Baltimore Orioles’ Mike Belfiore looking to the big leagues - MLB News
Baltimore Orioles’ pitching prospect Mike Belfiore has been impressive since his arrival to the club in May of 2012. The 24-year-old was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a midseason trade. He did well for the Double-A Bowie Bay Sox and has also
impressed in the Arizona Fall League.
The Commack, New York native sees his move to the Orioles as one having a positive effect on his game and he has been able to make us of his skills more than he was able to do while being a part of the Diamondbacks. "The D-backs kind of strayed away with
what I was doing [as a starter], and I was able to get back to that in the bullpen. And then getting traded obviously opened the door for me as well," Mike said.
His work for the Bay Sox was admirable. The left-handed pitcher posted a 2.85 ERA in the 28 games he played for the double-A team. His numbers for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League were also pretty good. He posted a 2.61 ERA in over 10 innings
that he pitched in, striking-out 11 batters. Mike is also a part of the AFL Rising Stars team this year.
The pitcher felt that Double-A is a level where one can show the skills at a professional level and make the case for the big leagues. Belfiore, who has a fast ball that can go up to 94 mph, considered 2012 as the best year of his career so far. "It's probably
been my best year because I got back to my comfort zone," he said.
The pitcher was drafted in the first round in 2009 out of Boston College by the Arizona Diamondbacks. As a high school and college players, Mike played at various position and had a good run as a hitter as well. He won awards at the district and county level
during his years as a high school and college player.
In college, he never started games as pitcher and was always performed closing duties. Mike understands that the experience helped him in a big way as a pitcher. He said, "In college, I was a closer full time, never started. It was definitely an advantage
going back to what I was comfortable with. I learned a lot from this year.”
The pitcher will be making a return for the team during Spring Training. If he gets a spot on the 40 man roster for the O’s, he will most certainly be continuing his role as a closer for the team. The team has got an excellent bullpen that has made a major
difference in the team’s fortunes recently and addition of Mike Belfiore at some point should further strengthen it.
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