This is one of my favorite columns to write each year. I take the occasion of the South Atlantic League’s All-Star Game, which is the halfway point of the season, to do some research and see what my previous Shorebirds of the Week are doing with their baseball careers. Out of 90 previous picks (some were selected twice) I’ve found over 60 are still active somewhere.
Let’s go back to the 2006 season and my initial crop of 22 Shorebirds of the Week. With time, many have seen their baseball dreams come to an end but there are still 9 active players out of the group.
Leading the way for them is one of my two initial inductees to the SotW Hall of Fame – David Hernandez now holds down a reliever spot for the Orioles. The other inductee, Brad Bergesen, was with the O’s earlier this year but sent to Norfolk after some struggles. Among the remainder of the 2006 honorees joining Bergesen on the Norfolk roster are Brandon Snyder, Brandon Erbe, and Blake Davis. One step down from them at Bowie are Chorye Spoone and Jon Tucker.
One other 2006 honoree has found success in a different organization as Lorenzo Scott Jr. is on the roster of the New Orleans Zephyrs, top affiliate of the Florida Marlins. (Unfortunately, Lorenzo is currently on their disabled list.) Meanwhile, Vito Chiaravalotti continues to ply his trade in the independent Atlantic League, although he’s listed as inactive with the loop’s Somerset Patriots.
A total of 19 new honorees (3 were repeat winners from 2006) graced my 2007 docket and ten are still active – most in the Orioles organization. Dotting the Norfolk roster are Tim Bascom and Zach Clark, while Bowie claims Pedro Beato and 2007 Shorebird of the Year Danny Figueroa as active players – Wilfrido Perez is on their DL while Chad Thall is listed as inactive. And Frederick is still the baseball home of Billy Rowell and Miguel Abreu.
The other two 2007 honorees still active now play in different major league organizations. Brandon Tripp plays for Jacksonville (Florida’s AA affiliate in the Southern League) where he could face onetime teammate Ryan Ouellette – released by the Orioles earlier this season, Ryan was signed by the Chicago White Sox and assigned to Birmingham of the Southern League.
Moving to 2008, there were 22 players selected as SotW and 17 of them remain in the game. Leading the pack is Matt Angle, who was recently promoted to Norfolk.
Five of the players now play at Bowie, although Pedro Florimon is on a rehab stint with Aberdeen. Matt Tucker, Tyler Henson, Zach Britton, and Ryan Adams are still contributing to the Baysox effort. Six other players are up one level with Frederick: Sean Gleason (my 2008 Shorebird of the Year), John Mariotti, Cole McCurry, Brett Bordes, Joe Mahoney, and Nate Nery. That experienced core may be why Frederick won the first-half title.
We still have two players who were Shorebirds of the Week two years ago in Luis Noel (who returned from a stint in the Dominican Summer League last year) and Mick Mattaliano, who’s been relegated to our disabled list. He last appeared in the exhibition game we played against Salisbury University. Brian Parker has regressed (or made a lateral move, depending on interpretation of the level) to Aberdeen.
Two of my players are now attempting to resurrect their careers with independent league teams – Brendan Monaghan with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League and Joe Nowicki on the Schaumburg Flyers, who play in the Northern League. It’s possible those ranks may be joined by Tony Butler, who was released last week from Delmarva.
Finally, Wally Crancer began the season with Frederick but voluntarily decided to hang up the glove and spikes last month.
With four repeat honorees, 2009’s crew of 18 SotW players is almost intact within the Orioles chain and most have advanced to Frederick; however, Eddie Gamboa and Brandon Cooney have progressed beyond the next level and star for Bowie. The Keys serve as baseball home for Richard Zagone, Ron Welty (2009 Shorebird of the Year), Xavier Avery, Oliver Drake, Greg Miclat, Kyle Hudson, Ryan O’Shea, and Jacob Julius. L.J. Hoes is on Frederick’s disabled list and rehabbing with Aberdeen.
Still here at Delmarva is Brent Allar, Luis Bernardo, and Nathan Moreau; meanwhile Aberdeen is the baseball home for Tyler Kolodny and T.R. Keating (who is also rehabbing with Aberdeen but on Delmarva’s roster.)
Of the other two remaining players, Rodolfo Cardona was picked up by the Pittsburgh Pirates and was assigned to Bradenton of the Florida State League (where he’s on the disabled list) while Elvin Polanco is apparently out of baseball. Kolodny and Moreau are repeat honorees in 2010 along with Tony Butler.
This year’s 8 new honorees thus far are all still with Delmarva except for Ryan Berry, who was promoted to Frederick. Garabez Rosa and Brian Conley were among the three Shorebirds selected as SAL All-Stars, with Jesse Beal soon to be named as a Shorebird of the Week (if he’s not promoted beforehand.) Postgame, I’ll update this post with how these players did in Greenville.
Update: Brian Conley started the game in center field, going 0-for-1 with a walk before being pulled in the bottom of the fifth. At that point, Garabez Rosa was brought in to play second base and went 0-for-2. Jesse Beal pitched the fourth inning and gave up the tying run on two hits, fanning one. The game ended in a 5-5 tie in 10 innings as both teams used their allotment of pitchers.
Ouellette was traded to the White Sox for future considerations.