Baltimore Orioles Closer Finds More Velocity in Latest Spring Training Game

The Baltimore Orioles closer was back on the mound making his third appearance on his long road back from elbow surgery.

Aug 8, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Felix Bautista (74) looks towards his hat after being relieved during the ninth inning against the Houston Astros at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Felix Bautista is on the long road back, but the most important thing for the Baltimore Orioles closer is that he looks healthy, his velocity is near his career averages and he doesn’t have any unnecessary soreness after outings.

Bautista made his third appearance this spring Monday afternoon during the third inning of a night tilt against the Pittsburgh Pirates at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla.

This spring, Bautista has pitched 2.0 innings, allowing one earned run on two hits, while walking one and striking out two hitters. His explosive sinker has averaged 95.5 mph over the first two outings and appeared to be ticking upward with each pitch.

On Monday, Bautista’s sinker averaged 96.7 mph, topping out at 98.5 mph and he threw 15 sinkers over 97 mph. While Bautista’s final line may not look as clean as desired — one inning pitched, allowing two earned runs on three hits, walking none and striking out two Pirates hitters.

The positive side is that he was pushed to throw 24 pitches. The true test will come in how he feels the following day.

“It felt good to see that,” Bautista said of his velocity to the Baltimore Sun (subscription required) “I feel like every outing I continue to get better and better.”

The main issue for Bautista was command, as his sinker was consistently up in the zone and fairly straight. This could be attributed to Bautista trying to ramp up his velocity, possibly sacrificing some location and movement in the process. It could also be a sign of excitement to be back on the mound for his third outing since 2023.

“I thought he got a little bit better as the inning went along,” Hyde said. “I know he felt great coming off the mound, so that’s all that matters right now.”

Another element missing was his splitter. Unable to locate it, hitters began to sit on the fastball and drive it. The good news is that the vertical drop of the splitter was consistent with his historical numbers. Of the six splitters Bautista threw, only one was near the zone, which led to an RBI double for Jack Suwinski.

“In spring trainings past, I would progressively throw harder and harder leading up to opening day, and I feel like that’s what’s happening now,” Bautista said. “Once I got to opening day, it felt like the adrenaline would kick in and that’s where I would reach those high velos. I’m hoping now that will continue to be the same.”

Bautista’s 24 pitches included: 15 sinkers (63%) with an average velocity of 96.7 mph and a proStuff+ rating of 144; six splitters (25%) at an average of 86.7 mph with a proStuff+ rating of 153; and three sliders (13%) at an average of 86.5 mph and a proStuff+ rating of 112.

While the two runs allowed may be concerning, the larger picture shows that Bautista’s stuff is still there, but he may need significant time to regain the feel for his pitches. Location will come, and hopefully, Bautista continues to ramp up the velocity without overexerting.

Just seeing the big man back on the hill for the third time this spring for a positive for Orioles fans.

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