Ryan Minor, who enters his third year as manager, will be with Class A Delmarva, along with pitching coach Troy Mattes and field coach Einar Diaz. Athletic trainer Will Lawhorn is back for a second year in Delmarva and his fourth in the organization.

Both Minor and Mattes came to the Shorebirds for the 2010 season, and Minor has a 114-166 record in two seasons as Delmarva’s skipper. Having said that, though, Ryan has also gone through two tumultuous seasons insofar as personnel is concerned. In the 16 year history of the team, only the 2004 edition (57) has suited up more players than Ryan did last season, with the 1999 squad also featuring 53 players. Ryan’s 2010 team is right behind with 52.

Diaz returns to the dugout after a season away, since he managed the former Bluefield Orioles in their final two seasons as a Baltimore affiliate (2009-2010.) The former catcher played 11 big league seasons, mainly with Cleveland. (I won’t hold that against him.) It’s the third season in a row the Shorebirds required a new field coach; Jose Hernandez was field coach in 2011 and Mike Devereaux held the job in 2010. Ryan Minor held the job for the previous two seasons before being promoted, making this his fifth season in a Delmarva uniform as a coach and sixth overall since he starred here in 1997.

At the end of next weekend’s Super Bowl, I’ll have only one thing to say regardless of who wins: the Super Bowl is over so you know what that means? FOURTEEN DAYS UNTIL PITCHERS AND CATCHERS REPORT! Woohoo!

In order of their first MLB appearance, the class of 2011 is:

• Pedro Beato, who made his debut with the New York Mets on April 1;
• Zach Britton, who debuted with the Orioles on April 3;
• Ryan Adams, whose Oriole debut was May 20;
• Blake Davis, making his first Oriole appearance June 22;
• Matt Angle, brought up to the Orioles on July 17;
• Kyle Hudson, a September callup who made his Orioles debut on the 4th, and;
• Pedro Florimon, Jr., whose first game was September 10th. He may have the record for shortest Oriole tenure for awhile since he only played in four games for Baltimore and is now property of the Minnesota Twins.

Florimon’s rapid change of scenery illustrates the fickle nature of professional baseball – in the three seasons that the SotWHoF has existed, the members are already in three other organizations aside from Baltimore. David Hernandez was traded last winter to Arizona, Pedro Beato came to the Mets via the Rule 5 Draft in 2010, and Florimon was acquired by the Twins earlier this month after the Orioles waived him from their 40-man roster.

So which former Shorebirds of the Week may be in the Class of 2012? In most cases, the next crop comes from players who are already on the team’s 40-man roster. A look at some former Shorebirds protected as such by Baltimore shows that pitcher Oliver Drake and infielder Joe Mahoney are possibilities.

Others the Orioles could be persuaded to give a shot come from the ranks sent to the Arizona Fall League. Mahoney was in that league along with pitchers Sean Gleason and Cole McCurry as well as outfielder Xavier Avery.

If you judge by that peer group, the Class of 2012 may be somewhat smaller than this year’s crop. But impressive Spring Trainings and player movement could open up other opportunities. For example, three former SotWs were involved in a pair of trades during the Winter Meetings, one which sent Jarret Martin and Tyler Henson to the Los Angeles Dodgers and the other sending Greg Miclat along with former Shorebird Randy Henry, who wasn’t here and healthy long enough to be a SotW, to the Texas Rangers.

My prediction at this stage is that I’ll have another five or six players to add to the SotWHoF next year, and at least one won’t be on this list of possibilities. For example, Blake Davis came out of nowhere this year.

It gives us baseball fans that much more incentive to await the beginning of the 2012 season, both here and at the big league level.

St. Louis had the worst record of any of the eight teams entering the post-season but managed to make the playoffs and get hot – beating teams that finished well ahead of them in the standings. But because they happened to have the home field advantage in the World Series, it may have been enough to catapult them to a world championship. Granted, Texas couldn’t pitch their way out of a paper bag in the last two games but perhaps the result would have been different had they been at home for games six and seven.

(Not that the designated hitter would have made much of a difference, but it is a slight advantage to National League teams when American League pitchers have to hit. I just would prefer pitchers get to hit in the American League.)

But I like the NBA and NHL models, where the better team gets home-court or home-ice advantage throughout. I wouldn’t even mind a model where a team with a better record only has to break even to advance (say, win two of four or three of six.) Back in the old days it was the best team in each league, based on their performance during an entire 162-game season, that played for the title. On the other hand, St. Louis has won their last two titles based on pedestrian regular-season performances but getting hot at the right time. Can’t take it away from them, but sometimes rewards should go to those who did best in the long run.

We’ll see how things go in 2012. Yet one thing we learned is that each game, each inning, each strike really matters. Just ask Texas; if they had one more strike – twice – they would be celebrating their first title. But they couldn’t get it.

But even earlier, events during the season added up. I went to one big league game this year, when I saw my Tigers play in Baltimore. This was the one game that Doug Fister lost as a member of the Tigers as the Orioles won that day 8-5. But the impact turned out to be huge, as a Tiger win that day would have changed the following:

• Instead of the Tigers playing the Yankees and Texas against Tampa Bay, the opponents would have been reversed: Texas vs. New York and Detroit vs. Tampa Bay.
• And instead of the Rangers having home field in the playoffs based on a better record, the Tigers would have had home field based on winning the tiebreaker – they were 6-3 against Texas in the regular season.

Everything counts. Orioles fans celebrated a day of otherwise playing out the string on the last day of the season as if they won the World Series because they rallied in the last inning to beat Boston, knocking them out of playoff contention because Tampa Bay came back from 7-0 down to beat the Yankees. Of course, New York had already salted away a division title so the game didn’t much matter to them.

I guess I’m a traditionalist at heart, and seeing a team that couldn’t even win its division based on a lengthy 162 game schedule get the whole ball of wax irks me. Yankee fans brag about their 27 world championships, but how many were won back in the period before playoffs began? There’s a pretty good chance they would have been knocked out of contention in many of those seasons had the rules of today been in effect.

So next year my Tigers have a little unfinished business to attend to – get the home field advantage and keep it all the way to a world championship. By the way, the Yankees won 20 titles in the pre-playoff era.

And in all honesty, the problem may run deeper than a few cosmetic changes. Let’s look at some numbers for comparison’s sake – I actually found numbers for the entire 16-year history of the club but for simplicity I’ll just put up years 1, 6, 11, and 16.

• Year 1 (1996): 315,011 – 4,846 per game
• Year 6 (2001): 268,143 – 3,886 per game
• Year 11 (2006): 217,980 – 3,406 per game
• Year 16 (2011): 211,993 – 3,072 per game

In both actual attendance and average (not to mention on-field performance) this year was the worst in Shorebirds history. Having said that, though, the Shorebirds still ranked sixth in the league in average attendance and once again was tops among the three 7th Inning Stretch (the LLC which owns the Shorebirds and two other minor league clubs) teams in both average and actual attendance. This is the fifth season the Shorebirds have been owned by the group but the eighth straight year attendance has settled into a narrow range between this year’s low and the 2008 peak of 226,754. That edition happens to be the last team which was good on the field, as they compiled a 78-61 record that summer.

With that in mind, I think I can make an assumption that having a good team would improve attendance perhaps 10 percent. It’s probably not in the cards that we’ll see another attendance record like 1997′s 324,412 (the all-time record here) unless the overall economy improves and the area begins to grow again. True, we won the SAL title in 1997 but we did so again three seasons later and attendance wasn’t markedly better than the previous two campaigns.

So what can be changed? Well, the facility is what it is. One thing which didn’t really dawn on me until recently is that, while 7th Inning Stretch owns the team, they don’t own the ballpark – it belongs to all of us who live and pay taxes in Wicomico County. Besides the annual upkeep on the stadium, it’s not likely we’re going to see a wholesale improvement in the facilities for awhile given how the county claims to be perpetually strapped for funds. That’s too bad because I (and probably thousands of others) would like to see a new video board to replace the relic we have now.

Likewise, there’s probably not a lot we can change about the food service, which to me is a bit subpar compared to other venues. Maybe Ovations needs to find a new food supplier and upgrade some of their staple items, but it’s quite possible they’re handicapped by the onsite food service equipment – and that’s a county change. My guess, though, is that they simply need to rethink their supply chain and see if we can get better products.

And since we’re not going to get the CCTV system I’ve suggested for the concession stands anytime soon I think it would be a suitable compromise if they employed roving vendors, at least for the games with fireworks and promotions. (I have seen this employed on a couple occasions this season.) Since the concessions are on a concourse with a view of the game (unlike some other parks, like Camden Yards) a CCTV system is a low priority. But could you at least make sure the radio speakers in the restrooms work?

Speaking of food service, here’s a suggestion to consider. Often I hear that some local restaurant provides the press box food for a certain night. Perhaps LORA could have a monthly event in the Hardball Cafe or Executive Club available to the public. They get more opportunity to expose themselves to a larger crowd and Ovations can concentrate on servicing the other fans.

But there are gripes I’ve long held besides the state of the facility.

Let’s take the “Bird Pen” for example. It seems to me that the idea behind the little building was to have a place where fans can interact with Sherman and the players. Well, Sherman doesn’t hold court in there and that’s fine because he should rove around the stadium. But I can count on one hand the times I recall players sitting there pregame and signing autographs. Maybe that’s up to the field management, but if you’re not going to use the building why is it there? I have no idea what its function is otherwise.

The other idea needs a sponsor (ideally a radio station) to step up, and I’m pretty sure this happens in other parks like Hagerstown. Back in 2005 there was a Thirsty Thursday postgame concert series of local/regional bands which was sponsored by what was then 96 Rock. Message to 93.5 the Beach: if you really support local music, let’s make this happen again. There are 11 Thursday nights next season – even if you skip the chilliest two in April that’s still nine bands which can get some exposure.

But don’t get me wrong – there’s a lot more good than bad about the Shorebirds, and I want to point those things out. After all, they weren’t an award-winning organization for nothing.

It starts at the top – Chris Bitters is a caring and excellent general manager who is always receptive and helpful to the fans. I salute him as well for taking the time and addressing our Fan Club meetings. They’re after hours and he doesn’t have to be there; I know it takes time away from his young family. But he listens to our concerns and if he can address them he does. I’m sure he’s reading this post because he follows my Shorebird of the Week but even if he didn’t he’d have my respect for a job well done, and he sets a good example for what I find to be a most excellent staff. I’d hate to lose the guy but I suspect someday a bigger organization is going to want him for their operations.

I also want to give a shout out to Marcellus, our on-field host. He had big shoes to fill (inside joke) but he’s stepped in and done a great job. With one exception over the seven seasons I’ve attended Shorebird games I think we’ve been blessed with a series of great on-field personalities – Marcellus continues that standard.

There’s a policy I’d like to point out as well. Those of us who are full- and half-season ticket holders get some good perks, and I’m not sure they are played up when the drive for ticket sales is made over the winter. For example, we don’t pay the $3 to park so right there it’s a savings of at least $105 a year. We also get all the promotional items as sort of an exemption from the “first x number of fans” rule, and on cold or rainy evenings when the suites aren’t being used we’re allowed up there.

On the whole, it’s apparent that if I didn’t like baseball I probably wouldn’t be a Shorebirds fan, let alone have a Shorebird of the Week or Shorebird of the Week Hall of Fame. As long as health and finances allow, I’m happy to be a season ticket holder through thick and thin. While I don’t mind the nights there’s maybe 500 in the stands, I’m sure the team owners would have a different preference.

But Opening Day next year could be special. I bet you didn’t know that a decent night’s attendance (this year’s average would be enough) will send the 4 millionth fan through the Shorebirds’ turnstiles on April 12, 2012. Yes, according to my figures the Shorebirds have had 3,997,080 watch a regular season game there.

Maybe the days of over 300,000 fans a season are gone since the novelty of the team has worn off and, let’s face it, we’re probably in challenging economic times for the next few years. But getting back to the days when seats were hard to come by for at least the weekend games would be a refreshing change. Come on, it’s less than 10 bucks a person to be entertained for two or three hours on a nice summer evening, and you may see the next baseball superstar in the making.

Besides, it’s quite likely you’ll find a certain blogger there as well, yelling “see ya!” when someone on the other team strikes out. (Yep, that’s me.) I’d like to hang around in Section 111 on warm summer nights for many years to come, but that’s up to you as well. I don’t want to be a Kinston, North Carolina and face the prospect of a summer without baseball.

You know, when the Shorebirds began the season 16-9 I figured we’d have at least one half of playoff contention. But the Orioles minor league geniuses decided to promote most of our best players to Frederick, allowing them to have a playoff squad and, well, as you can see by a 55-85 final record we got the crumbs. It was even worse than last year’s 59-81 mark, which we managed in much the same fashion: a poor second half.

At one point, we had a reasonably good offensive team, but in the end the batting was offensive.

• Our overall team average was dead last in the league at .242, a full six points behind the next-worst team.
• We scored 582 runs, which was 12th of 14. Bear in mind that the two teams behind us played one and three fewer games, respectively.
• We had just 217 doubles – again, last in the league by 12.
• We also had just 20 triples, which trailed the 13th place team by one.
• Our 60 home runs were – surprise! – last in the league. The next worst team had 63.
• One bright spot was drawing 500 walks, third best in the loop.
• Our 1,051 strikeouts were sixth most in the SAL.
• We stole 108 bases, good for 11th place.
• Given the poor power numbers it’s no shock that our OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) was dead last at .659 – next worst was a .682 mark.

It goes without saying our offense was one of the most punchless in memory – remember, when the season started we had Kipp Schutz (who hit .381 with Delmarva,) Jonathan Schoop (.316) and Manny Machado (who was hitting .333 before injuring his knee) to anchor the lineup. By the end of August, the team as a whole barely exceeded the Mendoza line for the month.

Likewise, the pitching was in shambles too. Our 4.74 team ERA was second-to-last in the loop, topping only Asheville (which plays in a hitter’s park.)

• Our five shutouts tied us for 12th place.
• We tied for fourth-best with 38 saves.
• We allowed the second most hits with 1,318 (Asheville allowed the most.)
• It follows that we tied for second with Rome in allowing the most runs, 760 (Asheville gave up the most.) We had second all to ourselves with 648 earned runs, though.
• We were 7th out of 14 in allowing 106 home runs.
• Allowing 516 walks was fourth most in the league.
• On the flip side, striking out 988 batters was second-fewest (Augusta fanned 962 as a staff.)
• Leading only Asheville, our 1.49 WHIP (walks + hits/innings pitched) was 13th.

On top of all that, our fielding percentage ranked just 10th of 14 teams and we committed the third-most errors. Add it all up and it’s not hard to see why we finished 30 games under break-even.

So will we get any help next year? It’s not too likely since Aberdeen finished at the bottom of the New York-Penn League with a 24-51 record. But the Gulf Coast League rookie affiliate won its division with a 38-22 record, which may help us for later in 2012 or even 2013 – they had exceptionally good pitching.

On the other hand, the aforementioned Frederick Keys made the playoffs with a league-best 80-59 record and AA Bowie just missed their playoffs with a 75-66 record. (Norfolk was like us, resting among the International League bottom feeders with a 56-87 mark.)

But the other purpose of this post is to provide the wrap on how the 22 players who were selected as Shorebird of the Week fared for the year and pick a Shorebird of the Year. We start way back on Opening Day in April.

April 7: Brian Conley

Brian, we hardly knew ya. After playing just four games for Delmarva this year and hitting .250 on 2-for-8 and 6 walks, the 2010 Shorebird of the Year was promoted to Frederick. Sadly, he played just 7 games for the Keys, going 2-for-15 (.133) before being released by the Orioles in late April. I couldn’t find any indication Brian tried the independent league route later in the summer, so it’s likely he’s called it a career.

April 14: Manny Machado

Most of the preseason buzz about the Shorebirds centered on the fact Machado was making his full-season debut here. Over the first month of the season Machado lived up to it, but an early May knee injury sidelined Manny for a month and robbed local fans of a number of chances to watch the Orioles’ newest sensation. After Manny hit .276/6/24/.859 OPS in 38 games with Delmarva (one of those six home runs being a memorable monster shot over the Arthur W. Perdue Stadium scoreboard) he was promoted to Frederick for the second half and hit .245/5/26/.692 with the Keys in 63 games – not exactly world-beating numbers but that and his prospect status are probably good enough to allow him to be on the cusp next spring of a promotion to Bowie.

Other honors: Manny was SAL Player of the Week on May 2, an SAL All-Star, and played in the Futures Game.

April 21: Jonathan Schoop

Lost in the preseason hype over Machado was another talented young player who outperformed Manny while he was here. Before being promoted in early June, Schoop was putting up a solid .316/8/34/.890 line in 51 games and he continued to outdo Machado with Frederick, hitting .271/5/37/.704 with the Keys in 77 contests. (It’s also worthy to note that in just 51 games Schoop ended up being our team home run leader with those 8.) I think he’s just as capable of having a sound major league career as Machado, so I’m selecting Jonathan as my Prospect of the Year. Like Manny, he could start in Frederick but I wouldn’t be shocked at all if Schoop’s in Bowie’s opening day lineup.

Other honors: Jonathan also played in the Futures Game and was Carolina League Player of the Week August 15.

April 28: David Walters

The first pitcher I selected, David also had the distinction of playing the entire season here. At first glance, his numbers weren’t much to write home about (1-6 record, 3.93 ERA, 35 strikeouts vs. 12 walks in 50 1/3 innings) except for that 30 saves, which led the South Atlantic League. One concern was that he allowed 62 hits, giving him a rather high 1.47 WHIP. Still, he succeeded more often than not in nailing down the save and was thus involved in over half of our 55 wins. He’s probably on track to take the job to the next level.

Other honors: David was an SAL All-Star.

May 5: Scott Copeland

It was a tale of two seasons for Scott. He actually struggled with Delmarva, making 20 starts and compiling a 5-9 record with a lofty 6.58 ERA, fanning 55, walking 46, and allowing 136 hits in 108 innings. But given the opportunity at Frederick Scott seized it, making his last 6 starts there after an early August promotion, going 3-2, 2.14 in 33 2/3 innings and giving up just 25 hits. It balanced out his overall numbers and most likely makes Scott an early candidate for continuing in his role with the Keys next season.

May 12: Kipp Schutz

Kipp’s departure shortly after his SotW selection began the exodus of the heart of Delmarva’s batting lineup. In 38 games here, Schutz achieved the gaudy batting line of .381/4/36/.997, leading many to ask where the heck did this guy come from? Unfortunately, his season turned around in Frederick and not in the way one would want – Kipp hit just .212/7/36/.612 with the Keys in 87 games there. My best guess is that he’ll repeat at Frederick next season since he doesn’t have a lot to prove at this level.

May 19: Ty Kelly

In his second season with Delmarva, Ty had a better overall stint and eventually led the team in a number of offensive categories. Kelly paced the team in at-bats, runs, hits, and total bases, also being near the top in several other hitting areas. As a whole, his .274/4/46/.697 line is rather good, particularly when you note he walked 67 times and struck out only 63. But he did lose a lot in the power categories of doubles and triples, going from 40 extra-base hits in 2010 to just 17 this year – an alarming and precipitous drop for just 15 extra batting average points. Having repeated at the same level this season and played a relatively identical amount overall, that could portend a player who’s reached his ceiling.

Other honors: Kelly was named an SAL All-Star and selected by both Mountaire and the Shorebirds Fan Club as their Player of the Year.

May 26: Mike Flacco

Mike extended a solid finish to the 2010 season with Delmarva through the first 2/3 or so of the 2011 season before finally being promoted to Frederick in mid-July. With the Shorebirds Flacco hit .273/5/41/.790 and led the team in doubles with 20 despite only playing 72 games – or about a half-season – here. His Frederick numbers weren’t shameful either as he batted .250/5/22/.773 in 50 contests there. That’s probably enough to keep him playing there in 2012 as Mike slowly advances up the Orioles’ system.

Other honors: Mike was the SAL Player of the Week May 23.

June 2: Jacob Pettit

Like Scott Copeland, Jacob took full advantage of a promotion to vastly improve his numbers; however, on the surface Pettit was more deserving than Copeland. Jacob worked to a 5-4 record and 4.42 ERA in 15 starts here, with a 1.47 WHIP in 93 2/3 innings based on 108 hits and 30 walks (with 65 strikeouts.) Yet Pettit was unbeaten in 10 Frederick starts, compiling a 7-0 record and sparkling 1.62 ERA. The difference? Allowing nearly one fewer runner per two innings, with a Frederick WHIP of 1.02. It’s not outside the realm of thought that an exceptional spring couldn’t get him to Bowie, but my guess is that he begins 2012 in Frederick to begin another playoff run.

Other honors: Pettit was selected to the SAL All-Star Game.

June 9: Michael Ohlman

The primary backstop for the Shorebirds, Ohlman began the season well at the plate before fading down the stretch. Still, he ended up with a .224/4/51/.627 mark and led the team in RBI – a much better second act than a 2010 season where he began here but was demoted to Bluefield after hitting just .174 in 34 games. Given the dearth of pure hitting catchers in the Orioles system, Michael could make a move up to Frederick for 2012 but may be kept here to get another year of experience first.

Other honors: Michael was picked as the fifth representative to the All-Star Game.

June 16: Mikey Planeta

Mikey spent his second full season with the Shorebirds this year, although he joined the team a little late thanks to an injury. Once he arrived in May, Mikey started out well but tailed off to a .220/2/23/.536 mark in 102 games. Unfortunately, those numbers are pretty close to his full 2010 season marks of .226/0/33/.545 in 117 games, so there wasn’t a lot of offensive progress made between the two seasons. With 29 assists over the last two seasons, though, the outfield arm may be what keeps Mikey in the system for a third tour with Delmarva.

June 23: Michael Rooney

Rooney was a player who went in the other direction this year, as he began in Frederick but got demoted to Delmarva for two months. Yet things worked out for him as he was back with the Keys at season’s end after a one-game detour to Bowie (where he went 0-for-2, striking out twice.) His 42 games at Delmarva were most successful, as he hit .253/0/9/.677 with the Shorebirds. Meanwhile, his two separate tours of duty with Frederick (40 games total) resulted in a .192/0/3/.496 line. But Michael filled a need with both squads as a versatile backup infielder, so he may well ride the shuttle between Delmarva and Frederick next season too.

June 30: Jarret Martin

There are two schools of thought when a pitcher leads the team in losses: either he’s not very talented or the manager has a lot of confidence in him to keep running the pitcher out there. Judging by the numbers and the fact Jarret was moved into the rotation in May, my guess is the latter. Martin was 5-12 with a 4.96 ERA this season, and while he allowed only 107 hits in 110 2/3 innings the primary concern going forward has to be his walk rate – Martin walked 65 batters, which increased his WHIP to a 1.55 mark. However, his free pass rate improved from season to season (from Bluefield in 2010) which signifies progress in that area and he led the Shorebirds with 97 strikeouts. I think Jarret is one of those guys on the cusp between staying here and moving up in 2012.

Other honors: Jarret was the SAL Pitcher of the Week June 23.

July 7: Cameron Roth

Spending the full season with the Shorebirds, Roth provided effective long relief for Delmarva. His numbers weren’t overly special (going 3-2 with a 5.05 ERA, 57 strikeouts, 33 walks, and a WHIP of 1.51 in 82 innings) but he transitioned well between being a starter at Bluefield and pitching in relief with us this year. Like Jarret Martin, Roth is a pitcher who could find himself either at Frederick or Delmarva next year.

Other honors: Roth was selected by Mountaire for their Community Service Award.

July 14: Tim Berry

Tim was the one constant in Delmarva’s starting rotation, making 26 starts over the season. Set with a strict limit of 5 innings per start thanks to recent arm surgery, Berry managed to pitch through the five innings in the majority of his outings. Overall, he threw 116 2/3 innings, allowing 107 hits and 61 walks for a WHIP of 1.44. He only had a 3-7 record but was a very effective starter. Obviously the question is whether the Orioles will allow him to be stretched out more next season and let him go deeper into games – he could be a formidable starter if he’s retained here at Delmarva.

July 21: Brenden Webb

Brenden wasn’t one of the offensive stars of the team, hitting just .218/4/29/.632 in 400 at-bats. He led the team by playing in 121 games and had 16 outfield assists. He was the top Shorebird with 75 walks, but also had the most strikeouts (by far) with 152. In other words, nearly half of his 487 plate appearances ended in either a strikeout or walk. This may mean Webb is back here next year honing his pitch selection while trying to maintain his discerning batting eye.

July 28: Garabez Rosa

Another player demoted from Frederick at the season’s midpoint, Rosa came relatively close to the numbers he had in a full season here in 2010 (.262/3/32/.647 in 2011 vs. .251/5/44/.632 in 2010.) But the .212 start he had in 53 games with Frederick meant a return to Delmarva was likely, and he was the one moved aside for the progress of Manny Machado. There’s no doubt Rosa could return to the Keys next year and try to improve on his 2011 numbers, and that seems like the most likely course of action.

August 4: Joe Oliviera

Pinched for playing time in Frederick, where he gathered just 26 at-bats in a month’s time (hitting .308, though,) Joe was sent down for the second half and responded quite well. In 39 games Joe hit .252/2/20/.677, making him the best-hitting catcher on the roster. Because of that and a difference in age between him and fellow backstop Michael Ohlman he may be the one moved up to Frederick to begin 2012.

August 11: Jeremy Nowak

After spending a week with the Aberdeen IronBirds (a team he played for in 2010) Jeremy was promoted to Delmarva based on a .286 mark in 8 games (he hit just .179 there last year.) Nowak started out well here but faded down the stretch to a .234/3/21/.684 finish. Yet his promise seems to be in a gap-to-gap power hitter since he had 20 extra base hits out of 52 total. I could see him beginning next year here with a number 3, 4, or 5 spot in the batting order with his name on it because he’s a decent contact hitter with a little bit of speed (10 stolen bases in 62 games here.)

August 18: Matt Bywater

The first SotW to make his debut in 2011, Matt pitched 15 1/3 innings in the Gulf Coast League (no record but an 0.59 ERA and 0.91 WHIP) before jumping to Delmarva in late July. Yes, Matt is a little wild (32 walks in 45 1/3 innings) but he also has the sort of stuff which allowed him to strike out 68 batters in just over 60 total innings this season. His WHIP of 1.54 is pretty good considering his walk rate, and that tended to vary by start – when Matt was on he could be dominant and three times the bullpen lost his chance for that elusive first professional win. My bet would be that Matt gets that win early in 2012 as a member of the Shorebirds’ staff – since he was drafted in 2010 but didn’t debut until this season the Orioles may push him to a full-season team to start 2012, or perhaps hold him back for a few chilly April weeks. In either case, I think Bywater is ticketed here.

August 25: David Baker

To put it bluntly, had David been here all season we may have had a much better record. After 5 starts at Aberdeen (1-2, 2.45 with an 0.97 WHIP and 23/8 strikeout/walk ratio in 25 2/3 innings) it was clear Baker had earned a shot at the next level. He did well here, going 3-4 in nine starts. (From July 14 onward, that 3 wins tied him for the team lead with Luis Noel, who was pitching in relief at that point.) Baker had a 2.82 ERA for us, allowed only 40 hits in 54 1/3 innings, struck out 48 while walking just 19, and compiled a tidy 1.08 WHIP. To me, I think he deserves a chance at Frederick to begin next year as his first full-season team.

September 1: John Ruettiger

“Rudy” parlayed a 3-game, 6-for-13 stint in the Gulf Coast League into an assignment to Delmarva and became the first 2011 draftee to be selected as Shorebird of the Week. All told, for Delmarva John went 21-for-77 (.273) in 19 games, without a home run but knocking in 3. Generally he was the leadoff hitter but he only stole 1 base here, being caught 3 times. With just 90 professional at-bats, John will likely start here next season as he was an 8th round draft pick and the Orioles tend to move highly-drafted college players quickly. Don’t be surprised if he’s not moved along with a decent start to 2012.

I had a very difficult time picking a Shorebird of the Year because a number of players who excelled at this level didn’t stay long enough to really be considered part of the team. If early season SotW picks like Manny Machado, Jonathan Schoop, Kipp Schutz or a guy who I didn’t get a chance to select like Trent Mummey had stuck around into August and maintained their level of play this would be a no-brainer. The same goes for late-season arrival David Baker.

But I have to pick someone who played well and spent a significant amount of time here, and that trimmed the field to just two players: one pitcher and one position player.

To me, the top pitcher was David Walters. He didn’t have overpowering statistics, but one has to factor in that he saved 30 out of 55 victories. That’s 54.5% of our wins, and if you look at all-time save leaders for a single season they generally saved about 60 percent of a team’s wins – Walters isn’t all that far off and he was entrusted with a lot of leads.

On the other hand, the top position player was Ty Kelly. He was among the leaders in a number of offensive categories, and that’s what led him to get his player of the year honors from Mountaire and the Shorebirds Fan Club. (I voted for him in that balloting.)

But then I thought about expectations. On the one hand, Kelly is in his second year here and as I noted he regressed in some key areas. He was the real-life survivor of a number of player moves involving the names I mentioned above, meaning he’s not as highly regarded as those prospects. Kelly was a 19th round pick in 2009, so he was figured to have somewhat of an opportunity for advancement. Still, all told he had a pretty good year.

Yet David Walters was drafted – just not by the Orioles. Atlanta drafted him in the 47th round of the 2008 draft but Walters chose to return to school and was rewarded by not being picked in 2009. The Orioles signed a hometown product off the street that summer, so in essence Walters has been playing three seasons on an extended tryout. He’s found a role and seized it.

So it’s a tough call. I toyed for quite some time with the idea of having co-Shorebirds of the Year, but these intangibles finally led me to make a decision – you could say I changed my mind. Meet your 2011 Shorebird of the Year:

Because he was usually placed in a situation where the game was on the line and did so well at it he led the league in saves (by a wide margin, I may add) I decided that David Walters is a worthy 2011 Shorebird of the Year.

I hope everyone involved with the Shorebirds organization (an award-winning one, by the way) has a great offseason. I’m already pining for 2012 to begin because we have some payback for the last two seasons to return.

And if I could give an award for best feature coverage, Ben Hill would get it for this article. I remember seeing him last Saturday night at the game doing the first pitch and being the Rally Banana. His tour saved the best for last, I guess.

But I wanted to point out something I find a little bit disturbing as a Shorebirds fan. Unless they draw a little over 13,000 fans to their final three home games of the season Delmarva will have their worst attendance since they began play in 1996. The 2009 club drew 214,525 and that’s the lowest number I’ve found.

Admittedly, there’s no suspense of a pennant drive to bring fans out because we’re mired in last place. A season that began with a promising 16-9 start faded to a middling 35-35 first half and threatens to be the worst in the league as they are 55-82 going into tonight’s game. But we should try and support our hometown team, for there’s a lot of cities and towns dotting the countryside which would love to have the opportunity to have their own minor league franchise. What else would explain the drive for independent baseball teams and leagues?

So come on out and support the boys in orange and black this weekend. Cheer them on so they can at least escape the SAL basement. Game times are 7:05 tonight, 5:05 tomorrow, and 2:05 on Monday – those players have a long drive home so they’ll want to be out by Monday night. After that it’s cold turkey until April 12, 2012.

Let’s not go the way of the Kinston Indians. Remember, we were once the Albany Polecats until people stopped showing up there.

This is a tough time of year for me. Not only is baseball season coming to a close, I run out of Shorebird of the Week slots when a number of players are deserving of the honor. But I try to give it to players who are up-and-coming, and John Ruettiger fits that bill as the first 2011 draftee so honored.

Sure he has a famous uncle but the younger Ruettiger is looking to succeed in his own right in a different sport. And after a slow 3-for-29 start with the Shorebirds John has picked up the pace in a big way, batting .538 (14-for-26) over his last six games. It raised his average from under .100 to its current .309 entering tonight’s contest.

John’s young career now spans just 17 games, as he played 3 games for the GCL Orioles (going 6-for-13) before joining the Shorebirds in mid-August. He was an eighth round selection out of Arizona State University back in June and the 21-year-old hails from Joliet, Illinois.

While John has improved his batting average, the parts of his game we haven’t seen blossom yet are power and ability to steal bases. So far Ruettiger has only 6 extra base hits (all doubles) and is only 1-for-5 on the basepaths. Still, it’s quite possible we’ve not seen the last of John after this week unless the Orioles see fit to promote him to Frederick next spring. My guess is that John will begin the season here despite the fact the organization is a little weak in the outfield position overall.

Next week I’ll wrap up the Shorebirds season with a look back at what was and my Shorebird of the Year selection, with the following week devoted as usual to my picks and pans as a Shorebirds fan. The next Shorebird of the Week will be selected on Opening Day next season – April 5, 2012.

As part of a duo (along with last week’s SotW Matt Bywater) which has stabilized the starting rotation to some extent, David Baker has taken advantage of an opening in Delmarva’s staff to prove he can be effective at this level.

The native of Hemet, California began with a bang, pitching seven shutout innings against Asheville back on July 14 and hasn’t really looked back – six of his eight starts since joining the Shorebirds would meet the definition of ‘quality’ starts (three or fewer runs allowed in six or more innings.) Overall with Delmarva his 3-4 record belies a solid 2.92 ERA, 43-17 strikeout to walk ratio, and .199 average against. His 1.03 WHIP is outstanding.

So how did this guy fly under the radar? While he was drafted in the 14th round in 2009 and pitched effectively (1-0, 2.30 in 15 2/3 innings) in limited GCL duty later that season, his 2010 numbers for Bluefield were terrible – 0-2 with a 7.90 ERA in 4 starts covering just 13 2/3 innings. Maybe the problem was giving up 11 walks in that limited span.

But whatever the 20-year-old Baker did wrong last season, he’s seemed to fix the problem this season. After being one of the few bright spots of Aberdeen’s horrible start this year (1-2, 2.45 in five starts where he fanned 23 and walked just 8 in 25 2/3 innings) the organization challenged him a bit at Delmarva and David has more than measured up.

Interestingly enough, David is more of a fly-ball pitcher than most so his game is more about getting people to hit the ball in the deepest parts of the park – he has allowed 7 home runs in 75 innings overall this season. Yet giving up a solo home run may not be the worst thing in the world compared to what happens when a sinker ball pitcher’s stuff doesn’t sink. Watching him last night, the runs he allowed came on a pair of line-drive singles and a home run – but if not for a pickoff play gone awry he may have escaped the inning with no runs. Otherwise, the BlueClaws didn’t threaten David all night.

Obviously the next challenge for David will be advancing to pitch a full season next year, whether here or in Frederick. But Baker has shown he can handle this level quite well and may be putting himself on the Orioles’ radar screen for future scrutiny.

One definition of the level of play the South Atlantic League is known for is ‘raw.’ Teams place a lot of players here who, for one reason or another, need to work on one or more aspects of their game to advance and while much of the talent may be there it almost always needs a little polishing.

Take Shorebirds pitcher Matt Bywater for example. The 22-year-old Pepperdine product and California native has explosive stuff, as evidenced by averaging over a strikeout per inning in 45 innings split between Delmarva and the Gulf Coast League this season – 47 Ks to be exact.

On the other hand Matt can be frustrating to watch, like during the start against Hagerstown on August 11 where he walked 8 batters in just three innings of work. Bear in mind this came immediately after a start in Kannapolis where Matt allowed just five hits, an unearned run, and no walks in seven innings of work. That stands as his best Delmarva start, with perhaps the next best being last night at Lakewood where he allowed just one free pass and five hits in 5 2/3 innings.

So we don’t know if Jeckyl or Hyde will show up – in Matt’s six starts since becoming a Shorebird he’s allowed 19 walks in 13 innings in three starts, while allowing three walks in 16 2/3 innings in the other three.

Of course, Matt has a high ceiling as the Orioles picked him in the 7th round of last year’s draft – however, he didn’t make his pro debut until this season in the GCL where he dominated to the tune of an 0.59 ERA in 15 1/3 innings of work. His WHIP was under 1 despite allowing nine walks as he gave up just five hits.

His numbers with Delmarva are a little less superhuman – 0-2 with a 3.94 ERA in 29 2/3 innings. He’s had three good chances at that elusive first professional win; alas, the bullpen has let him down each time. Bywater has fanned 30 and walked 22 since becoming a Shorebird, so it’s very obvious where his talent is the most raw.

But with possibly three more outings this season as a starter, Matt has the chance to stake a claim to a starting role next season either here or possibly in Frederick. It’s all in whether he can corral his impressive stuff.

Since joining the team in June, Jeremy Nowak has likely done all that was expected of him. With a brief 8-game repeat of Aberdeen under his belt (a stint where he went 8-for-28 with 2 homers and 6 knocked in,) Jeremy has provided a good share of offense for this new-look team in the second half.

Right now the 23 year old from Cheektowaga, New York via Mt. Olive College – both sort of out of the way as far as baseball is concerned – is hitting .277/3/15/.816 OPS in 42 games with Delmarva. It appears Nowak has figured out the pro ranks after hitting just .179 in 52 games with Aberdeen last season. But the Orioles didn’t lose faith in their 13th round pick from 2010 – they just let him learn in extended spring training before assigning him to a team in mid-season.

Nowak started out great in his first half-dozen games, going 8-for-19 with a home run and six runs batted in. The league began to catch up to him in July, but Jeremy seems to have made the necessary adjustments and is bringing his average back up.

One thing to like about Jeremy is his idea of the strike zone, as he’s fanned only 36 times in 155 at-bats while taking 25 walks. That’s an asset which could serve him well at the next level, and since this is the time of year the Orioles begin to consider the 2012 prospects of the players in their minor league system that could lead Jeremy to begin his first full season at the advanced-A level. If not, the Shorebirds would have a solid hitter for the heart of their order.

Both photos by Kim Corkran.

While the second half of the season has been a little disappointing record-wise, there are players who came on board that are standing out. Moreover, much of the time over the last several seasons the catching position has been a black hole offensively as those who donned the tools of ignorance for the black and orange have more or less been an automatic out. Not so with Joe Oliviera.

Joe came to us after a brief 9-game stay at Frederick where he was hitting .308 in 26 at-bats, and since his arrival he has made the catching position one where there’s offensive prowess. That’s a bit surprising given his 2010 stats in Aberdeen (.204/0/7/.574 OPS in 36 games) but many’s the time a player “gets it” in his second season after making the transition to professional ball from high school or college during his first go-round. A 15th round pick last year out of the University of the Pacific, the 23-year-old San Diego native has put together a nice 80 at-bat run for the Shorebirds, hitting .325 with a homer and 13 batted in. He’s appeared in 23 games since becoming a Shorebird at the halfway point.

In looking at his splits, one thing that jumped out is that Joe has been money with runners in scoring position, collecting 9 hits in the 19 situational at-bats and driving in 11 of his 13 runs. Guys who come through in the clutch are golden for a team, and given the offensive struggles the Shorebirds as a whole have endured (after hitting nearly .280 as a team early on, Delmarva has slumped to a .253 overall average) it’s clear Oliviera is providing a spark.

It’s been years since we could claim a catcher who hit much above the Mendoza line on a consistent basis. But with Joe and fellow backstop Michael Ohlman leading the way the catching position isn’t the easy out this time around.

Believe it or not, in at least offensive area Garabez Rosa has surpassed the player he replaced, megaprospect Manny Machado.

Consider that Machado was hitting .276/6/24/.859 OPS when he was promoted for the second half of the season. Rosa doesn’t have the power numbers and isn’t drawing the walks, but has a higher average than Machado – his comparable numbers are .307/0/12/.731 OPS. Knowing that Machado is on the fast track in the Orioles’ eyes, Rosa was among the first players he passed on his way up the ladder. Everyone else is seemingly playing to be Manny’s eventual backup at the big league level. In fact, when Machado was promoted to Frederick Rosa was sent down to replace him.

If you set aside the Machado comparison, though, you can find that the 21-year-old Dominican signed by the Orioles in 2007 has his own bonafides. This is the second season in a row he’s gotten off to a good start in a Delmarva uniform – last year he flirted with .300 for much of the first half and parlayed it into a SAL All-Star selection. The long season and league may have caught up with him, though, since he ended 2010 with a .251/5/44/.632 OPS line. To be sure, Rosa wasn’t excelling at the Carolina League level, either, batting .212 in 53 games before the demotion to Delmarva.

Yet the free-swinging Garabez (just 30 walks in over 1,400 professional at-bats in five seasons) has an opportunity to improve on his 2010 numbers here and continue his quest up the ladder a step behind Machado. Staying at or above the .300 mark as we wrap up the season against familiar North Division foes will help his cause.