Garrett Olson appears to have a bright future ahead of him as a pitcher in the Baltimore Orioles? farm system.
The 22-year-old left-hander had not allowed a run in 20 consecutive innings entering this week during his current three-game winning streak with the Double-A Bowie Baysox. This streak followed some earlier struggles after Baltimore promoted him June 20 from Single-A Frederick.
Olson said the move from Single-A to Double-A has been the hardest transition in his short professional career. This was evident during a 1-2 initial stretch for Olson, including one start where he allowed five runs on seven hits while striking out five and walking one in six innings on July 13 in a 6-1 loss at Binghamton.
“Toward the end of my stay at Frederick, I had figured that level out,” Olson said. “When I came up [to Bowie], I didn?t give the hitters enough credit. They are a lot more patient at the plate here. You?re not going to get hitters to swing at 0-2 counts in the dirt as often in Double-A.”
Olson is not alone in his assessment as many minor leaguers feel the move from Single-A to Double-A is the most difficult promotion to handle outside of being successful in the majors. A condensed talent pool, more experienced players and the placement of top prospects are the main reasons given for the difficulty by players and coaches.
“Every team has two rookie-ball teams and two A-ball teams, but only one Double-A and Triple-A team,” Bowie manager Don Werner said. “The talent here is not as watered down. Just look at the rosters. You have guys in their late 20s and even early 30s here. Guys at this level either are nearly ready for the majors or have spent time there at some point.”
Bowie pitcher James Johnson understands that all too well. He went 12-9 with 3.49 ERA and a Carolina League-high 168 strikeouts at Frederick in 2005. This year, he?s 9-5 with a 4.13 ERA for Bowie.
“There?s a big jump in talent here,” Johnson said. “As you move up to [Double-A], hitters have a much better understanding on how to approach at-bats.”
MINOR LEAGUE NOTES
» Olson entered the week 4-2 with 3.14 ERA, 41 strikeouts and 12 walks at Bowie. He started the year 4-4 with a 2.77 ERA, 77 strikeouts and 19 walks at Frederick.
» Johnson made his major league debut Saturday, giving up eight earned runs, nine hits and three walks over three innings in a 13-11 loss to the Chicago White Sox. He was sent back down to Bowie Sunday.
