The Orioles claimed lefty Pedro Viola off waivers from the Reds today, according to a team press release. Viola was assigned to Triple A, and Felix Pie was transferred to the 60-day DL to make room on the 40-man roster.
Viola, 26, posted a 5.47 ERA, 10.4 K/9, and 6.0 BB/9 in 49.3 Triple A relief innings last year, allowing seven home runs. In their 2010 Handbook, Baseball America praised Viola for a 92-94 mph fastball. However, they describe his changeup and slider as fringy and note his inconsistent command. Viola will be a project for Tides pitching coach Mike Griffin.
I can’t lie, the 6.0 BB/9 is ugly, but the 10.4 K/9 isn’t.
Hopefully the pitching coach can work wonders.
the o’s seem to be building a minor league system of guys with noun-y last names. a word of warning from the football world: tim couch.