Next season will be tough for Baltimore Orioles, says relief pitcher Kevin Gregg
The Baltimore Orioles’ relief pitcher Kevin Gregg is not only showing some great optimism ahead of the 2012 Major League season but he is also trying to address the very idea of true competitiveness that will further enhance the enthusiasm among baseball lovers.
Keeping in view his own last season’s performance, Gregg said by phone on Friday,
“I think my experience speaks for itself. Last year was definitely not the most notable year I could have, but the majority of our team can also say the same thing.”
He added, “As a group, when you lose that many games, you all have something to improve on. There was a stretch in there that wasn't exactly great. But as I recall, I think I got the last two saves of the season when the opportunities [arose]. Jim Johnson took some of the workload late in the year, but he was also being rewarded for how well he was doing, too.”
Gregg, who came last season to the Orioles’ roster from the Toronto Blue Jays, is pretty much settled now and has started concentrating on his fast throwing. Last year, he was exceptional with his late pitching. Though, earlier at the start of the season, the Orioles' management did try a little to adjust him in the starting pitchers’ rotation but due to some internal issues of the franchise, they held their decision and had him play as a reliever.
His performance as consistent reliever was relatively good when he achieved 4.37 ERA along with 22 saves, 53 strike-outs and 1.64 WHIP. Entering the Blue Jays’ roster, he also improved his 3.51 ERA and added to his career 4.07 ERA with 144 saves which is still an achievement for a pitcher who has only eight years of playing experience with five different franchises.
Starting his professional baseball career from the Los Angeles Angels’ platform, Gregg went on to play for the Miami Marlins, Chicago Cubs and Blue Jays. Experts believe, he is a talented player but to become a complete dominant individual, he still needs some time to adjust with the defensive playing environment of the Orioles.
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