For the second week in a row, a guy who played just part-time for the 2006 edition of the Shorebirds is my pick as Shorebird of the Week. Paul Winterling played in 6 games here last year and was sent down from Frederick last month in order to get more at-bats than the Keys could give him. All told, last night he played in just his 33rd game this season.
Paul is an unusual story. Most American-born players enter the pro ranks after being selected in the amateur draft, but Paul didn’t hear his phone ring after completing college at Johns Hopkins. Essentially he was signed by his hometown team as Winterling hails from the town of Glenelg. And while it’s a great opportunity for Paul, the trouble in his case is that he’s not really regarded highly as a prospect, thus playing time is hard to come by sometimes as the Orioles want to see players they actually drafted or signed from other lands get the lions’ share of the exposure.
Since rejoining the Shorebirds in mid-July Paul has seen a few more at-bats, hitting .290 in his 11 games thus far (9 for 31.) He does have a good power stroke going for him – between Frederick and Delmarva he’s hit 5 home runs in just 99 total at bats. Combined his .232 average isn’t special, but with regular play he’s seemed to improve at the plate.
Hopefully Winterling, who just turned 24 this week, can get a fair shot at proving himself with the Shorebirds during the remainder of this season and turn himself into a prospect worth watching in 2008.
