Prospect Profile: Oliver Drake makes it back to the 40-man roster
If it was exciting for pitchers Tyler Wilson and Mike Wright when they were recently added to the Orioles' 40-man roster maybe it was doubly so for pitcher Oliver Drake.
The 27-year-old right-hander was recently added to the 40-man, as well - and for the second time.
Three years after Drake made it the first time in November 2011, he did it again. This time may have been even more satisfying since it followed shoulder surgery. There was no guarantee Drake would return to pitch at a high level when the doctors performed an interval closure and cleaned up his labrum in August 2012.
Not only did he make it back, but he thrived. He pitched so well that when he became a minor league free agent after last season, several teams sought his services. The Orioles offered a major league contract and Drake was delighted to return to the organization that selected him out of the Naval Academy in the 43rd round of the 2008 draft.
"I was kind of curious what free agency would be like and then the Orioles offered the 40-man spot and I was thrilled. I took it right away," Drake said.
"It's exciting. I've been very happy with the Orioles, been here since 2008. Coming back to an organization where I know the coaching staff and medical staff. That is exciting."
Drake is back home in Massachusetts after spending a few weeks pitching in the Dominican Republic. He went 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA in 13 games for Aguilas. He had a 1.08 ERA until allowing three runs in his last game there on Nov. 23.
During his time there, Drake officially became a minor league free agent.
"Wanted to go down there, get experience and add some innings. Also show everyone that I was fully healthy," Drake said.
His strong showing there was another sign he was fully recovered and he made the O's 40-man roster while pitching there.
Months after he made the 40-man the first time, Drake began the 2012 season on the disabled list and had surgery that August. He started the 2013 season in extended spring and joined Double-A Bowie in June. He went 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA in 19 games, but the Orioles closely monitored his innings and the health of that right shoulder.
"In 2013, the Orioles were great with me and they set up a plan for me," Drake said. "They had a set number of innings and made sure I got rest. The goal was to finish the year healthy. In 2014, it was like, all right, no one is holding you back anymore. I was under a normal reliever's workload. I wanted to pitch well and stay healthy again and I was able to do that."
He sure did, going 2-4 with a 3.08 ERA with 31 saves in 35 chances at Double-A Bowie. Over 52 2/3 innings, he gave up 41 hits with 17 walks and 74 strikeouts.
His 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings were the best single-season mark in his seven-year minor league career and he held hitters to a .214/.278/.297 line in 210 plate appearances.
"The start of 2013, there was some uncertainty. But '14 was kind of when everything kind of ramped up and I started feeling good again," Drake said. "Did a lot of work with (minor league medical coordinator) Dave Walker, who was a huge help through this process, and Chris Correnti (major league assistant athletic trainer) also helped a lot. It was a grind at the start, some days felt better than others. It was huge this past year to stay fully healthy the whole year.
"In the rehab process, the mental side of things is the hardest. On days you feel good, you want to ramp up and sometimes you have to be told to tone it back a bit. One day you feel great and the next day you feel awful. Time and patience really pays off and you can't rush it."
Drake's fastball once again sits in the 90-94 mph range and he makes heavy use of a split-finger fastball that tumbles at the plate like a changeup. He also throws a slider.
Drake was a starter for his first four seasons in the organization and his 8-3 record and 2.14 ERA for the Single-A Frederick Keys in 2011 helped land him a 40-man spot the first time.
But after the surgery, he has pitched out of the bullpen and now as a 40-man roster guy, we could certainly see him in Baltimore as some point during the 2015 season. He'll report to spring training with the rest of the big league players in mid February.
Drake discussed how his arm is doing post-surgery compared to where it was before his procedure.
"Arm angle is a little different, but for the most part the velocity and everything else is about the same," he said. "I'm thrilled with that because shoulder surgery is kind of a coin flip. It is not like Tommy John, where most people come back fine. But my velocity and stuff came back and I feel just as confident as I did pre-surgery."
This is quite a comeback story. A player that makes the 40-man on his way up through the farm system, gets hurt and has surgery, and then makes it back again against some long odds.
Now he's closing in on a shot in the big leagues. Once again.
Miller to the Yankees: So it was not a great five days for the Orioles. Nelson Cruz agreed with Seattle on Monday, Nick Markakis with Atlanta on Wednesday and Andrew Miller with the New York Yankees on Friday. The three signed for a combined $137 million, each getting four-year deals.
Before there is a complete panic among some of the O's fan base, why not wait to see what happens now with the Orioles' roster and how the club chooses to spend some of the money it didn't lay out for any of those three players?
Dan Duquette heads to San Diego for the Winter Meetings on Sunday and adding an outfielder and some bullpen help are now firmly near the top of his to-do list.
Top photo by Patrick Cavey, bottom photo by Bert Hindman
Not only did he make it back, but he thrived. He pitched so well that when he became a minor league free agent after last season, several teams sought his services. The Orioles offered a major league contract and Drake was delighted to return to the organization that selected him out of the Naval Academy in the 43rd round of the 2008 draft.
"I was kind of curious what free agency would be like and then the Orioles offered the 40-man spot and I was thrilled. I took it right away," Drake said.
"It's exciting. I've been very happy with the Orioles, been here since 2008. Coming back to an organization where I know the coaching staff and medical staff. That is exciting."
Drake is back home in Massachusetts after spending a few weeks pitching in the Dominican Republic. He went 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA in 13 games for Aguilas. He had a 1.08 ERA until allowing three runs in his last game there on Nov. 23.
During his time there, Drake officially became a minor league free agent.
"Wanted to go down there, get experience and add some innings. Also show everyone that I was fully healthy," Drake said.
His strong showing there was another sign he was fully recovered and he made the O's 40-man roster while pitching there.
Months after he made the 40-man the first time, Drake began the 2012 season on the disabled list and had surgery that August. He started the 2013 season in extended spring and joined Double-A Bowie in June. He went 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA in 19 games, but the Orioles closely monitored his innings and the health of that right shoulder.
"In 2013, the Orioles were great with me and they set up a plan for me," Drake said. "They had a set number of innings and made sure I got rest. The goal was to finish the year healthy. In 2014, it was like, all right, no one is holding you back anymore. I was under a normal reliever's workload. I wanted to pitch well and stay healthy again and I was able to do that."
He sure did, going 2-4 with a 3.08 ERA with 31 saves in 35 chances at Double-A Bowie. Over 52 2/3 innings, he gave up 41 hits with 17 walks and 74 strikeouts.
His 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings were the best single-season mark in his seven-year minor league career and he held hitters to a .214/.278/.297 line in 210 plate appearances.
"The start of 2013, there was some uncertainty. But '14 was kind of when everything kind of ramped up and I started feeling good again," Drake said. "Did a lot of work with (minor league medical coordinator) Dave Walker, who was a huge help through this process, and Chris Correnti (major league assistant athletic trainer) also helped a lot. It was a grind at the start, some days felt better than others. It was huge this past year to stay fully healthy the whole year.
"In the rehab process, the mental side of things is the hardest. On days you feel good, you want to ramp up and sometimes you have to be told to tone it back a bit. One day you feel great and the next day you feel awful. Time and patience really pays off and you can't rush it."
Drake's fastball once again sits in the 90-94 mph range and he makes heavy use of a split-finger fastball that tumbles at the plate like a changeup. He also throws a slider.
Drake was a starter for his first four seasons in the organization and his 8-3 record and 2.14 ERA for the Single-A Frederick Keys in 2011 helped land him a 40-man spot the first time.
But after the surgery, he has pitched out of the bullpen and now as a 40-man roster guy, we could certainly see him in Baltimore as some point during the 2015 season. He'll report to spring training with the rest of the big league players in mid February.
Drake discussed how his arm is doing post-surgery compared to where it was before his procedure.
"Arm angle is a little different, but for the most part the velocity and everything else is about the same," he said. "I'm thrilled with that because shoulder surgery is kind of a coin flip. It is not like Tommy John, where most people come back fine. But my velocity and stuff came back and I feel just as confident as I did pre-surgery."
This is quite a comeback story. A player that makes the 40-man on his way up through the farm system, gets hurt and has surgery, and then makes it back again against some long odds.
Now he's closing in on a shot in the big leagues. Once again.
Miller to the Yankees: So it was not a great five days for the Orioles. Nelson Cruz agreed with Seattle on Monday, Nick Markakis with Atlanta on Wednesday and Andrew Miller with the New York Yankees on Friday. The three signed for a combined $137 million, each getting four-year deals.
Before there is a complete panic among some of the O's fan base, why not wait to see what happens now with the Orioles' roster and how the club chooses to spend some of the money it didn't lay out for any of those three players?
Dan Duquette heads to San Diego for the Winter Meetings on Sunday and adding an outfielder and some bullpen help are now firmly near the top of his to-do list.
Top photo by Patrick Cavey, bottom photo by Bert Hindman
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