quote:

Drew will hopefully play AAA ball this year.

Best of luck to Drew! They will both be playing AAA ball... so it could happen!

Good to hear. Hope he has a great spring.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
I spent some time with Bruce and his family over the holidays. He's eating right and seriously working out even over the holidays.

His father tells me that he and his agent met with the new General Manager of the Orioles last Friday. Bruce will probably join the Major League team at spring training late (around the 20th of February, not the 12th when the Big Leaguers report). But he will work out with the Major League team until Minor League camp opens on March 3rd.

I wish him the best of luck in his endeavors. Camden Yards is one of, if not my favorite, stadiums. It would be an absolute dream to play there.

As an aside, one of my kids from PONY and travel ball days is still doing well and holding onto his major league contract (i.e. Cody Allen - Cleveland Indians - Closer/Reliever). Damn I'm proud of that young man. No one worked harder to get there and stay there than Cody has.

Chellim,
I will be going to O's Spring Training in March. I will be sure to watch for him.

quote:

I will be going to O's Spring Training in March.

That's awesome!
But, unfortunately, he will only be working out with the Major League team until Minor League camp opens on March 3rd. Just two weeks, but still, it's a look at the "Big Club".

That's too bad. Hoping he makes a good impression.

Bruce is quoted in this article:

The Orioles traded for pitchers who improved based on analytics last year. Now they have to give them those tools again.

https://www.baltimoresun.com/s...-20190207-story.html

Bruce Zimmermann P
Bowie Baysox

Double-A | Eastern League
MLB Parent Club: Baltimore Orioles

Status: Active
Full Name: Bruce Anthony Zimmermann
Age: 24 (February 9, 1995)
Birthplace: Baltimore, MD
Bats/Throws: L/L Ht: 6' 2" Wt: 215
Draft: Round 5 (2017, ATL)
School: Mount Olive (NC)

http://www.milb.com/player/ind.../R/pitching/2018/ALL

This is fantastic!

Mrs.BurtonRW and I are huge Baysox fans! We live 10 minutes from the stadium and go to games as often as possible. First one we’re going to get to is 4/16 vs Erie. Hope we get to see him!

The Orioles have a very tight farm system. There are quite a few players that go straight from Bowie to Baltimore, skipping AAA altogether. Last one was Cedric Mullins. They also use Bowie a lot for rehab - probably because it’s only half an hour down the road - so he may very well get some game time with an Oriole here and there.

Yes - this is very cool.

Thanks for the note, BurtonRW.

Bruce pitched today. He went 5 innings. 2 hits, 1 run, 2 walks and 3 K's. No decision, left after 5, tied 1-1.
Coach told him he was sitting @93 most of the game and even touched 96!
Getting his velocity up is something he's working on.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
Getting his velocity up is something he's working on.

Please, for the love of God, I hope he's not trading accuracy for speed. We have enough of that.

I really hope we get to see him pitch next Tuesday.

Mrs.BurtonRW and I will heckle him if he sucks. Otherwise, we'll be the couple cheering from the top of the cheap seats (which are remarkably close to the field) up on the third base side.

-Rob

Pretty soon he'll be losing to the Phillies! Has to be exciting

I can’t imagine how good you have to be to succeed even at the minor-league level. The major leagues, those guys are just ridiculous. If you think about it, being a hitter, even the best in the world fail 70% of the time...

i love listening to baseball.

quote:

I really hope we get to see him pitch next Tuesday.

You may. Barring a rainout... I think he's scheduled.

He was mentioned in this write-up:

Richmond (Giants) 3, Bowie Baysox 2

Yusniel Diaz may be starting to find his Eastern League swing. The centerpiece of the Manny Machado trade notched two hits, both doubles, and had the only Baysox RBI. Ryan McKenna and T.J. Nichting both went 1-for-4 while Nichting added his second stolen base of the season. Preston Palmeiro had a single and two strikeouts. Chris Clare singled as well, but also struck out three times. As a whole, the Bowie lineup struck out 12 times and did not draw any walks.

Bruce Zimmermann turned in a great start. The southpaw lasted five innings and allowed just one run on two hits, two walks and three strikeouts, showing the “pitchability” he was said to have when coming over in the Kevin Gausman deal. He was followed by a two-inning, one-run, three-strikeout outing from Cristian Alvarado, and it was Tanner Chleborad who took the loss by giving up the walk-off single in the ninth (1.2 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 SO).

https://www.camdenchat.com/201...el-baumann-4-11-2019

Baltimore Orioles: Bruce Zimmermann Is Bringing Quality To Bowie

The Bowie Baysox (Baltimore Orioles AA affiliate) are off to a rough start in 2019. One member of the team’s rotation, however, is proving to be a solid addition to the pitching staff with his quality performances.

The Bowie Baysox (AA) currently have a record of 6-19, a record that represents the least number of wins among the minor league affiliates of the Baltimore Orioles. The team has yet to get their offense going, a fact that I chronicled in an article here a few days ago.

The scuffling Baysox offense currently sits in last place in the twelve-team Eastern League. The pitching staff is not faring much better as they are last in team ERA (4.38).

Despite the Baysox struggles, there are a few bright spots among the roster. LHP Bruce Zimmermann is one such bright spot.

Zimmermann, a 24-year-old native of Baltimore, MD, currently leads the team in innings pitched. He is the team leader in quality starts (six or more innings pitched, three earned runs or less), as well.

So far this season, the 6’2″ southpaw has made four starts. Unfortunately, he has no record to show for it, pitching to a no-decision every time. His last three starts have all been quality starts. Zimmermann has done what is asked of a starter: give your team a chance to win.

Three times, Zimmermann has left with the game tied at one apiece, and in the other, he left with a 4-2 lead. Sadly, the Baysox won only one of those games; they beat the Erie SeaWolves (Detroit Tigers affiliate) 2-1 on April 23rd. The bullpen simply failed him in the other three starts. Ironically enough, RHP Tanner Chleborad lost two of the three (Pedro Araujo lost the other).

Over a span of 23.0 innings, Zimmermann has pitched to a 1.57 ERA and 0.91 WHIP with 17 strikeouts and four walks. He is holding Eastern League hitters to a .202 batting average and has given up just two home runs among his 17 hits allowed. He is striking out batters at a 19.1% rate while walking just 4.5% of the batters he has faced.

Considered a back of the rotation pitcher by some, Zimmermann uses a two and four-seam fastball, a slider, and a change-up to generate groundballs. He currently possesses a groundball rate of 47.8%.

Groundballs and length from a starter are certainly characteristics that could help the Baltimore Orioles. Zimmermann appears to be on a path that could lead him to Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

If you recall, Zimmermann came to Baltimore in the Kevin Gausman and Darren O’Day (as well as $2.5 M in International Bonus money) trade to Atlanta that netted the Orioles C Brett Cumberland, 3B JC Encarnacion, and RHP Evan Phillips.

At the time, the trade was panned by quite a few in the fanbase who felt the return was underwhelming for what was seen as a salary dump.

It is good to see Zimmermann performing as well as he is; his future progress could change the perception of that trade and could be a huge positive for the organization.

It could simply be a case of returning home being a good thing for Zimmermann.

https://birdswatcher.com/2019/...es-zimmermann-start/

Orioles Pitching Prospect Bruce Zimmermann Bright Spot For Struggling Baysox

By: Jacob Weinberger, May 3, 2019

The Bowie Baysox may sport the worst record across Double-A (7-20), but that doesn't mean there isn't room for optimism. One bright spot has been left-handed starting pitcher Bruce Zimmermann.

Zimmermann, 24, is unbeaten in four starts this season. He ranks second on the team in ERA among starting pitchers (1.57) and first among starters in WHIP (0.91).

"I felt pretty good coming into this year," Zimmermann said on Glenn Clark Radio April 26. "I was a lot more focused on certain things that I wanted to change and improve on with the help of some strength coaches and pitching coordinators."

Zimmermann credits new Orioles minor league pitching coordinator Chris Holt with having a profound effect on his early success. Holt previously served as the assistant pitching coordinator with the Houston Astros.

"[Pitchers] were able to meet in spring training one-on-one, especially with Chris Holt, our pitching coordinator," Zimmermann said. "They're not about a cookie-cutter philosophy for all the pitchers, so it's nice to kind of get that personalized development plan which we can then go into the season with."

Despite the great numbers, Zimmermann is still trying to nail down his first win of the season. His record sits at 0-0, but he logged his team-leading third quality start in his last outing.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound southpaw allowed one run on seven hits with two walks and five strikeouts during six innings in a no-decision against Richmond April 29. He departed with the score tied 1-1, which later turned into a 3-2 Baysox loss.

But Bowie's rocky start to the season hasn't dampened the spirits of the players, according to Zimmermann.

"There is that urgency that this could be one of the organizations where you could rise up a little bit quicker," he said. "It's a great time for fans and players alike. There's a lot to look forward to."

And for Zimmermann, who was born in Baltimore and grew up in Woodstock, Md., it's all the more exciting.

"Being in your hometown organization and eventually play for the hometown team down in Camden Yards is the goal," he said. "And being home it's been great. I wouldn't wish anything else for my parents' sake."

Zimmermann began his career with the Atlanta Braves, who drafted him in the fifth round out of Mount Olive (N.C.) in 2017. He was dealt to the Orioles last summer as part of a package for right-hander Kevin Gausman. Zimmermann made five starts for Bowie to close out the season.

Zimmermann said it's been fun having a local fan base for his starts in Bowie, which includes not only his parents but his siblings, cousins and high school teammates from Loyola Blakefield as well. But the "driving factor," as he put it, is about picturing himself on the mound at Oriole Park.

"I try to envision that as much I can," he said. "But also having that plan in place: How is that actually going to happen so it's not just a dream, but can have some reality behind it?"

Being able to adapt and stay consistent are the two biggest factors to get to the big leagues, he said. Or it might just be getting an opportunity at the right time.

"I have a relative timeframe of when I would like to get up there," he said. "But baseball is a very interesting game, and anything can happen within a season. As anyone would tell you, the sooner you get there, the better."

To hear more from Zimmermann, listen to the full interview here:

https://www.pressboxonline.com...or-struggling-baysox

Good for him! Thanks for keeping us updated on his progress. I'm really enjoying this thread.

He had a rougher May bringing his era up to 2.94. But a lot of that came in 2 games. His SO/BB ratio is 3/1. They are wasting his arm in AA.

The Braves should try to get him back as a reliever in the bigs. Our bullpen needs him!