Following his remarkable performance on Opening Day, Corbin Burnes appears to be exactly the kind of pitcher the Orioles hoped to acquire this offseason.
This comes after the Orioles were one of the top teams in baseball last season, giving them the confidence to assert their dominance.
“I think last year, word got out pretty quick that the Baltimore Orioles are a legit team and no slouch in the American League East,” Orioles Hall of Famer Mike Bordick said on Glenn Clark Radio April 1.
It seems Burnes is the legitimate ace the team has long desired. Bordick believes the ace has the potential to make a significant impact on the Orioles’ rotation the way Mike Mussina did years ago.
“Great comparison with Mike Mussina,” said Bordick, now an analyst for 105.7 The Fan. “He had everybody on the edge of their seats because he always did great things. One of the most fun times I ever had playing baseball was playing behind Mike Mussina because he could locate, he could do anything he wanted with all of his pitches. It was just so much fun, and I think Corbin Burnes attracts the same kind of attention.”
Burnes completely controlled the Angels on Opening Day. In a span of six innings, the talented 6-foot-3, 246-pound right-hander only allowed one run, on a homer by Mike Trout. Not only did he issue no walks, but he also managed to strike out 11 batters. Burnes’ performance was truly remarkable, showcasing his exceptional cutter, slider and curveball. Burnes followed that outing with 5.2 innings of two-run ball against the Royals on April 3 in cold, rainy conditions.
With Burnes leading the way, it should allow other pitchers such as Grayson Rodriguez to settle into their roles.
“I think that this is going to do nothing but benefit Grayson Rodriguez, [Kyle] Bradish, [Tyler] Wells, all these pitchers,” Bordick said. “To witness one of the best pitchers in all of baseball every five days, to be able to talk to him, learn what he’s thinking about, how he goes through the lineup because he isn’t a one-trick pony. He’s got a full repertoire of pitches like all these guys do. … I just think how you approach every pitch with purpose, that’s what Corbin Burnes brings.”
Fans have noticed that outfielder Colton Cowser hasn’t played much so far this season. He made the club out of spring training following a strong camp, but there are veteran outfielders currently ahead of him on the depth chart. He got his first start on April 2 against the Royals.
“He’s going to get plenty of opportunities to play. It is important to get your veterans’ feet underneath them, especially after playing such good baseball. Keep their confidence high and roll them out there for that [opening] series,” Bordick said. “I was really impressed with — and will continue to be all season, as we all will — the depth of this team.”
Jorge Mateo is also adjusting to a new role. With Gunnar Henderson now the full-time shortstop, Mateo is playing second base or the outfield against left-handed starters. He also played all three outfield spots in camp.
“Mateo is such a great athlete. I think he can show even more versatility and show that he can handle second base,” Bordick said. “Everybody in the world knows he can be a frontline, premier shortstop — just increasing his value that way because … I think he’s going to get more at-bats obviously against left-handed pitching because that’s where he has his success. But if he can just continue to add more value, he becomes a huge trade piece come midseason.”
One significant observation from the early going was the inclusion of Jackson Holliday as the shortstop for Triple-A Norfolk on March 31. Holliday was reassigned to the minors at the end of camp to work on his defense at second base and get more reps against left-handed pitching, yet he found himself at shortstop in the Tides’ third game. He slid back to second base on April 2 and 3.
“That’s kind of interesting,” Bordick said. “You want to keep him happy as well, to keep him fresh at shortstop because if all of the sudden he sticks at second base, you lose arm strength, you lose that feel for playing the premier position of shortstop, so I think they’ll try to work that and give him opportunities at second, but you still want to keep him fresh at shortstop as well. If something happens, he may be the guy that comes up and plays shortstop for the Orioles.”
For more from Bordick, listen to the full interview here:
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