We are just six days away from the start of Orioles baseball, but we are also close to watching our young prospects during the minor league season.
Kyle Gibson has officially been announced as the Orioles’ 2023 Opening Day starter. So, now the question starts to linger. Who deserves to start on Opening Day for all four O’s affiliate teams?
Let’s dive into who we think will get the nods.
Bruce Zimmermann: Triple-A Norfolk Tides
Who else to throw out there than Baltimore’s own, left-hander Bruce Zimmermann.
Zimmermann got the ball last year on a different special occasion, as he started the Orioles’ first home game and actually led the team to a 2-0 victory.
Zimmermann has had major concerns trying to find a spot on the Orioles’ main roster since he debuted back in 2020. Carrying a career 5.65 ERA in 145 total innings throughout 31 games is not a good look, but his minor league numbers are pretty decent.
Zimmermann has a career 3.32 ERA in 82 games in the minor leagues. I don’t see anyone else who is more qualified to be the Opening Day starter for the Tides, especially since the pitching for the Orioles gets younger and younger.
Cade Povich: Double-A Bowie Baysox
The only thing that can possibly stop Cade Povich from starting for the Baysox is him not playing for Bowie at the beginning of the year. Povich showed in 2022 that he should be the number one option to start the year.
Povich spent a total of six games in Bowie last year and carried an almost seven ERA in 23.1 innings pitched, but it was only one bad outing that inflated his ERA.
He is someone who, looking at the current prospect list and where they belong, is the clear-cut option to start for Bowie’s opener on April 6.
Povich is just 22 years old and showed high potential this spring, as he only gave up two earned runs in six innings of work. Povich should be the starter in Bowie and get that call to Norfolk around June based on his performance.
Deivy Cruz: High-A Aberdeen IronBirds
I will admit, this was the hardest spot to place an Opening Day pitcher for this upcoming season. The reason being, there are so many options to choose from.
Cruz is currently just 19 years old and has one season under his belt, but it was a pretty good one. He carried a 4.02 ERA in 13 games and 53.2 innings pitched during his tenure with Delmarva last year.
Cruz is someone who is young, but his pitches are absolutely nasty. The other players that were up for discussion were players that I could see possibly being called up to Bowie and giving Povich a run for his money.
Moises Chace: Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds
Here is another 19-year-old who deserves to be an Opening Day starter. Moises Chace is someone that I would deem underrated solely because of his age.
Chace did not have the best statistical season, as he carried a 4.98 ERA in 19 total games last year, but the eye test shows much more.
His pitches move at an incredible rate. He tunnels super well, and he makes batters look uneasy at the plate.
Chace should finally get that time to shine and start for the Shorebirds on April 6. You might just need to trust me on this one, but Chace has a bright future ahead of himself.
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Who do you think should start on Opening Day for each O’s affiliate? Let us know in the comments below! And make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook and Twitter, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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