The Orioles have agreed to a minor league deal and invitation to Major League Spring Training with veteran left-hander Tommy Milone, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com reports (via Twitter). Milone, a client of All Bases Covered Sports Management, will presumably join the competition to secure a spot in a paper-thin Baltimore rotation.
Milone, who’ll turn 33 this Sunday, spent the 2019 season with the Mariners, for whom he soaked up 111 2/3 innings while compiling a 4.76 ERA with 7.6 K/9, 1.9 BB/9 and a 36.7 percent ground-ball rate. Long known to be a fly-ball pitcher, Milone struggled to keep the ball in the yard — as did a great many pitchers — averaging 1.85 long balls per nine innings pitched. His excellent control helped to minimize the damage of those home runs, but dropping a pitcher with a career 1.49 HR/9 mark into the American League East could prove problematic even if Milone does end up as a starter for the O’s.
That said, Milone has been a generally durable source of innings, although his year-to-year totals in the Majors don’t reflect that trait due to his considerable time in the minors in recent seasons. Milone has missed small batches of time due to elbow, biceps and shoulder troubles, but the only time he’s missed even a month on the injured list came as a result of a knee injury with the Mets back in 2017.
In total, Milone has pitched to a career 4.47 ERA in 874 2/3 innings split between the Nationals, Athletics, Twins, Mets, Mariners and Brewers. Along the way, the soft-tossing southpaw has averaged 6.7 strikeouts and 2.2 walks per nine innings pitched. He’s the same type of control-over-stuff lefty that the Orioles recently added in Wade LeBlanc, albeit one who is a few years younger and coming off a superior showing in 2019.
The Orioles’ rotation currently consists of John Means, Alex Cobb and Asher Wojciechowski, which should give Milone ample opportunity to seize a spot if he impresses during Spring Training.
Manfredsajoke
I guess it’s better than nothing. You have to start somewhere.
Moneyballer
I’d prefer nothing
Jcool90
What a joke lol
wheby
Minimum MLB player salary is $555,000
So, if it’s a joke, it’s a pretty damn good one!
Ironman_4life
Hes gonna make 500 k while you make 7.25 / hr. Joke of the day !!!
dynamite drop in monty
Love equating an arbitrary hourly wage to a human beings worth. Unbridled Capitalism really showing its venomous side effects here
jlube
bullcrap
keysox
Record 2020 7-16
DolphLundgren
Milone had a better FIP last year than 4 of 7 “starters” the team paraded out there to get shelled. His WHIP was also sub-1.200, so better than literally everyone else on the staff but Hunter Harvey, Jesus Sucre (lol), and Stevie Wilkerson (lol). It’s not a super exciting signing, but better than what we had, especially considering that it looks like he wound up as the long guy after the opener. Welcome to Bmore, homie.
dynamite drop in monty
If he pitches, he pitches.
keysox
Went up to the first workout yesterday. New no one. Only the coaches by name.
Long year
keysox
Knew
jdgoat
They need to pray Cobb is healthy and serviceable this year
hammer_time24
John Means had a 1.135 WHIP. Still, your point is valid.
DolphLundgren
Milone’s was 1.119. Better than Means.
hammer_time24
Fair point. I took your sub-1.2 comment to mean that nobody else on the O’s had one in that range. Either way, it shows how awful the staff is.
mt in baltimore
Figured that they would bring Cashner in for a Starting Rotation spot…must be that they can’t agree to terms… This will be something to watch for sure.. Hoping (yes, I hate that word too) that some of these guys will be better than expected…
towinagain
So the O’s winning the East is akin to Leicester City winning the Premier League a few years ago…
frank costanza
This is America. If you want to talk soccer get the hell out!
Trevor 3
Lol
bravesfan
Has he always had those tats down his arm? I don’t remember it at all…
Ejemp2006
Proof that you should raise your sons to be lefties.
miltpappas
#3 starter behind Means and Cobb.
Moneyballer
Is he an early candidate for the AL Cy Young Award?!?
ellisd19830
with this move they are almost guaranteed a superbowl win!
brucenewton
Milone at Camden and the other dinky AL East parks. mmm. Released by May.
Marinerman
Milone won’t set the world on fire, but I was impressed with the role he played with the M’s last year. He took the ball every five days, often after an opener already trashed the game, and tried to keep things in hand. He’s a representative guy for a team like the Orioles that is going to struggle.
deron867
Any ERA under 5.50 will be considered a success
Orioles Fan
A pretty decent signing. If given the opportunity he will eat up some innings.
martras
Not sure how in the world Milone keeps getting opportunities. He’s a AAAA pitcher and there’s an enormous amount of work which proves it, but it’s not my team or money…
JamesDaltOn
Team #7
jlube
record 2020 8-14