Flying in the face of sabermatricians throughout baseball, Orioles’ lefty Richard Bleier is putting up numbers that don’t follow the accepted recipe for success among pitchers. He is pitching nearly flawless baseball, giving the team a much-needed boost from a bullpen that has largely been a big disappointment.
Of course it’s early in the season and Rocky could be KO’d in his next appearance. But through Saturday’s games, his 0.61 ERA places him at the top of the list among the 30 A.L. relievers with at least 10 innings pitched, according to Fangraphs.
Bleier has chosen a road less traveled than his counterparts on his way to being among the league’s elite relievers at this point in the season.