Homegrown pride: From Bowie to Baltimore, Kendall proud of O's rookie hurlers

Having Tyler Wilson and Mike Wright both start today for the Orioles has to provide a sense of pride for the O's organization. They are homegrown, drafted and developed pitchers who will try to pitch the big club to victories.

Wilson, Wright and Oliver Drake, who was recently called up, all spent more time with Double-A Bowie than any other O's farm team. Bowie's Gary Kendall managed those three pitchers longer than any other O's minor league skipper. He knows them all well, and he and his staff certainly had a hand in their ascension to the major leagues.

Drake went 9-10 with a 3.48 ERA in 84 appearances for Bowie from 2011-2014. Last year, he saved 31 Baysox games.

"Drake really had to battle through some things," Kendall said Wednesday afternoon in Bowie. "On the roster, not on the roster. He persevered and came through some injuries and really refined his split (finger fastball). Our Triple-A staff said his fastball, how that has been playing this year, makes that split even more devestating. Real happy for Ollie. Those other two guys are just competitors, you know."

Wright made 38 starts for Bowie over the 2012-13 seasons and Wilson made 32 over the 2013-14 seasons for the Baysox.

"At the end of the year, we put together reports on the players and you have to say what you think they are going to be," Kendall said. "Honestly, that is a really hard thing to do. In the case of Mike Wright I had conversations with (Orioles scout) Dean Albany for the two years he was here. Is he a middle of rotation guy, a back-end starter, a long reliever?

"Then you see a guy who just keeps getting better and who knows what he can be. The neatest thing is these are hard-working guys that continue to develop. It is nice to see players go up there and show their ability.

"I remember when Tyler Wilson came up here from (Single-A) Frederick. Before he pitched so well for us, he hadn't thrown it that great in Frederick. But his velocity picked up a bit and his breaking ball got better. Good players get better.

"To go up there and succeed says something about those kids and the coaches that have had them. I just get a feeling of happiness watching them."

A Baltimore native, Kendall is a 1981 graduate of Sparrows Point High School and was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame over the winter. He is in his fifth season managing at Bowie and in his 16th in the O's organization. Few take more pride in the organization's success, both on the farm and at the big league level. He loves the Orioles and truly bleeds orange and black.

So don't blame Kendall for taking great pride is seeing O's homegrown talent help the big club. He remembers a day not that long ago when he heard criticism almost daily of the O's farm system.

"I've been here for a while and I remember listening to your (radio) show and people bashing the whole farm system." Wanting everyone fired," he said. "They said clean out the minor leagues, and there is no hope.

"Granted, I know those guys have been there just a couple of outings. But old scouts use to say, 'If you see it once, it is there. Just a matter of repeating it.'

"We've sent guys up that repeated it, like the (Manny) Machados and (Jonathan) Schoops. Caleb Joseph. Really happy for all of them."