Miguel Tejada (left) chats with Brian Roberts before a ballgame in Rochester. Photo by Dan Glickman.
Brian Roberts. Miguel Tejada. Nate McLouth. Jamie Moyer. Between those four players, there are 10 All-Star Game selections. And yet, all four of them are currently at Baltimore’s AAA affiliate in Norfolk. There are several other ex-MLBers on the Norfolk roster as well, such as Bill Hall. I recently saw three games involving the Tides. Here are some impressions of this unusual group of players who all have found their way to the International League, whether due to injury, poor play, bad luck or an attempt to make a comeback.
Nate McLouth at the plate in Rochester, NY on June 8, 2012. Image by Dan Glickman.
I only saw McLouth, the 2008 All-Star and former Pirate and Brave, once during this week, on Friday night (it was his first game with the Tides after signing a minor league deal). He went 1-3 with a HR and 3 RBIs. Picking up McLouth was probably a good move by the Orioles, something that can’t really hurt the team but could potentially help it if he returns to form. After all, although McLouth was often ignored due to the fact his best years were in Pittsburgh, he was, at his peak and one of the best defensive outfielders in the league, although he never has been one to hit for average or get on base that much (his career OPS is .755, which is average at best). It’s doubtful he could possibly hope to crack the Orioles’ line-up (he was, after all, only hitting .140 BA with the Pirates this season), barring some sort of injury, but he could make for a possible bench player if he hits well enough in Norfolk.
Zach Britton warming up on June 5. Photo by Dan Glickman.
Zach Britton, who went 11-11 with a 4.61 ERA last season, was pitching for Norfolk as part of a rehab assignment (he’s been out all year with a shoulder injury) on Tuesday. He went 6 innings, giving up 7 H, 4 ER (including a HR) and 2 BB while striking out two as he picked up the win. Most of his problems came early in the game, although the two-run homer he gave up to Rene Rivera came in the fifth, not long before he left the game after 80 pitches (49 of them for strikes).
Britton, only 24, is highly regarded, and, what’s more, he’s left-handed. Especially with Jake Arrieta continuing to struggle in Baltimore (in fact, he has apparently already been moved to the bullpen), I wouldn’t be surprised if Britton is back up in Orioles’ rotation as soon as he’s had enough starts to prove he is healthy.
Miguel Tejada
Miguel Tejada stretches and smiles during a game in Rochester, NY. Photo by Dan Glickman.
The six-time All-Star and 2002 MVP, Tejada is trying to make his way back to the big leagues for a Harold Bainesian third stint with the Orioles. One thing you immediately notice about him, which you can see with the photo attached here, is that Miguel clearly still loves to play the game. I don’t know if he noticed the camera and was smiling at me on purpose, but I wouldn’t be surprised. He seemed to always be one of the first out of the dugout at the start of a inning, and seemed to have a perpetual smile. Considering some of the scandals of his career, there is something admirable about how he still clearly loves what he’s doing, even if he isn’t in the big leagues.
And he probably will end up back in the majors, especially if there are any injuries in Baltimore. He’s hitting well- .297 BA and .686 OPS (he never has been one who was good with OBP. In the book version of Moneyball he infamously said “You don’t walk off the island.”) in 20 games, and would make a good bat off the bench or occasional starter.
Brian Roberts
Brian Roberts. Photo by Dan Glickman. (Note: The colors in this image have been enhanced for clarity using photo-editing software.)
Roberts has been on the DL on-and-off his entire career, but his most recent problems have come from concussions- he hasn’t played a big league game since last May.
As has been seen with players such as Justin Morneau and hockey star Sidney Crosby, concussions can be very fickle things. A player could appear fine one day only for the symptoms to return the next. If a player gets too many of them, their entire career could be in danger.
With that in mind though, Brian Roberts, who I have previously seen both during his early 2000s stint in Rochester and a few times during his MLB career with Baltimore, seems to be fine. He had some good nights at the plate during the series in Rochester (although his .BA as of the end of June 8 is .231, partially because of the small sample size curse), and proved he still isn’t afraid to take risks, despite the fact that one hard slide or dive could bring his concussion systems back.
During his first at-bat, he began to leg what appeared to at first be a ordinary single into a double. This forced the Red Wings’ RF to make an ill-advised throw to second, a throw that went wild and allowE. Roberts to end up at third.
It isn’t a question, really, of whether Brian Roberts will go up to Baltimore, but rather what he will do when he goes up to Baltimore. Robert Andino has become something of a mainstay at 2B with the Orioles and a permanent place in baseball history after having the hit that eliminated Boston last season. And while he isn’t hitting very well this season (and he leads the AL in errors) it could possibly cause some friction in the clubhouse, as, you know, that always is what seems to happen during position battles, at least according to tradition. That said, it is hard for anyone to argue that Andino is a better second-baseman than Roberts, who is possibly the greatest Oriole ever at that position (it’s between him, Bobby Grich and maybe Davey Johnson).
Jamie Moyer, Bill Hall, etc.
- Didn’t see Jamie Moyer, as he has his first AAA start for the Orioles since 1993 tonight in Buffalo.
- Bill Hall is definitely not happy to be in AAA. Okay, nobody is ever happy to be in AAA (Dirk Hayhurst wrote that, much like how everyone in prison thinks they are innocent, everyone in AAA thinks they should be in the show), but Bill Hall seems particularly annoyed by it. In the 25 games he has played in Norfolk, he’s hit .221 with a horrible .616 OPS. When he struck out to end Friday’s game, he visibly slammed his helmet to the ground. It sat there as the Tides left the field for a good few minutes before finally it disappeared, presumably picked up by a bat boy.
- Other former major leaguers who played during the series: Xavier Avery (who is fast), Willie Eyre (who got shelled), Pat Neshek (who I didn’t see), Lew Ford (who really disappeared off the face of the earth after 2007) and Blake Davis (who isn’t going back to Baltimore anytime soon).
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