On the Orioles’ farm, young hitters are often shown data on how they can do the most damage on pitches in the heart of the plate.
Those types of pitches are often mistakes, and at the major league level, the Orioles’ pitchers are finding out what happens to them the hard way — with startling frequency.
Chris Holt, in his first year as major league pitching coach in addition to his director of pitching responsibilities, said those difficult lessons for the pitching staff — as well as the relative inexperience of the group and the carry-over effects of a shortened 2020 season — are behind what could end up being a historically poor statistical season on the mound for the Orioles.