Keegan Akin made pitch for a stronger role in the Orioles’ bullpen

Very quietly, Keegan Akin has made himself a highly valued member of the Orioles’ bullpen. Last season, Akin led relievers with 78 2/3 innings and had a 3.32 ERA.

Akin allowed just 6.3 hits per nine innings, the best in his career, and his walk/strikeout rate was also his best.

He struck out more than five times the number of batters he walked — 97 strikeouts to just 19 walks.

The 29-year-old left-hander was trustworthy against left-handed and right-handed hitters. Left-handed hitters hit .192 against him; right-handers .194. Only 29.7 percent of batted balls against him were hard-hit, a career low.

With so many starting pitchers out with injuries and another key left-hander, Danny Coulombe, out for more than three months after he had surgery to remove bone chips from his left elbow, Akin came up big for the Orioles in the second half with a 2.70 ERA  and just 2.38 in September.

Akin’s best innings were the seventh (2.25 ERA) and eighth (1.77).

Manager Brandon Hyde often used him in games the Orioles trailed. Akin pitched in Oriole wins in just 26 of his 66 games.

Cionel Pérez, another left-hander who had a far higher ERA, 4.53, pitched in 42 Oriole wins in his 62 games.

The Orioles will probably seek another experienced arm or two to replace Coulombe, whose $4 million option was not exercised, or Jacob Webb, who was not offered a contract.

Besides Akin and Pérez, they have another experienced left-hander, Gregory Soto, who came to the team at the trade deadline. Perhaps Coulombe’s absence combined with Akin’s strong 2024 will convince Hyde to pitch Akin in difficult spots late in games that the Orioles are leading.

Akin’s 2024 season marked a huge turnaround from 2023 when he missed the second half of the season with a back injury. He stumbled to a 6.85 ERA in 24 games.

Akin was one of a relatively few pitchers Hyde and executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias inherited when they took over for the 2019 season, and one of four who remains. Félix Bautista, Dean Kremer and Grayson Rodriguez are the others.

Akin was drafted in the second round of the 2016 draft, the year the Orioles drafted right-hander Cody Sedlock in the first round. A Michigan native, Akin made his debut in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and was 1-2 with a 4.56 ERA in eight games, six starts. The 2021 season was a difficult one — he was 2-10 with a 6.63 ERA in 24 games, 17 starts.

In 2022, the Orioles decided to make Akin a reliever, and he was excellent in the first half with a 2.36 ERA, but he tired in the second half and had a 4.76 ERA. His 79 1/3 relief innings led the team.

With Félix Bautista expected back to close in 2025, and Yennier Cano and Seranthony Domínguez ready to set him up, Hyde has three experienced right-handers.

Akin has become a dependable and experienced left-hander who might get a chance to pitch later in games.

In recent days, there’s been chatter that teams are interested in turning Clay Holmes, who began the season as the New York Yankees’ closer, into a starting pitcher. Holmes had four starts in 2018 with the Pittsburgh Pirates but has pitched in relief as well.

There’s also been talk that Jeff Hoffman, who pitched for Philadelphia the last two years, could return to starting. Hoffman was a starter for Colorado and Cincinnati earlier in his career.

The Orioles have had success with Akin in the bullpen, and it doesn’t seem likely they’ll try something similar with him.

Spring training tickets: Spring training tickets go on sale Monday at noon. Single-game tickets can be purchased at Orioles.com/SpringTickets. Birdland Members have access to a pre-sale today.

The Orioles will play five night games: March 6^th (Pittsburgh), March 14^th (Minnesota), March 18^th (Toronto), March 20^th (New York) and March 21^st (Detroit). Night games begin at 6:05 p.m. They’ll play 10 afternoon games beginning at 1:05 p.m.

Opening Day is February 22^nd against the Pirates.

The Orioles will host the Spring Breakout game against the New York Yankees on March 15^th at a time to be announced.

Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com.