RHP Lucas Long

2018 Opening Day Age: 25

2017 Team: Bowie

2017 Stats: 9-6, 2.95 ERA, 128 1/3 innings

Baseball Reference Page

Through the first three months of last season, the 2014 24th-round pick pitched mostly in relief at Bowie. Long made a few spot starts during that stretch, but he didn’t shift into a full-time role in the rotation until after the Eastern League All-Star break. He went 4-3 with a 4.07 ERA in the second half. That’s not terrible, but it’s much worse than his 3-2 record and 1.90 ERA in 17 appearances out of the bullpen in 2017. Long appears to have higher upside as a reliever, and is seemingly viewed that way by the organization. But, depending on how the offseason shakes out, the Orioles could give Long a chance to pitch every fifth day in Norfolk’s rotation in 2018. If he does well and the Orioles’ rotation is struggling early, he could be promoted to the majors. For now, we’re talking about a lot of “ifs” that would need to happen. The Orioles decided not to protect him from the Rule 5, so he is not currently on the 40-man roster. We’re talking a major longshot for the 2018 rotation.

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