Pitching now...
3 up, 3 down.
6 up, 6 down.
9 up, 9 down.
24 pitches, 17 strikes. Very efficient today.
Leads O's pitchers with 9 K's.

Orioles Spring Training Standout: Bruce Zimmermann
by Arrick Joel

The hometown kid has made a name for himself at Orioles camp this Spring

Baltimore Orioles LHP Bruce Zimmermann has stood out during Grapefruit League play this year, making a strong case to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster.

So far this Spring, the Orioles have seven pitchers who have yet to allow a run, three of which have appeared in three or more games. The three pitchers who fall into this category are Hunter Harvey, Spenser Watkins, and Bruce Zimmermann.

What sets Zimmermann apart from this trio is the innings count that he has been capable of maintaining a perfect 0.00 ERA across. Combined, the three pitchers have worked through 12.2 IP this Spring, 9.0 IP of which belongs to Zimmermann. Harvey and Watkins have pitched 2.0 IP and 1.2 IP this Spring, respectively.

Before being assigned to the 60-day injured list due to a left oblique strain, Hunter Harvey was in for opportunities to pitch in high-leverage situations at the back of the Orioles’ bullpen in 2021. Without Harvey available, Zimmermann may be tasked with filling the vacancy. However, he also has the ability to start if veteran non-roster invitees such as Felix Hernandez, Matt Harvey, and Wade LeBlanc don’t break camp with the big league club.

In 2019 at AA Bowie, Zimmermann started 17 games, striking out 101 batters over 101.1 IP with an ERA of 2.58. With the Minor League season being canceled in 2020, the only outings Zimmermann made in live games were at the Major League level. In two appearances, once out of the bullpen and once as a starter, Zimmermann allowed 6 runs over 7.0 IP. While those numbers aren’t pretty, they’re natural of a young pitcher getting his first shot at the highest level and came in a very small sample.

With Zimmermann already on the team’s 40-man roster, look for him to make a difference on the Major League roster this season.

https://birdswatcher.com/2021/...ng-bruce-zimmermann/

He is breathing some rare air, how awesome to watch. Best of luck to him sticking in the big leagues!

Jim Henneman: Bruce Zimmermann Appears Set As Orioles’ No. 4 Starter
March 26, 2021 Jim Henneman

SARASOTA, Fla. — Now that Matt Harvey is officially on board, the Orioles’ starting rotation is coming into focus, but it may not be as cut and dried as previously perceived.

Harvey, who could opt out of his minor-league deal, was added to the roster March 24, but that wasn’t the only significant development that day. Bruce Zimmermann, originally scheduled to follow Dean Kremer against the Red Sox that night, instead pitched four innings in a B-squad game at the club’s Twin Lakes minor-league complex.

It was Zimmermann’s second straight appearance in a B game, but it shouldn’t be interpreted as a demotion. It most likely is an indication that the left-hander has been penciled into the fourth slot in the rotation, the spot that has been generally conceded to Keegan Akin, another left-hander, who has struggled this spring, mainly with his control.

On March 25, Akin allowed six runs on eight hits and two walks in 2.2 innings.

It’s conceivable both Zimmermann and Akin could end up in the rotation, but that would be more likely to happen down the road rather than the opening weeks of the season. Kremer (twice) and Zimmermann have both faced the Red Sox this spring, and it is a common practice to try to “hide” starting pitchers from division opponents during the spring.

The Orioles may prefer to use two right-handers (Harvey and Kremer or vice versa) in the first three games in Fenway Park, where the Green Monster invites right-handed power. O’s manager Brandon Hyde would then have two the option of using two left-handers (Zimmermann and Means) at Yankee Stadium, where the short porch in right field favors left-handed hitters.

Kremer and Zimmermann are both scheduled to pitch in the O’s final preseason game March 29 against the Rays, another division opponent, but one they don’t face until the second month of the season.

It is expected that Hyde will have his rotation set by then, making the final appearances for Kremer and Zimmermann mere tune-ups. He’ll still need a fifth starter, and that could conceivably even be Akin, but his performance March 25 probably took care of that.

https://pressboxonline.com/202...rioles-no-4-starter/

Ellicott City’s Zimmermann hopes to hear cheers from Oriole fans
By Rich Dubroff

March 28, 2021

Bruce Zimmermann doesn’t want to assume he has made the Orioles’ Opening Day roster. That’s one of the reasons the Ellicott City native says he might stay with his parents to start the season.

Zimmermann, who graduated from Loyola-Blakefield, has been the most impressive of all Oriole pitchers during spring training. In three Grapefruit League appearances, he has thrown nine shutout innings, allowing just one hit.

“I went out there with a goal in mind each game of attacking the zone and putting pressure on the hitters,” Zimmermann said. “Being efficient. In all my [appearances], I was able to keep a very low pitch count. There were a couple of times where I fell behind, I worked back through that, put guys away.”

The 26-year-old left-hander has struck out 10 while walking just three.

“There are always things to improve on,” Zimmermann said. “There are balls that were hit hard that were caught. Stats are never perfect in that way, but as far as how I’ve pitched so far, I’m very happy with the results.”

Zimmermann has been an under-the-radar prospect for the Orioles. In July 2018, he was surprised by his inclusion in a trade to his hometown team from the Atlanta Braves, who drafted him in the fifth round in 2017.

Pitchers Kevin Gausman and Darren O’Day went to Atlanta, and Zimmermann, catcher Bruce Cumberland, infielder JC Encarnacion and right-hander Evan Phillips came to Baltimore.

Zimmermann started five times for Double-A Bowie in 2018 and had a 5.06 ERA. In 2019, he was 5-3 with a 2.58 ERA for the Baysox, earning a promotion to Triple-A Norfolk.

Though slowed when he tested positive for Covid-19 last July, Zimmermann finally reported to the alternate site at Bowie, impressed there, and got to make a big league start last September 17th against Tampa Bay. His family and friends couldn’t be there because of the pandemic.

Zimmermann allowed five runs in three innings against the Rays. He followed it six days later with a four-inning relief stint in Boston, where he gave up a run on two hits in four innings.

For the moment, it looks as if the Orioles are priming him for long relief, with starts perhaps coming later.

Assuming John Means, Dean Kremer, Keegan Akin and Matt Harvey are the first four starters, that might leave Jorge López, who starts Friday night against the New York Yankees, and Zimmermann competing for the final spot in the rotation or long relief. It has been a fluid situation because of right elbow discomfort for veteran Félix Hernández and the effectiveness of Rule 5 picks Mac Sceroler and Tyler Wells.

“I have not been told anything, so far,” Zimmermann said. “I’m not really expecting to in the next couple of days.They’re still stretching out a lot of starters. I feel really good how I’ve come into camp and played so far. I think I’ve shown what I need to show and done everything I could in my power to show that I’ve earned a spot on the roster.

“I’m going to keep going about my business, taking care of what I need to day-to-day. It looks like I’ll probably get one more outing here before the end of camp. I’m just looking forward to building off what I’ve done so far.”

Zimmermann hasn’t pitched in a Grapefruit League game since March 14th but has thrown in a ‘B’ game against Pittsburgh and on the back fields of the Ed Smith Stadium complex.

“It comes down to getting guys innings,” Zimmermann said. “I was fortunate enough to pitch in games the first three outings of spring. Other guys need to get their innings in as well. When it comes to those games, it doesn’t change how I go about it.

“I go about them with a plan in mind, with certain goals to work on. [Wednesday] when I threw, some of the key things that I was working on changeups and sliders to both sides of the plate was a big goal.

“There’s a little less adrenaline in those back field goals as guys have probably said, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that we’re still getting ready for the season, so you’ve got to go in there with a plan and be committed to it and get your work in for the day because the season is literally a week away.”

Zimmermann would love to pitch in front of his family and friends in 2021.

“It’s definitely a big motivator for me, obviously,” he said. “I can’t deny that. It’s going to be special to finally hear that Camden ‘O’ with fans in the stands for the first time, being on the field instead of being one of the ones yelling it.” The Orioles are allowed 25 percent capacity to start the season, about 11,000 fans.

If Zimmermann makes the team, he’ll consider getting an apartment in downtown Baltimore to avoid the commute from Howard County.

“First things first, got to make the team. We’ll wait to hear about that,” he said.

“Being able to possibly be with the team on Opening Day in Camden Yards is definitely going to be a highlight that I’ll always remember, if that’s possible.”

https://www.baltimorebaseball....yF1p1IeLzV4Ep-iSI7u8

It's official... he made the team!

Bruce Zimmermann's terrific spring has paid off. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde announced on Sunday that the rookie left-hander earned a job in the club’s rotation, bringing its cloudy pitching picture more clearly into focus. Zimmermann, the Ellicott City, Md., native who attended Towson University and still lives in Baltimore, will start the O's third game of the season on April 4 in Boston.

“He’s pitched outstanding in camp,” Hyde said. “I really like his stuff. He’s a four-pitch guy, he’s been pounding the strike zone all spring. … he’s earned it with how he’s pitched this spring, and I’m looking forward to watching him.”

Emerging from the roster periphery after making two starts down the stretch in 2020, Zimmermann has logged nine scoreless innings in Grapefruit League play with 10 strikeouts and just three walks. He similarly impressed in “B” games and back-field appearances, out-pitching nearly everyone else in Orioles camp as injuries and roster decisions cleared the way to the Opening Day around him. In many ways, what Zimmermann did mirrored John Means’ ascent two springs ago, particularly given their profiles and backstories. Zimmermann will get one more spring start on Monday against the Rays.

“I feel really good about how I’ve come into camp and how I’ve played so far,” Zimmermann said this week. “I think I’ve shown what I needed to show and done everything I could in my power to earn a spot on the roster.”

Several factors contributed to Sunday’s outcome, from Félix Hernández’s balky right elbow to Keegan Akin’s disappointing camp to the depth issues that forced the O’s to jettison their starting second baseman less than a week before Opening Day. Zimmermann simply beat out Akin, who was optioned to their alternate training site on Friday, and Dean Kremer, two higher-ranked prospects, while injuries to Hernández and reliever Hunter Harvey (oblique strain) paved the way for Baltimore to carry more bulk-innings types north for Opening Day.

The Orioles' acquisition of swingman Adam Plutko on Saturday underscored the club's need for depth and innings above all else; putting Zimmermann in the rotation now gives the O's bandwidth to break camp with four longman types in the bullpen as well as a five-man rotation, which Hyde said on Sunday they’d open the season with. So far, the team has committed to Means, Matt Harvey and Zimmermann, leaving Kremer, Hernández, Jorge López and Wade LeBlanc vying for the final two spots. All could potentially make the 26-man roster.

“We are going to be really, really young on the mound and inexperienced, but what a great opportunity for these guys,” Hyde said. “To me, this is how you really improve. Every start is going to be a battle.”

Acquired from the Braves as part of the 2018 trade for Kevin Gausman and Darren O’Day, Zimmermann grew up an Orioles fan. He was a fifth-round pick of Atlanta out of the University of Mount Olive in the 2017 MLB Draft. He was never a top prospect, climbing the Braves' organizational ranks before breaking out at Double-A Bowie in 2019. He made his Major League debut in his hometown at Camden Yards on Sept. 17, 2020, after contracting COVID-19 during the summer to become the 28th Maryland born player to appear for the Orioles and the 12th to start a game on the mound.

This spring, Zimmermann spoke eagerly about the possibility of returning to Oriole Park to pitch in front of fans, many of whom he considers family, friends and neighbors. Now it appears that will happen in 2021.

https://www.mlb.com/orioles/ne...s-opening-day-roster

Wow, he even interviews like a Pro Ball Player! Sounds like he REALLY has the 'Right Stuff' for the MLB....Field of Dreams!

ETA - Congratulations to him on being named to the Orioles MLB Roster!!! That's Absolutely FanFuckinTastic....He REALLY is 'Living the Dream'!

Me thinks a new thread title is in order here...

So VERY proud of my nephew and all of the hard work he has put in through the years. All of you in the Orioles viewing area, tune into the game on Easter Sunday! GO BRUCE!!!!

Wow that's awesome new chellim, I hope he holds on to the spot!

BTW, please welcome bookish1, my beautiful bride, to the forum!

Welcome to The Forum and Congratulations. Please pass on to Bruce that the extended Sigforum brotherhood (and sisterhood) is pulling for him in the Big Leagues!

With the 2021 Opening Day Roster announced...
8 Orioles will be making their First Opening Day Roster

Ryan Mountcastle
Dean Kremer
Bruce Zimmermann
Cesar Valdez
Dillon Tate
Mac Sceroler
Tyler Wells
Ramon Urias

6 pitchers who are part of the Youngest Opening Day Roster in the AL East for 2021
Let's Go!!!

quote:

It's official... he made the team!

I knew he would 8 pages ago! Congrats to him! And you!

Congratulations to Bruce and family! I've really enjoyed following this thread and seeing this unfold. I agree with nhracectaft, he sounds like a professional, and looks like he is where he belongs.

Very exciting stuff, I am rooting for him!

bookish1, welcome to the forum!

Congrats to him!

Well hell, I would have bet real money on that after getting to watch him pitch for the Baysox year before last.

Well done, Bruce!!!

-Rob

That's excellent news! Dreams really can come true.

Congrats to Bruce! When I go to see him pitch can I tell him you are one of my invisible friends?
LOL

Dude, this is SO full of absolute AWESOME!!!! Congrats to him and your family, this is great stuff!!

#50 is locking down the Red Sox! 10-2 lead, bottom of the 6th.