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MOOSIC — For Matt Wotherspoon it’s always nice to come back home.
A pitcher in the Baltimore Orioles organization, Wotherspoon is unable to get back to his native Mountain Top often. But when he does, it’s either the offseason or when he pitches against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders at PNC Field.
“It’s great to be back home and see my family and my buddies,” said Wotherspoon.
Wotherspoon, or “Spoony” as his teammates call him, said he had about 25 tickets reserved ahead of Tuesday night’s contest between the RailRiders and the Norfolk Tides for his friends and family.
A lot has changed for the Crestwood grad since he last appeared at PNC Field. After several years in the minor leagues, Wotherspoon made his major league debut for the Orioles on April 3 against the Toronto Blue Jays.
“I wouldn’t say I feel different. But it’s a special experience, and once you get a taste of it, you want to get back,” Wotherspoon said of his debut. “I think at this level we all think of getting to the big leagues. I think I take it day-by-day.”
Wotherspoon wasn’t always a member of the Orioles organization. In fact, he pitched quite a few games at PNC Field for the RailRiders.
The New York Yankees selected Wotherspoon in the 34th round of the 2014 MLB Draft after a stellar collegiate career at the University of Pittsburgh. He was also a member of the RailRiders’ 2016 Triple-A National Championship team.
After bouncing between starting and the bullpen, the Yankees decided to trade him to the Orioles on July 2, 2017. But now Wotherspoon has embraced his role as a swing man.
“I think teams are putting more emphasis on the usage of their bullpen,” Wotherspoon said. “I’ve embraced the role of being a long guy out of the pen. I have to be ready when the Orioles make a move or someone gets injured. I try to have the same mentality.”
“You are seeing relievers come in in the fifth and sixth innings. Starters aren’t going as long they used to. I think it’s because of pitch counts and guys in the back end of the bullpen with high-90’s stuff and devastating sliders.”
Wotherspoon, who is on the Orioles 40-man roster, has seen an uptick in strikeouts with a decrease in his walks.
“I think it’s more of a new mentality,” he said. “My pitches are the same. I’m just trying to be really aggressive and attack hitters. So far I’ve had a pretty decent year throwing the ball well.”
The Orioles right-hander credits his success from learning from last season, saying he left some good innings out there and that he let some hitters get back in counts.
With Aaron Judge rehabbing with the RailRiders, Wotherspoon said he faced the all-star slugger a few times in 2016 during spring training.
“I don’t remember,” Wotherspoon said about the Yankees slugger. “I think I got him once, but he may have got me a couple times.”