![\"Bryan](\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_263,w_6635,h_3732\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/GettyImages\/mmsport\/11\/01jwpgt1pjshb12b232k.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBaltimore’s right-hander might need to make a few adjustments despite his good season so far.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Baltimore Orioles reliever Bryan Baker is statistically having the best season of his MLB career. The 30-year-old has the lowest ERA of any Orioles relief pitcher with at least 10 innings pitched and leads all Baltimore relievers with 33 strikeouts. He recorded his second career save Sunday to help the\u00a0O’s complete a sweep\u00a0over the Chicago White Sox.<\/p>\n
Through 27 appearances, Baker sports a 2.77 ERA and a career-best 5.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Opponents are hitting .200 against him, and he’s one of\u00a036 qualified big league relievers\u00a0with a walks plus hits per inning pitched under 1.00.<\/p>\n
Baker quickly moved up the\u00a0Orioles’ bullpen trust tree\u00a0with a strong April, but things got rocky in May. The right-hander’s ERA jumped from 1.93 in 11 April games to 4.15 in 13 appearances in May. He also blew two saves, although he allowed an inherited runner to score in both outings.<\/p>\n
Baker’s traditional stats still look good, and he remains one of the\u00a0few relievers the O’s project confidence in. There are, however, several Statcast numbers that should raise some concerns for Baltimore.<\/p>\n
Few relievers have been\u00a0hit as hard as Baker\u00a0this season. Per Baseball Savant, Baker ranks in the bottom four percent in barrel rate, the bottom 11 percent in hard-hit rate, and the bottom 23 percent in average exit velocity. His expected ERA (3.81) is over 100 points higher than his actual mark.<\/p>\n
After posting a 5.01 ERA in 2024, Baker lowered his arm angle and has found success with it this year. When he keeps the ball out of the air, Baker is as strong a reliever as they come. His fastball velocity is in the 86th percentile, and his 32.7 percent whiff rate is in the 90th percentile. He struck out a third of the batters he faced through May.<\/p>\n
His troubles come when he throws a slider, his lone breaking ball offering. Opponents have a .273 batting average and a .727 slugging percentage against Baker’s slider, which he throws 28 percent of the time.<\/p>\n
He’s been on the money with his changeup, with 13 of his 33 strikeouts recorded via the off-speed pitch. Baker has allowed only four hits off his changeup and has a 38.5 percent whiff rate with it, way up from his 20 percent mark last season.<\/p>\n
Baker has increased his changeup usage this year, but perhaps he needs to raise it even more. Over half of his pitches have been fastballs, though his changeup has become a putaway pitch. Maybe throwing it earlier in counts will help mitigate the hard contact against Baker.<\/p>\n
It’s been more good than bad for Baker in 2025. Through two\u00a0mostly brutal months for the Orioles, that’s one of the few things the club can hang its hat on. That might change, though, if opponents keep squaring up Baker’s pitches.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Baltimore’s right-hander might need to make a few adjustments despite his good season so far. Baltimore Orioles reliever Bryan Baker is statistically having the best season of… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":59281,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n