Robert Charles Orlan (born September 28, 1990) is an American former professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
.
In high school in Virginia, he was All-District as a pitcher as a junior, All-State as a utility player as a senior, and All-District Academic three years. He was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 30th round of the
2012 Major League Baseball draft out of the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...
. In 2016, he led the Class A-Advanced
Carolina League
The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...
in
holds, with eight.
He pitched for
Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic, in March 2017.
Early life
Orlan was born in
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
Bryn Mawr (, from Welsh language, Welsh for 'big hill') is a census-designated place (CDP) located in Pennsylvania, United States. It is located just west of Philadelphia along Lancaster Avenue, also known as U.S. Route 30 in Pennsylvania, U.S. ...
, grew up in
Glen Allen, Virginia, and is Jewish.
["R.C. Orlan Minor Leagues Statistics & History,"](_blank)
Baseball-Reference.com.["R.C. Orlan Biography,"](_blank)
goheels.com. He is the son of Adam and Margie Orlan.
His father ran for the
Wolverines track team at the
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
, and became a corporate executive in New York.
[Matt Clements (May 17, 2009)]
"Signee Profile: Robert Orlan - North Carolina,"
Scout. His paternal grandfather was Herbert Orlan, who was born in
the Bronx
The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
, New York, to Abraham and Flora (Rothouse) Orlansky, and his paternal grandmother is Marilyn Orlan. Orlan attended
Deep Run High School (2009) in Glen Allen, where he pitched and played first base and outfield for the baseball team while batting right-handed.
He was All-District as a pitcher as a junior, All-State as a utility player as a senior, and All-District Academic three years.
He threw a
fastball
The fastball is the most common type of pitch (baseball), pitch thrown by pitchers in baseball and softball. Its distinctive feature is its high speed. "Power pitchers," such as former major leaguers Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, relied on the ...
,
circle change,
curveball, and
slider.
He was timed at 7.41 in the
60-yard dash. He was drafted by the
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
in the 44th round of the
2009 Major League Baseball draft
The 2009 Major League Baseball draft was held June 9 to June 11 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey.
The drafting order is as follows:
First-round selections
Key
Supplemental first-round selections
From Baseball Americ ...
from Deep Run High School, but did not sign and instead elected to attend college.
For college, Orlan attended the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...
, where he majored in Management and pitched for the
Tar Heels.
As a freshman in 2010, he pitched 12.1 innings.
["Baseball Announces 2012 Award Winners,"]
goheels.com, June 8, 2012. In the summer of 2010 he pitched for the
Bourne Braves
The Bourne Braves are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Bourne, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's West Division. The Braves play their home games at Doran Park (ballpark) ...
of the
Cape Cod League, and had a 3.06 ERA.
As a sophomore in 2011, in 32 games he was 2-0 with a 3.79 ERA, striking out 24 batters in 19 innings.
In the summer of 2011 he again pitched for the Bourne Braves, and had a 1.50 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 18 innings.
As a junior in 2012, in 38 games (leading the
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...
) Orlan was 8-1 with a 2.21 ERA, striking out 66 batters in 57 innings as he walked 11 hitters.
He was drafted by the
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...
in the 30th round of the
2012 Major League Baseball draft from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and signed in January 2013.
["R.C. Orlan Stats, Highlights, Bio,"]
MiLB.com.
Professional career
He began his professional career in 2013 with the
Auburn Doubledays of the A (Short)
New York-Penn League
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995
* "New" (Daya song), 2017
* "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
, starting 11 of the 13 games in which he pitched, and going 1-5 with a 3.65 ERA. In 2014 Orlan pitched again for Auburn, going 1-0 with a 4.19 ERA in 17 relief appearances as he struck out 37 batters in 34.1 innings, and pitched for the
Hagerstown Suns
The Hagerstown Suns were a Minor League Baseball team based in Hagerstown, Maryland. They were a member of the South Atlantic League and, from 2007 through 2020, were the Class A (baseball), Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They pl ...
of the A
South Atlantic League
The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its h ...
, going 0-2 with a 6.28 ERA in 6 relief appearances as he struck out 21 batters in 14.1 innings.
In 2015 Orlan pitched again for Hagerstown, going 3-1 with a 3.23 ERA and 4 saves in 27 relief appearances as he stuck out 68 batters in 55.2 innings, and pitched for the
Potomac Nationals
The Potomac Nationals were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League. They were situated in Woodbridge, Virginia, and played their home games at Northwest Federal Field at Pfitzner Stadium. After the 2019 season, the team relocated to ...
of the Class A-Advanced
Carolina League
The Carolina League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated along the Atlantic Coast of the United States since 1945. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 unti ...
, going 0-0 with a 2.20 ERA and a save in 8 relief appearances while striking out 17 batters in 16.1 innings.
In 2016, he again pitched for the Potomac Nationals, going 5-6 with a 3.93 ERA and 8
holds (leading the league) in 41 relief appearances (4th in the league) as he held his opponents to a .211 batting average.
In 2017, Orlan began the season pitching for the Potomac Nationals, and was 2-1 with a 3.21 ERA with 5 saves and 29 strikeouts in 28 innings.
[Byron Kerr (April 19, 2017)]
"Harper rewriting record books; another Ross moving up,"
MASNSports.com. He was promoted to the
Harrisburg Senators
The Harrisburg Senators are a Minor League Baseball team who play in the Eastern League, and are the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The team is based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and play their home games at FNB Field on Cit ...
of the AA
Eastern League, where he was 1-3 with a 5.09 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 23 innings.
The
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
drafted Orlan in the minor league
Rule 5 draft
The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...
in December 2017. Orlan pitched for five minor league teams in 2018, primarily for the
Akron RubberDucks
The Akron RubberDucks are a Minor League Baseball team based in Akron, Ohio. The team, which plays in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They play in Canal Park (Akron, Ohio) ...
in the AA Eastern League, going 1-0 with 3 saves and an 0.61 ERA in 23 games over 29.2 innings, in which he walked 7 batters and struck out 39.
[R.C. Orlan Minor Leagues Statistics & History , Baseball-Reference.com]
/ref>
The Indians re-signed Orlan to a minor league contract for the 2019 season on October 25, 2018. The deal included an invitation to the Indians' 2019 major league spring training camp. In 2019 he pitched for the Columbus Clippers
The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, merch ...
of the Class AAA International League
The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...
, and was 0-2 with a 7.53 ERA in 14.1 innings. Orlan was released by the Indians on May 14, 2019.
World Baseball Classic; Team Israel
Orlan was on the roster to pitch for Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic qualifier. Although he did not pitch, his father was quoted saying "I am very proud of Team Israel, it has been a fun experience."
Orlan pitched for Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic main tournament in March 2017. He relieved in two games, getting five outs while giving up one hit and one earned run."Lefty R.C. Orlan goes from Team Israel to Potomac Nationals"
''Prince William Times''.
See also
*
List of select Jewish baseball players
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orlan, R. C.
1990 births
Living people
Auburn Doubledays players
Baseball players from Virginia
Bourne Braves players
Hagerstown Suns players
Harrisburg Senators players
Jewish American baseball players
North Carolina Tar Heels baseball players
Potomac Nationals players
2017 World Baseball Classic players
Sportspeople from Henrico County, Virginia
21st-century American Jews