Gray Fenter in contention for Palmer Award

Former Blue Devil among Orioles’ organization top pitching prospects

sports@theeveningtimes.com

The Minor League Baseball season is in the home stretch, and organizations are busy looking at September call-ups, setting their rotations for postseason play and weighing their options for young players.

And for the Baltimore Orioles, it also means it’s time to look at contenders for the Jim Palmer Award, an honor bestowed each season to the club’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

While there are plenty of impressive arms in the O’s system, Orioles’ beat writer Steve Melewski says the organization should not overlook a local talent now plying his trade for the Delmarva Shorebirds.

“This all could change because there are a couple of weeks to go in the minor league season, and it’s just one man’s opinion, but at this point there are probably four to five strong contenders for the Jim Palmer Award,” said Melewski.

“Right now in some order you can list Single-A Delmarva’s Grayson Rodriguez, Double-A Bowie’s Michael Baumann, Alex Wells and Zac Lowther as prime contenders. I’ll add to that a pitcher who has flown under the radar but probably should not in Delmarva right-hander Gray Fenter.”

Melewski said there are plenty of Orioles hurlers with strong seasons going.

“This is just my take at this point,” he said. “He may be a longshot for this award, but Fenter has had one strong season for Delmarva, continuing his comeback from Tommy John surgery in April 2016. In 20 games he is 7-2, and his 1.98 ERA leads all O’s minor league starters. In 86 1/3 he has allowed 61 hits with 43 walks, 108 strikeouts, a 1.20 WHIP and .200 average against.”