AMERICAN LEAGUE

BALTIMORE ORIOLES

The increased emphasis on using analytics and feeding data into the Orioles’ minor league system has been credited with unlocking some of the potential in 2016 first-round righthander Cody Sedlock.

Sedlock made 22 appearances and logged 95 innings, both career highs, while splitting his season between high Class A Frederick and Double-A Bowie. He recorded a 2.84 ERA and 1.20 WHIP and averaged 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

The Orioles have been waiting for the 24-year-old Sedlock to offer the kind of production that justified making him the 27th overall pick out of Illinois.

“The farm system’s taken a huge jump this year,” executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said. “Some of that was the draft with the No. 1 pick. Most of it was what happened with players already in the system, the player development improvements that we made… the step forward we continue to take.

Elias cited Sedlock as an example of player development success.

“I don’t know what the program was in the past, but with us just changing some things in spring training—changing his approach—his strikeouts went up three per nine innings, his ERA went down. It’s a wonderful story, and there were a lot of them.”

Sedlock missed about three weeks early in the season with elbow soreness after going 3-0, 1.44 in eight starts for Frederick.

Staying healthy has been a challenge for Sedlock, who was sidelined in 2017 with right elbow and forearm discomfort and last year was diagnosed with a right shoulder strain and later with thoracic outlet syndrome.

“When something is taken away from you, it makes it so much sweeter when you are able to compete and get back to a point where you know you can pitch to the fullest of your ability,” Sedlock said earlier this summer. “I wouldn’t trade the struggles for anything because I definitely appreciate the game so much more.

“The confidence in the process right now with the new front office and coaches has been unbelievable.”

The Orioles must add Sedlock to the 40-man roster in November or risk losing him in the Rule 5 draft.

—ROCH KUBATKO

BOSTON RED SOX

Earlier this decade, lefthander Chris Murphy would have represented precisely the sort of pitcher who was easily overlooked, someone whose relatively diminutive stature—6-foot-1, 175 pounds—resulted in a natural assumption of a reliever profile.

But in an era where pitch quality has surpassed arm action and size in importance while profiling pitchers, Murphy’s pro debut at short-season Lowell turned heads and created a sense of possibility for a pitcher taken in the sixth round out of San Diego.

“After watching him, I was like, ‘Man, don’t sleep on this one here. This kid can pitch,’” Lowell pitching coach Nick Green said. “He has the complete package. I think the Red Sox got a steal with that one.”

Certainly, Murphy’s performance at Lowell made such a case. In 10 starts spanning 33.1 innings, he forged a 1.08 ERA while