Inside The Orioles

Orioles Top Reliever Reclaims All-Star Form in Return to Regular Season Action

The Baltimore Orioles and their fans had to love seeing a star relief pitcher back in action to start the season.

Kenneth Teape

Aug 22, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Felix Bautista (74) throws a ninth inning pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Aug 22, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Felix Bautista (74) throws a ninth inning pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
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Back in 2023, the Baltimore Orioles had the luxury of knowing if they could hold a lead late into the game, they were almost guaranteed a victory.

At the back end of their bullpen was arguably the most intimidating closer in the game: Felix Bautista.

He burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2022, striking out 88 batters in 65.2 innings, eventually assuming the late-game role and recording 15 saves. A 2.19 ERA was quite a first impression, blowing away opponents with his nasty three-pitch combo of a sinker, splitter and slider.

As an encore in 2023, he took his game to another level, cementing his status as one of the premier relief pitchers in the game.

He threw 61 innings and struck out a staggering 110 batters for an eye-popping 16.2 K/9 ratio. Bautista finished the season with 33 saves and a 1.48 ERA, being named an All-Star for the first time, finishing 11th in the Cy Young Award voting and winning the Mariano Rivera American League Relief Pitcher of the Year Award.

Unfortunately for the Orioles, that safety net was gone in 2024.

Injured in August 2023 and undergoing Tommy John surgery a few weeks later, Bautista was sidelined for the entire year.

It had a major impact on the team, as Craig Kimbrel was unable to consistently get the job done at the back end of the bullpen, getting released near the end of the season.

However, heading into the 2025 campaign, their star closer was ready to go after making a few appearances in spring training.

There are some limitations in the early going, as Bautista isn’t going to be pitching on back-to-back days right away.

But most importantly, he looks healthy and ready to go, based on his 2025 debut against the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend. 

He finished out a 9-5 victory and didn’t look like someone who hadn’t pitched in a Major League game since Aug. 25, 2023. His dominance was on full display, working a shutout inning and striking out three.

Bautista has a proStuff+ score of 136 overall as shared by Pitch Profiler on X and an excellent whiff rate of 44.4%.

All of the swings and misses he generated came off of his splitter, which had a whiff rate of 80.0% and proStuff+ score of 136. His most dominant pitch of the evening was his sinker, for which he had an average velocity of 97.3 mph and proStuff+ of 149.

Bautista was back on the mound on Monday and gave up two hits and two runs in the home opener against the Boston Red Sox. But the O's won the game.

Performing to that level after some shaky numbers were produced in the spring is very impressive. With Bautista back in the fold, it is not outrageous to believe once Andrew Kittredge returns from injury that the Orioles have the best bullpen in baseball.

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Kenneth Teape
KENNETH TEAPE

Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at teapester725@gmail.com.

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