The Baltimore Orioles’ rough season just got a little bit worse. According to general manager Mike Elias, right-handed starting pitcher Alex Cobb will miss the rest of 2019 while undergoing hip surgery. In addition to the hip surgery, MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko notes that Cobb might also undergo minor surgery on his knee.
Alex Cobb having season ending hip surgery #orioles
— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) June 11, 2019
Alex Cobb to Miss Remainder of Season With Hip Injury
Just like the entire Orioles organization, Alex Cobb has struggled over the past two seasons. Initially added on a four-year, $57 million contract prior to the 2018 season, Cobb has struggled to capture the form which made him a solid mid-rotation arm for the Tampa Bay Rays. The righty has appeared in just three games this season, tossing 12.1 innings to the tune of a 10.95 ERA and an 11.82 FIP. He’s striking out less than six batters per nine innings while allowing an atrocious 6.57 HR/9 rate. The lone silver lining is that Cobb’s walking just 1.46 batters per nine.
Cobb first joined the Orioles in the weeks leading up to the 2018 season. Pitching in 152.1 innings, Cobb finished the year with an underwhelming 4.90 ERA and a 4.80 FIP. While he ended his season on a high note, it’s hard to call Cobb’s Baltimore tenure anything other than a disappointment.
Cobb is still under contract for two more seasons, so perhaps a clean bill of health will help him return to form. Prior to joining the Orioles, Cobb was actually a decently productive starter for the Tampa Bay Rays. From 2011 to 2017, Cobb pitched a combined 700 innings in Tampa Bay. During his time on the mound, Cobb posted a 3.50 ERA with a 3.68 FIP. He struck out 7.3 batters per nine innings while walking just 7% of his batters faced. This included a 2017 season in which he recorded a 3.66 ERA and a 4.16 FIP in 179.1 innings of work.
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