The Orioles recalled right-hander Hunter Harvey, the team’s PR department announced. This comes after Tom Eshelman was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk last night.
Harvey, 24, is a former top prospect whose ascent was slowed by a number of injuries. When he enters a game, it will be a major league debut for Harvey, though it’s not his first call-up. Harvey spent three games with the big league club without making an appearance in April 2018, baltimorebaseball.com’s Rich Dubroff reminds us (via Twitter).
The 6’3″ North Carolina native has been a starter for most of his career, including for 11 turns in Double-A this season, where he went 2-5 with a 5.19 ERA/5.57 FIP/3.52 xFIP over 59 innings. Upon a promotion to Norfolk, Harvey moved to the bullpen. In 16 2/3 innings over 12 relief outings, he struck out 22 while walking just 5 batters en route to a 4.32 ERA/3.62 FIP. Fangraphs gives him a 40 FV while ranking him the Orioles 22nd best prospect before the start of the season. MLB.com currently pegs him as the organization’s 15th best prospect.
Eshelman, 25, has been an active traveler this season. He started the year in Reading with the Phillies Double-A affiliate. A month after being promoted to Lehigh Valley, the Phillies traded Eshelman to the Orioles in June. Eshelman made his debut in a spot start against the Rays on July 1. After giving up two runs over five in the 3-6 loss, he was optioned back to Triple-A until a call-up two weeks later.
In total, Eshelman made four starts and six relief appearances for Brandon Hyde’s club. He went 1-2 with a 6.50 ERA/7.33 FIP in 36 innings of work.
Man it’s hard to believe he’s only 24….feels like he’s been a “prospect” for the better part of a decade
Agreed. I remember when he was drafted and we were looking at a Bundy, Gausman, Harvey rotation with Machado at 3rd, Schoop at 2nd and A. Jones in the OF.
My how times change in a few years.
Well, he was their first round pick in 2013 out of high school. I guess five or six years to make the majors isn’t so bad for a high school pitcher.
Considering he basically missed three seasons with TJ surgery, the recovery, the setbacks, and other injuries, it’s pretty remarkable he made it at all.
Totally true!!
Is that a picture of a kid from the little league World Series
Sure looks like it!
injuries suck
But he has a chance at least now
he hasnt looked like he once did in a while. good he got to the majors, but not much more to say than that.
Tom Eshelman and his 85mph fastball will never get big leaguers out. This guy has nothing. Excited to see what Harvey does though. I’d like to see Tate up again out of the pen. Long term they look to be our best closest relief options.
Harvey was supposed to be a FoR type. #1 or #2 starter. Now he’s in the Zach Britton category? Not good.
Prospects bust. It happens. Especially pitchers. He was a late 1st round pick; I’ll take that. Not going to find a TOR stud in the back half of the first round every year. Those projecting Harvey up that high were shooting for the moon. His small frame never looked like it would hold up to me. The hope was he’d fill it out but he really hasn’t. He’s never topped 88 innings in a pro season either. I’ll take him as a quality relief arm. He has the potential to be a very good one.
Just the nature of the game. Dillon Tate was the #4 pick and had that same upside. Not everyone makes it to their ceiling. But I’ll certainly take 2 quality bullpen arms. They certainly have more upside than the Jimmy Yack’s and Tom Eshelman’s of the world. Excited to see what we have.
im sure O’s fans would take Zach Britton at this point.
Why would we take Zach Britton? We’re never in a place where we need a rock solid reliever.
Need starters, even innings eater types would be miles better than what the team has now
We’re years off from competing in a full scale rebuild. We need everything. Zack Britton we do not need. But any reliever who turns out to be 80% as talented as he was is a welcome sign. Think that’s what he meant there. We need pitching of all sorts.
But as far our starter need it’s going to have to be supplemented this year in free agency. The FO put us in this hole this year by not making any effort to add any decent arms. Straily was a dart throw and Karns was on his way back from TOS. Hopefully we bring a guy like Cashner back and add another comparable arm. They shouldn’t be too expensive and they’ll help stabilize the rotation. Any contribution from Cobb will help as well.
Really no downside in adding a couple affordable starters. If they perform well it’ll help our bullpen and they can be flipped at the deadline. If they flop, they flop. We can’t put ourselves in a hole where we’re scrambling for innings all season w guys like Hess/Straily/Brooks/Ynoa and other filler getting an obscene amount of starts.
Completely agree. They’d almost be better off pulling people from the stands to pitch an inning or two for the O’s.
Ascent*
I think him and bundy were drafted around the same time?