NOOTBOOK: Start or relief, Overton continues to deliver

A self-proclaimed “professional baseball thrower” on Twitter, Connor Overton’s simple description of himself does not begin to illustrate the versatility he has brought to the mound for the Bisons in 2021.

Listed on the roster as a reliever, Overton had only two career starts in affiliated baseball and none at the Triple-A level coming into 2021. This season, Overton has made three starts and three relief appearances and pitched a total of 18.0 innings, the second most of any pitcher on the roster.

Due to multiple call-ups and injuries to routine starters the Bisons have featured nine different starting pitchers in 21 games. Overton has given Bisons’ manager Casey Candaele much-needed flexibility to endure, including two improvised starts in May.

Overton made his first start for the Bisons on May 9 after expected starter Nate Pearson was called up to the Toronto Blue Jays. He found out he was starting the night before the game.

“Once we find found out that Nate was going up, I had asked [pitching coach] Jeff [Ware] if I could be the starter and I was kind of joking you know,” said Overton. “He took it into consideration and then at the end of the game last night he let me know that I was going to be the starter.”

Overton made another scheduled start on Tuesday against the Triple-A Northeast division leading Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders after the expected starter Alek Manoah got the call up to face the New York Yankees.

“We have been a little thin at times, so we needed somebody to step up and he definitely stepped up huge for us,” said Candaele.

In his three starts, Overton has allowed no runs in 13 innings, including a six-inning appearance against Rochester on May 15. In his three relief appearances, Overton has allowed just five hits and two runs in five innings of work. The Bisons have a 5-1 record in games he appears in and a 2-1 record in the games he started.

Primarily using a fastball and changeup, Overton has a 1.00 ERA and a .067 WHIP, the lowest among players on the active roster with over three innings of work. He has also held opposing batters to a .159 batting average.

“I just do my thing,” said Overton. “Locating the fastball, playing the changeup off of it and, you know just pitching to my strengths rather than the hitter's weaknesses.”

***

While Overton has been multitalented starting games and working as a middle reliever, the Bisons’ Hobie Harris and Bryan Baker have been essential pieces in closing out opponents.

Harris and Baker are five for five in save opportunities and have accounted for five of the six saves the team has accumulated this season.

Harris alone has three saves and has posted a 1.08 WHIP and struck out 12 in 8.1 innings of work. Baker has been just as sharp having yet to give up a run this season and punching out 13 batters in 8.2 innings of working.

In addition, both pitchers have been asked to perform regardless of the lefty-righty matchup and have done just that.

“They have been doing a great job,” said Candaele. “And we try to match up and kind of allow at guys to face certain parts of the lineup or whatever but then we'll switch it up throughout and just let everybody kind of have that opportunity because they will probably get called to the big leagues and they'll be asked to perform in different roles.”

***

When it comes to defensive stats, normally no stats are good stats and that exactly how the Bisons have been in 2021 accumulating only 11 errors in 21 games, the lowest total among Triple-A East Northeast division teams.

In addition, Juan Graterol and Riley Adams have been impressive behind the plate allowing a combined one passed ball, tied of second in all of the Triple-A East.

Overall, the Bisons have posted a .985% fielding percentage ranking them fourth among all teams in the Triple-A East.

***

Bisons in the Big Leagues

In case you missed it, the former Bisons’ ace Alek Manoah became the Blue Jays’ ace Thursday making his MLB debut on the road against the New York Yankees.

Originally scheduled for Wednesday, Manoah’s first professional appearance was pushed back to Thursday due to rain.

The 6’6” righty started game one of the two-game seven-inning doubleheader and was exceptional. Manoah pitched six innings, struck out seven, gave up two hits and no run to earn his first career win.

Manoah is the first pitcher from the 2019 MLB Draft to start in an MLB game and the first Blue Jays rookie to throw six scoreless innings and strike out seven in their MLB debut.

During his time with the Bisons, Manoah made three starts, pitched 18 innings, gave up one run and struck out 27 while posting a 0.56 WHIP.