Two years ago, the Baltimore Orioles improved their pitching with one swift move. They moved the left field wall back and built it ridiculously high—ridiculous because it removes one of the most exciting plays in baseball, the home run robbery. The Great Wall of Baltimore worked. Orioles pitchers suddenly started throwing the ball over the plate. They immediately improved from 22nd in walk rate to seventh.
Then, last Feb. 1, general manager Mike Elias came up with an even keener idea to improve the staff: He traded for the most reliable pitcher in baseball.
Since 2021, Corbin Burnes has thrown more innings than every pitcher except Aaron Nola of the Philadelphia Phillies and he has done so with the lowest ERA (2.83) and lowest WHIP (0.995) among the 44 pitchers who have made 85 starts or more. He is one of the last workhorses in baseball who is also an ace.
