In part forty-three of my almost 50 part series "Better Know An Oriole" (otherwise known as 2009 Orioles Retrospective), I take a look at reliever Bob McCrory... THE FIGHTIN' NONDESCRIPT HARD-THROWER!
McCrory spent most of the year in the minors, posting a 3.88 ERA but seeing his strike-out rate drop for a third year in a row to just 6.2 K/9. The 27 year-old's control has improved, but his 3.5 BB/9 was still not fantastic. He did do a nice job getting groundballs though (53%), which helped limit his home runs to 0.86 HR/9. In his 7.1 IP in the majors, McCrory was slightly less effective. His 17.18 ERA wasn't as bad as his 11.42 FIP or 7.77 xFIP, but a 0.40 K to BB ratio - that's 4 strike-outs and 10 walks - certainly won't cut it. McCrory throws hard (~95 mph) and gets decent sink on his fastball. He complements it with hard slider doesn't have a lot of bite on it and a hard change-up with some tailing action that he's used a little more frequently. It's a solid repertoire for a reliever - especially given his groundball tendencies - but McCrory's lack of command and October labrum surgery made the Orioles willing to release him. McCrory failed a physical after apparently signing a contract with the Red Sox, and may not be healthy enough to get a chance with another club. It would be quite a shame to see a potentially talented pitcher's career end without getting a real chance in the majors.
