A pleasant surprise on the offensive side of the ledger for the Shorebirds has been shortstop Jared Breen.
The name is familiar to Delmarva fans because Breen spent the latter half of 2014 with the Shorebirds, getting into 70 games but only putting up a slash line of .217/0/29/.569 OPS. Considering Breen was only a 24th round pick from Belmont University, one would not have been surprised to see the Orioles cut him loose over the winter given he had played over 130 games and hit barely .220 with no power. I’ve seen players with better stats and draft position let go.
Instead, the Orioles gave him another season here and so far Jared has taken advantage, bumping his average up to .296 in the first quarter of the season. You won’t confuse him with a power hitter, since Breen only has four doubles among his 25 hits, but he’s done a good job of getting on base and keeping innings going with a .393 on-base percentage. The recent road trip to Savannah and Augusta was great for Breen, who hit .400 (10-for-25) in his native state. That pushed his average over .300, although an 0-for-2 return home (with 2 walks) dropped him back down under that mark.
There’s no question this is the make-or-break season for Breen, who will turn 24 next week. While third base seems to be the premier position up and down the line for the Orioles, shortstop has been more of a mixed bag over the years. Aside from Manny Machado, a converted shortstop who has moved over to third base, the cupboard is relatively bare at that position in the organization. (Adrian Marin, a Shorebird in 2013, is the only shortstop listed among the top 30 prospects and he’s 21st.) So Jared could open a few eyes if he continues to do well with the second chance.
here he is batting cleanup now.