Adam Loewen

Loewen missed most of 2007 with a stress fracture in his pitching elbow that ultimately required surgery in June. This procedure was a little different than Tommy John ligament replacement surgery, so the standard timetables might not apply. Loewen and the O's medical staff are optimistic that he'll be ready for the start of the season. When he does get back on the mound, he'll need to improve his command. Like a number of pitchers in the organization, Loewen has great stuff and good strikeout rates, but hurts himself with an untenable walk rate.

At first glance, one might bristle at Loewen's 5.37 ERA and 62 walks in 112.1 major league innings in 2006. However, two important factors must be considered. First, Loewen finally broke through after struggling with control in the minor leagues, posting a pristine 2.28 ERA and 76:29 K:BB ratio in 71 innings between Double- and Triple-A before his major league call-up. Second, Loewen improved at the end of the major league season with a 4.50 ERA and 56:29 K:BB ratio in 62 innings in August and September, as compared with a 6.44 ERA and 42:33 ratio in 50.1 innings prior. If you're looking for a 2007 projection, look at fellow Canadian Oriole southpaw Erik Bedard circa 2004 -- plenty of strikeouts and walks and a mid-4.00 ERA.

Loewen's first full year at High-A Frederick was as unsatisfying as his previous season. He tantalized the Orioles with 146 strikeouts in 142 innings, but walked 86 men en route to an unsightly 1.52 WHIP. Since part of his first-round draft pick contract with the team was to be added to the 40-man roster, Loewen's available options are slowly fading away, so the team will be forced to promote him through the system if they want to keep him around. So far they've rebuffed any offers to deal him, so it appears as if he will spend a majority of time at Double-A in 2006 with the hope he’ll learn some control on the fly. If he can, Loewen has a chance to be a fixture in the major league rotation for years to come.

It was a frustrating year for Loewen, considered by many to be the best pitching prospect in the Orioles organization. He did not progress as fast as the organization had hoped, battling with control issues at low Single-A Delmarva and high Single-A Frederick until he was shut down for the year with a torn labrum in September. He should be healthy for the start of spring training and will likely start the season at high Single-A Frederick with a chance of moving up to Double-A Bowie if he can pitch up to his potential.

Loewen was the Orioles' No. 1 draft pick in 2002, but couldn't reach an agreement with him until June 2003. He pitched well in just 23 1/3 innings at short season Aberdeen, as the club merely wanted to give him a sampling of professional baseball. He's still a couple of years away, but is a top pitching prospect in the organization.

After receiving a $4 million deal five minutes before he was to re-enter the draft, the 6'6" 19-year-old becomes the organization's most anticipated pitching prospect since Mike Mussina, and adds to the Orioles' collection of left-handed top prospects including Eric Bedard and Matt Riley.