While he didn’t start the season on the Shorebirds’ roster, Mikey Planeta has returned to solidify center field for the Shorebirds.
It’s his second tour of duty with the team, and thus far Mikey has improved quite a bit on the .226/0/33 he posted in 117 games last season. In 38 games so far this year, the 27th round pick from 2009 is posting a .276/0/7 mark, improving his OPS from .545 to .658 in the process.
Planeta also has developed a reputation as an outfielder whose arm a runner shouldn’t challenge. He was near the league’s top in outfield assists last season and likely will be there again this year as he has a accurate arm. Perhaps he doesn’t have the blazing speed one would expect from a center fielder but he has stolen as many as 14 bases in a season (last year.)
The one knock on his game is needing to be more selective at the plate – Mikey’s struck out 42 times this season in 163 at-bats while walking just 6. Last year he had a 123:18 strikeout to walk ratio, so it’s likely the part of his game which needs the most work.
A native of Arizona, Mikey played at Glendale Community College before being drafted in 2009. And since he’s only 21, he could have a future in the organization as a corner outfielder based on his arm. It’s likely the Orioles will be in no hurry to move him up as they have a few talented outfielders in the system above him so should be able to enjoy Planeta’s game for the rest of this season, anyway. He should get plenty of at-bats to work on plate discipline.
