recently talked with Aberdeen pitching coach Forrest Herrman about some of his “length” pitchers - those that are getting the most innings whether that comes as a starter or out of the bullpen. This group has done a strong job all year for Aberdeen.

Herrmann also is new to the Orioles, in his first year with the organization. He was the Seattle Mariners pitching strategist for their entire organization in 2019 and was pitching coach for the Cincinnati Reds at Single-A Daytona Beach in 2021. He has his own youthful look going and could easily be mistaken for a pitcher on the team and not a coach. But he’s also got plenty he brings to the organization and he has past ties to both Driveline Baseball and to the P3 Premier Pitching Performance center in Missouri where he spent some time working with current O’s pitcher John Means.

Here is a look at some key pitchers this season for the IronBirds and Herrmann’s take on their 2022 development and season success to date.

Right-hander Justin Armbruester was the Orioles’ 12^th round pick out of New Mexico in 2021. In 10 Aberdeen starts, he is 2-0 with a 3.63 ERA. Over 44 2/3 innings he has allowed 34 hits with 14 walks and 54 strikeouts to go with a 1.07 WHIP and .210 batting average against. He is throwing a fastball, slider and a splitter. He has touched 97 mph this year and often pitches in the 93, 94 mph range.

Herrmann said: “We continue to work to develop Armbruester's best attack strategies and usage rates and locations are important. But when you get down to the raw stuff, his slider has taken a massive step forward. You talk about a growth-minded guy, he has constantly tried to get that slider better this year through grip adjustments and feel adjustments. We’ve been able to see that slider sweep (the glove-side movement) almost double while holding velocity. He’s done a great job. He’s had a lot of success to this point but surely won’t be complacent about that. He has a notebook and is constantly taking notes and reviewing it during games. It’s a really impressive process for high A.”

Right-hander Carlos Tavera was the only pitcher the Orioles selected in the first 10 rounds of the 2021 draft. He was taken No. 137 overall in round five out of Texas-Arlington. In nine games with the IronBirds he is 1-2 with a 4.37 ERA and has allowed 27 hits in 35 innings with 16 walks, 45 strikeouts and a 1.23 WHIP.

He was named the South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Month for May when he posted an ERA of 0.49 in four starts. Over 18 1/3 he gave up just just one run with five walks, 26 strikeouts, an 0.60 WHIP and .098 batting average against for the month.

Herrmann said: “Carlos has done a great job learning to diversify his attack strategy, learning to use it. I think Carlos and Armbruester are two guys that really have dove into the advanced process and how you game plan for a lineup. He has done a great job of learning the routine of the minor league level in getting his body to withstand the rigors of a professional season which is very different from college. He’s done a great job doing that and learning to use his pitches while continuing to develop his pitches.”

Tavera pitches with a fastball in the mid 90s along with a slider, cutter and changeup. The changeup was really good for him during May and he leaned on it often as a strikeout pitch.

Right-hander Connor Gillespie was the O’s ninth-round pick in 2019 out of Virginia Commonwealth University. He is 3-1 with a 3.07 ERA over 10 games. Over 41 innings he has allowed 25 hits with 23 walks and 53 strikeouts. He throws the four main pitches of fastball, curve, slider and change and sits in the 90 to 93 mph range, sometimes touching more.

Herrman said: “The guy has the ability to throw the fastball in different locations and change the eye level of the hitter working north to south. He’s really been able to restore the movement on his slider from his college days in 2019. That has been an ongoing project with him dating back and he’s made some great improvements there. Helps him with his attack strategy against both sided batters. Plus some real nice development this year with his curveball and changeup. When he gets his four-pitch mix going you can really see him get rolling.”

Right-hander Ignacio Feliz is a very interesting pitcher. Added by the Orioles from San Diego in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft in December of 2020, he leads the O’s farm in strikeout rate among pitchers with 30 or more innings at 14.80. His fastball has touched 98 mph.

For the year he is 3-0 with a 4.41 ERA over 10 starts. In 34 2/3 he has walked 17 and fanned 57 with a 1.15 WHIP and .183 batting average against. His numbers for the season would look considerably better but for a game on April 14 where he allowed eight runs.

Herrmann said: “If you look at different things at the minor league level early in the year, some days the process doesn’t match the results and some days things get away from you (he said about that early rough start). Looking at some of his other outings, they can be absolutely dominant. It’s learning to bring his best fastball from the first pitch of the game. And being confident coming in. That comes back to routines and how to prepare for that. His past outing from the first pitch was one of the highest-velocities he’s shown and held. Good job by him as he keeps learning to be on that routine.

“Be prepared with the big velocity with him and for him to go up in the zone on you. He’s able to manipulate his slider and get big glove-side movement at times. He can also throw a little bit harder to change the shape and he is developing a changeup he’s not afraid to use. He also throws a sinker. Interesting guy. He’s learning to pitch at the high-end of his velocity and is really becoming more capable with that. He has that but also has become more of a pitcher this year with the slider and changeup also.”

Right-hander Peter Van Loon was the O’s 16^th-round draft pick last summer from UC-Irvine. He is 5-0 with a 3.41 ERA for the IronBirds and is now making some starts. Either way he’s become one of their length pitchers whether he starts or comes out of the bullpen. Over 29 innings he has walked nine and fanned 35 with a 1.38 WHIP. He has allowed two runs in 12 innings his past three games. He has touched 96 mph with his fastball.

Herrmann said: “He has worked hard to execute his fastball and he has the four-seam and two-seam. He has also a big sweeping curveball that is a good pitch for him that gives the hitters a hard time and he has a splitter he also uses. The splitter in game is a quality pitch for him. Really excited to see what he can do with it in the future with some of the reps we see from him in the bullpen and the movement he creates with that.”

Houston Roth and Jean Pinto have also been among the length pitchers for Aberdeen. They have had nights where they have a tandem pitching situation. The IronBirds bullpen has also had plenty of solid moments and sports an ERA of 3.49 to rank second in the SAL.

O's farm leaders in strikeout rate (min. 30 IP)

14.80 - Ignacio Feliz, Aberdeen
12.86 - Grayson Rodriguez, Norfolk
11.57 - Carlos Tavera, Aberdeen
11.40 - Noah Denoyer, Bowie
11.37 - Connor Gillespie