The Orioles announced Friday that they’ve selected the contract of righty Konner Wade from Triple-A Norfolk and designated right-hander Mickey Jannis for assignment in a corresponding move. The O’s also optioned righty Dean Kremer to Norfolk and recalled lefty Alexander Wells.
Jannis was just selected to the major league roster earlier this week. The 33-year-old made his MLB debut Wednesday night against the Astros, but it didn’t go well. He worked 3 1/3 innings of mop-up relief but was tagged for seven runs on eight hits (including three homers), issuing four walks while striking out just one. It was a nightmare outing to be sure, but it also came against a Houston lineup that has been far and away the best in baseball this year. Before that tough debut, the knuckleballer earned a big league look by pitching to a 2.92 ERA in 24 2/3 innings with Norfolk. The O’s will have a week to trade him or place him on waivers.
The designation of Jannis frees up Wade to make a late-career MLB debut of his own. A 7th-round pick out of the University of Arizona in 2013, Wade has spent the past seven seasons climbing the minor league ladder. Most of that time was spent in the Rockies and Red Sox systems, but the 29-year-old signed a minor league deal with Baltimore over the winter. He’s spent the entire year in Norfolk, where he’s tossed 31 innings of 3.48 ERA ball, mostly as a multi-inning reliever. Wade has never been one to miss many bats, and that hasn’t changed this year (16.4% strikeout rate). But the righty also has a long history of quality strike-throwing, and that’s continued in 2021 (4.9% walk rate).
Kremer has spent much of the year in the O’s rotation. He’s struggled mightily, though, pitching to a 7.25 ERA with worse than average strikeout and walk numbers (20% and 10.7%, respectively) over 49 2/3 innings. That’s a disappointing follow-up to a decent four-start MLB look in 2020 for Kremer, who’s long been seen as one of the more promising pitchers in the Baltimore system.
Wells is a decently-regarded prospect in his own right. The 24-year-old doesn’t throw hard or miss bats, but he owns some of the best control in the minors. He has a 5.63 ERA across 32 Triple-A frames this season. Wells will be making his major league debut whenever he gets into a game.
Unreal!
Keep knuckle ball dude in MLB!!!!!!!
We need more knuckleballers!!!
100%
The more knuckleball pitchers the better. Growing up White Sox had three knuckleballers. Wilhelm Fisher and Wood, altho I think Fisher was gone by the time Wood got here. Fisher Finished 4th in MVP in 1965. During the All Star game that year he Retired Aaron Clemente and Santo in the 9th inning. Wood’s middle name is Forrester. Four time 20 game winner, one year went 24-20.
poor Jannis, hopefully he can find another opportunity or come back up with baltimore later in the year
he took one for the team, big time
He will
debut factory
I think only one day of service time earns these guys a major league pension. Good for them!
indeed
Hey O’s fans, I don’t get to see the Orioles much living in the south, so was wondering whats your take on the state of the team. I’m not being snarky, just sad to see a storied team go through such a long rough patch, and what the reasons might be. I can remember the ‘71 season of Palmer, Quellar, McNally, and Dobson each winning 20 games that season, and greats such as Brooks and Frank Robinson, Eddie Murray, Boog Powell, and of course Cal. I would like to see the team put together a winner.
Orioles played in the 1966 and 1969 World Series also. Great players great teams.
and 70 and 71
They’ve lost “The Oriole Way” but if anything can restore exactly that, it’s Astros Alumni GM
Basically, the previous management made a lot of poor decisions against the long-term sustainability of the club, and we are still paying for it years later. It took a total rebuild from the ground up.
Also, go Wells!
State of the major league team is “horrific, but appears to finally be going in the right direction”
State of the team in my opinion: Hopeful. Not much to be excited for at the MLB level, record reflects that. Prospects are looking good in A and AA ball. 2024-2025 time frame is going to be reeeaaalll good for the club.
Thanks to all for the update. Sounds like potential exciting baseball in a few years. Best of luck.
I always thought it was the owner as to why they are ran so poorly.
The only thing I can say is that I’m nervous. There’s a ton of going talent in the system; both arms and bats. My concern continues to be whether or not the highly regarded arms are successful in Baltimore, or successful elsewhere – Arrieta, Gausman, Bundy (to an extent). Akin was hyped and has been mediocre at best. Wells has been fairly hyped, so let’s see how he does. But Hall…Rodriguez…Baumann…Lowther…4 pitchers in our top ten prospects. Exciting…but still makes me nervous. As for the bats, let’s hope Adley turns out better than our last two overly-hyped catching prospects – Wieters and Sisco. Excited to see some of these guys though. I think the friendly competition that Westburg and Gunnar have going is going to push them both to be successful. I really like Bannon too. And Jahmai Jones has been lights out since coming off of the IL. If some of the pitching comes through, we should have a solid window of competition…if not, we’re screwed.
You can’t speak the names Wieters and Sisco in the same sentence. One had a very good career and was an excellent defender and a good power hitter for a Catcher. The other was always a terrible defensive catcher, who couldn’t hit in MLB.
Couldn’t help feeling for the guy as my Stros rocked him. They really left him out there to soak up the damage for the rest of their bullpen. Hope he makes it back to the Show ASAP and keeps improving.
Why is garbage Matt Harvey still on the roster?
Because he loses games (go Elijah Green!) and if his arm falls off it won’t impact the future of the team.
Unfortunately, for too many teams winning isn’t the point. Of course, literally anybody should be pitching instead of Harvey but they don’t care. I’m not even sure it is about trying to get another top pick. I think it’s really about turning a profit and the baseball is irrelevant.
It’s to allow the prospects to continue to develop and not let their confidence be messed with – like Kremer, Zimmerman, and Akin have already this year. And the ridiculously long list of pitching prospects we’ve pushed to the majors in years past. See Matusz, Gausman, Bundy, Arrieta, Bergessen…and hell, how many years did it take Tillman to finally find his groove? Harvey’s purpose (as is Lopez’s) is to fill a void to not jeopardize the future development. It’s smart, not about money in the slightest. The Angelos family is not afraid to spend money when the team is successful or on the brink of success. This is the team that signed Alomar, Bordick, Tejada, Bonilla, Belle, Key, Wells, Etc etc etc…they’ll do the same when the time is right.
The other issue in baseball are that players are pushed or rushed because of draft position and not when they are ready. So at walkwithelias you are right. We laugh at Orioles now but they have a few studs and developing them right. 2 quick examples is the phillies player mickey moriak (spelling) who did nothing in minors but kept getting promoted. Brady aiken washed out. Kept getting promoted and got worse.
Move was expected since he’s total garbage
Jannis, our 33 Year old Rookie Oriole, got sent down today?…his knuckleball must have had “the juice” on it….
Hope he clears waivers and comes back. Although I don’t think he is “good”, per se, I think he’s better than what that one outing showed.
Life has to be hard for a modern knuckleballer, with MLB changing the ball every year.
Congratulations to Konner Wade!
He’s been the Saturday starter for the 2012 University of Arizona Wildcats national championship team under HOF coach Andy Lopez, along with iron arm Kurt Wolfgang Heyer (Friday) and James Farris (Sunday). That legendary rotation pitched more complete games than any other in the past decade of Arizona Baseball.
Diamondbacks should sign Jannis and assign him to their AAA team in Reno. He’s a local boy and would draw a huge crowd whenever he pitches.