Speaking of the fountain of youth, Oscar O’Halloran got his opportunity last season in the Omaha bullpen. For the most part, he seemed to impress. At least from the average baseball fan.
The 22-year-old came up and allowed just a 3.27 ERA in 18 games pitched. In those 33 innings, he struggled with control, walking 14. He also struggled with the long ball, which is an issue in Omaha, having given up 5 home runs in relief (1.9 HR/9). His FIP was 5.20, which is about 15% higher than the average pitcher in the BBA.
With Jose Barron opting out, it is expected that the club is going to give Oscar a chance to start, which is something that he has not done since the 2055 season in Short-A Hastings.
“We are going to give everybody a chance at this point. We obviously have a bit more money than expected this off-season, but first we have to figure out exactly what we have in-house.” Said GM Justin Niles.
Omaha is sitting at under $100M in current payroll obligations after the unexpected opt-outs of longtime players Andre Ly & Jose Barron.
