Shorebird of the week 5-18-2006

Slugger Mark Fleisher of the Shorebirds returns to the dugout after a Mother's Day home run.

This week we need a larger picture to honor a pretty good-sized guy, Mark Fleisher of the Shorebirds. At 6′-4″ and 235 pounds, he has the prototypical size for a first baseman. It’s one reason the Orioles picked him in last season’s draft (14th round) from Radford University in Virginia. The Richmond native is bringing his bat around after a slow start (.189 in his first 13 games) and has the average up to .236, hitting a solid .270 since April 24. In that period he’s also accounted for all 3 of his home runs (including last Sunday’s) and 15 of his 17 RBI.

As one may expect with his size, he was among the leaders in the power categories in his initial pro season last year. With Aberdeen he was second in both home runs (7) and RBI (32), while keeping a respectable .277 average in 61 games.

While first base is a position many teams turn to filling with a player moved from another position, the Orioles have pretty much cemented his status as a prospect by only signing two first basemen from last year’s draft (the other being a high schooler.) Mark will have ample opportunity to play for awhile longer and attempt to prove his worth to the organization – quite possible if his bat continues to heat up with the season.

Author: Michael

It's me from my laptop computer.