When Zimmermann, 25, was called up to the majors this spring, he had already made a name for himself at Triple-A Norfolk.
At this time, he had been practicing at the Orioles’ secondary training facility in Bowie, Maryland after being added to the 60-member player pool in August.
Zimmermann, a Loyola Blakefield alum and Towson University pitcher, grew up rooted for the Orioles.
Fastball velocity has been progressively increasing since he was obtained as part of the Kevin Gausman deal from Atlanta last year, with an average increase of almost six miles per hour over the course of his Minor League career.
For the first time since 2012, an Orioles pitcher born in Maryland gets the start in his home state.
Ryan Meisinger, Evan Phillips, Dave Johnson, Dave Boswell, Tom Phoebus, Bruce Howard, Steve Barber, John Miller, Jack Fisher, and Ray Moore constitute the rest of the crew.
During his time at Double-A Bowie, he pitched to a 2.58 ERA in 18 games (17 starts). This season, the southpaw went 2-3 with a 5.12 ERA in seven starts.
MLB Pipeline had ranked him as one of Baltimore’s top 30 prospects prior to this year’s draft. There have already been two other pitching prospects to make their debuts this season: Keegan Akin (No. 15) and Dean Kremer (No. 10)
Where Does Bruce Zimmermann Play Now?
Bruce Zimmermann plays for the Baltimore Orioles as a pitcher