Thoughts on Mike Wright and Tyler Wilson as starters

If the Orioles are going to upgrade their rotation, they need to find a veteran with a track record, someone who can slot near the top and give them innings and a chance to win every five days.

Yovani Gallardo and Doug Fister remain on the market. Fister is a prime candidate for a bounce-back season and he makes a lot of sense for the Orioles, who don't routinely dangle four- and five-year deals in front of free agent starters.

Tyler Wilson and Mike Wright are two of the in-house candidates, but they should be viewed more as two prospects knocking on the door, not replacements for left-hander Wei-Yin Chen in a rotation that regressed in 2015 and shoulders most of the blame for a .500 season.

It's imperative that the Orioles keep Wilson and Wright in starting roles, whether they somehow crack the rotation on opening day or strengthen their chances down the road by excelling at Triple-A Norfolk.

There's been lots of discussion in the organization and among fans regarding Wright's potential as a reliever, someone who could blow away hitters with his upper-90s fastball for an inning or go multiple innings if needed earlier in games. He may transition to a relief role down the road, but the Orioles need to develop starters and build depth. And there should be enough bullpen options to fill the two openings beyond Zach Britton, Darren O'Day, Brad Brach, Brian Matusz and Mychal Givens.

Don't forget that Dylan Bundy can't be sent to the minors without passing through waivers.

Pitching coach Dave Wallace and bullpen coach Dom Chiti are firm believers that Wright can be a successful starter in the majors. He didn't allow a run over 14 1/3 innings in his first two outings, but he ended up 2-5 with a 6.48 ERA and 1.488 WHIP in nine starts over 41 2/3 innings.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Dave Ford was the last Orioles pitcher with at least 14 1/3 scoreless innings to begin a major league career. Ford didn't allow a run in his first 15 innings in September 1978.

Wilson went 1-2 with a 4.32 ERA and 1.400 WHIP in five starts over 25 innings. He registered three quality starts in his first four games and exited his fifth after only one inning following a three hour, 25 minute rain delay.

Wilson said his brief time in the majors was "invaluable."

"The first time you get an experience like that, just getting your feet wet, that's something that you can't exactly prepare for mentally or you can't coach," Wilson said at FanFest. "Until you actually get that experience, that's how you learn from it, so I really enjoyed my time last year. Going to try to take everything I've learned from each and every experience and grow from it this year moving forward."

Wilson, 26, left his comfort zone by making four relief appearances and allowing two runs and 13 hits over 11 innings.

"It was definitely trial by fire," he said. "That was my first relief appearance in professional baseball, my first appearance in the major leagues, so it's kind of funny how that all worked out. But it's exciting.

"Pitching is pitching and it's definitely something you kind of have to learn just because it's a little bit different. The timing of things, the routine, is a little bit different, but it all boils down to getting outs when you step out there.

"There's definitely routine-wise leaps and bounds differences. Not really knowing when you're going to pitch or what inning you're going to pitch, but it forces you to be focused and locked down on everything that's going on and watching how each hitter has been pitched to the six innings previous to your turn coming in, rather than actually being the one delivering pitches, So there's worlds of difference, but at the same time, it all boils down to trusting yourself and competing."