For all the Yankees' and Red Sox's money, and for all the Devil Rays' high draft picks, the Orioles have the best core of young pitching talent in the division. Although some of those guys are still works in progress, the potential is there for one of the best pitching staffs in the American League.
Erik Bedard is the most polished of all the O's young arms. A lefty whose command has improved continuously since he returned from 2002 Tommy John surgery, Bedard has an excellent fastball-curveball combination (as well as a show-me changeup), with plus command. His fastball has good run but is flat, so he needs to work down and to the corners, but he has been doing so all year. Since a bad start against Tampa Bay on June 1, Bedard has been outstanding, with 14 quality starts in 18 tries, a 2.55 ERA and 116 strikeouts against just 35 walks in 116.1 innings.
The raw package of Daniel Cabrera is about as good as it gets. He's 6-foot-7 and thick. He throws an easy 94-96 mph. Hitters don't see the ball until late, and he has a power curve he gets up to 84-85 mph. But even with some simplifications the Orioles have made to his delivery, he's wild on his best nights and too many of his strikes are right down the middle. He could become a star next year, or he could spend the 2010s collecting non-roster invitations to spring training.
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Keith Law
