Baltimore Orioles Starting Pitcher Has Been Team's 'Hidden Gem' This Season

The Baltimore Orioles have received more production than any projections expected from this starting pitcher in 2024.

Aug 30, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Albert Suarez (49) delivers a pitch the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles have suffered a ridiculous number of injuries to their pitching staff this season. Their depth in the starting rotation has especially been tested.

What looked like a strength coming into the year quickly turned into a shaky situation.

Kyle Bradish, John Means and Tyler Wells were all sidelined by season-ending injuries, putting manager Brandon Hyde in a tough spot.

The Orioles had a new ace in Corbin Burnes to rely on, but things behind him were far from ideal. Grayson Rodriguez performed well, but he too is now sidelined with an uncertain return to action.

Dean Kremer has been solid, but the one player who has stood out with the most unexpected contributions has been Albert Suarez.

His road to the Major Leagues began back in 2006 when he was signed by the Tampa Bay Rays out of Venezuela. It would take him 10 years to make his debut in the MLB, as he played with the San Francisco Giants in 2016.

40 appearances were made with them over two seasons before he spent the 2018 campaign with the Arizona Diamondbacks at Triple-A.

After that, he went overseas to play in the KBO.

As shared by Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report, not much was expected out of Suarez entering the 2024 season, but he has blown away all expectations with his high-level performance.

“The Orioles signed him to a minor league deal in December that was little more than a line item on MLB Trade Rumors, but he has emerged as a key arm for one of baseball's best teams. In fact, his 119.1 innings rank second on the Orioles staff, and he has pitched to a 3.39 ERA and 1.29 WHIP while spinning six quality starts,” he wrote.

Coming into the year, Suarez wasn’t projected to impact the team positively or negatively since his career WAR was 0.0, but he has produced a 1.8 WAR this season and has consistently been one of the most reliable pitchers for Baltimore throughout the campaign.

Given how things are currently shaping up, there is a chance Suarez will be called upon to start a game in the playoffs.

That isn’t a scenario that anyone could have predicted happening back when Spring Training began in February, but that's how things currently stand with a few weeks until October baseball gets underway.