It’s said that chicks dig the longball. While I cannot vouch one way or the other regarding his marital status, I must say that if the adage is true, women all over Delmarva are smitten with Vito Chiaravalotti. It’s obvious by the number on his jersey that he fancies himself a slugger – those of us who are a certain age recall the old blue and white #44 Braves uniform that belonged to home run king (in the non-steroid and juiced ball division) Hank Aaron.
Vito came to the Shorebirds via a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays organization on July 10. Now I was asked a question after last week’s SotW about whether Chiaravalotti would be able to get to the Show (the big leagues.) That may be a lot to ask of a guy who was only a 15th round pick in 2003 (by the Jays, out of the University of Richmond) and wasn’t exactly burning up the Eastern League at the age of 25.
With the Blue Jays AA team, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, Vito was hitting just .190 in 42 games with 6 home runs and 18 RBI, striking out 45 times in just 137 at-bats. Move him down two levels to a team in a league that’s considered the inferior of the two low-A leagues (Toronto’s low A affiliate is currently the Lansing Lugnuts of the Midwest League) and it’s no wonder that he’s matched his home run and RBI totals amassed in 42 AA games in just 18 games with the Shorebirds. In 67 at-bats with the Shorebirds Vito’s hitting .313 with 6 home runs and 19 RBI, including a majestic pinch-hit grand slam on Monday night. Basically he’s doubled his output.
So it’s hard to tell what kind of future he has in the Baltimore organization. While it’s said that he was traded to the Orioles organization, I’ve yet to find out who he was traded for, whether it’s the ever-popular “player to be named later” or the more common “cash considerations.”
However, one thing is certain – Vito Chiaravalotti has put the lie to the notion that it’s hard to hit a ball out of Perdue Stadium. Just in the few games I’ve seen him he’s mashed a couple well over the fence. So as soon as I got a picture of him, he was destined to be SotW.
And thanks to my friend Sandra Lane, who was understanding enough to let me borrow her camera to take the shot. I have another better one of another Shorebird player who’s likely a future SotW as the opportunities dwindle to a precious few. There’s only 4 more to be picked, and I’ll pick the Shorebird of the Year on September 7th, with a rundown on how the SotW’s fared for the season.
