Tag: Shorebird of the Week

You know, after a 6-2 roadtrip to begin the season, many thought we would have a team of world-beaters here at Delmarva. I guess they peaked WAY too soon.

Instead, Delmarva’s team grew steadily worse as the year dragged on, thanks in no small part to a revolving door of players – for example, a total of 31 pitchers threw for the Shorebirds this season (including two position players pressed into service.) They ended the season 11-24 in August and September and losing their last five at home to stagger home at 59-81, their highest loss total ever and worst record since 1999 (58-80.)

The ugly truth manifested itself in a number of other ways as well:

• Batting average: .243, 13th of 14 teams in the league. Greensboro’s .239 overall mark held us up.
• Runs: 578, again 13th of 14.  Rome scored just 520.
• Doubles: 249, 8th in the league.
• Triples: 42, 5th.
• Home runs: 63, 12th in the league.
• Walks: 439, 4th in the league.
• Strikeouts: 1160, 3rd most of 16. They always seemed to come when we had a runner on third and less than two outs.
• Stolen bases: 118, 11th.
• OPS: .669, 13th in the league. On-base percentage was 12th while slugging percentage was 13th. Only Rome had a more punchless offense.

The pitching was much more noteworthy; that is if you consider more toward league averages noteworthy. The 4.07 team ERA ranked 9th in the loop. Some of the other numbers and how they compared to the rest of the SAL:

• Shutouts: 6, tied for 12th.
• Saves: 29, last of 14.
• Hits allowed: 1265, second most in the league. Only Hagerstown (1316) allowed more.
• Runs allowed: 689, 3rd most in the league. 565 earned runs was 5th most.
• Home runs allowed: 89, 6th most.
• Walks allowed, 441, 4th most. 
• Strikeouts: 1043, 8th.
• WHIP: their 1.37 WHIP tied for 10th.

With the higher-than-average number of unearned runs allowed, the pitching staff actually looks a little better than it was. We didn’t have the real high-error games of seasons past; instead the defense was like a slow leak – maybe an error or two game in and game out.

Yet again, there were a number of also-rans in the system below us. Aberdeen finished 34-40, which tied for third in their four-team division. At 23-45 Bluefield was by far the doormat of the Appalachian League; however I have it on good authority they will be eliminated next season as an Orioles affiliate (we will have one fewer rookie league team.) But the GCL Orioles were 25-34 and near the bottom too, as were the Orioles’ two Dominican Summer League teams. Only Frederick and Bowie had records over .500 and those weren’t by much. (Frederick leads their playoff series against Potomac 1-0 as of this writing, though.) Needless to say, the Orioles chain seems to be lacking in overall talent in comparison to its peers.

But there are some good individual players and the Orioles just need their cream of the crop to be superior to see success. Here’s how the 21 players and special 100th overall pick I selected as Shorebirds of the Week ended up faring for the season.

April 8: Tony Butler

I picked Tony because he’s a nice guy and I was hoping he would present a great comeback story. Unfortunately, the comeback aspect failed to materialize. For the Shorebirds he was 1-4 with a 7.66 ERA in 12 games and 8 starts before being released June 14. His unemployment didn’t last long, though, as he was picked up by the Milwaukee Brewers organization. But in three stops there (AZL Brewers, Helena, and Wisconsin) he struggled to a 1-1 mark and 9.20 ERA – after allowing 5 runs without retiring a batter August 5th for Wisconsin he was released again.

April 15: Mikey Planeta

One of just a handful of Shorebirds who spent the whole season here (and avoided the disabled list), Mikey got into 117 games and had a .226/0/33 mark to show for it. He was also one of the top base stealers for the season, swiping 14. At 21 Mikey could stand another season here to see if he could improve the average closer to the .288 he posted at Bluefield in 2009. Certainly he has a solid arm and is a good defensive outfielder, but what holds him back is the average and high number of strikeouts (123 this season in 438 at-bats.)

April 22: Tyler Kolodny

A second-year Shorebird, Tyler got off to a good start here – he hit .260/10/29 and, despite the fact he played less than half the season here before being reassigned to Aberdeen, he led the Shorebirds with those 10 home runs in just 41 games. Unfortunately, the injury bug got him in Aberdeen and he played just 10 games there, hitting .207 with just one homerun. He will be 23 by the next season opener so yet another Delmarva campaign may not be out of the question. Certainly he shows power potential but may need to throttle things down just a bit to stay healthy.

Other honors: Tyler was the SAL Player of the Week April 19.

April 29: Garabez Rosa

Garabez initially burned up the SAL like a house afire, hitting .333 in April and maintaining a .300 mark deep into May. But the league eventually figured him out and his average had dipped into the .230’s by August. Rosa recovered in the season’s final month, though, and finished with a fairly decent .251/5/44 line in 124 games. He also led the team with 32 doubles. Obviously he has to cut down on the 46 errors he committed to move up the system, as well as improve on a ratio of 114 strikeouts to seven walks he compiled. Garabez loved to swing at the breaking ball in the dirt. Since he’s only 21 next year he could move up or stay here.

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

May 6: Ryan Berry

Ryan was only 0-3 with a 3.50 ERA in 8 starts here, but the Orioles liked him enough to promote him to Frederick later in May. There he was 2-2 with a 3.04 ERA in 17 appearances (12 starts) but he maintained a great strikeout-to-walk ratio (106-36 in 117.1 innings pitched total) and allowed fewer hits than innings pitched with the Keys. A good young pitcher who slipped in the draft because of injuries he suffered in college, Berry could be a diamond in the rough for the Orioles and just might make it to the Show with a solid 2011 season – more likely he should advance to Bowie.

May 13: Brian Conley

Brian put together a nice, steady 2010 campaign for Delmarva before being promoted to Frederick in August. For the Shorebirds Brian hit .270 in 98 games with 6 homers and 29 RBI, and was among league leaders by drawing 70 walks (he also struck out 70 times.) Brian also stole 20 bases here, placing him second on the team. Conley hit .222 in 16 games for Frederick after his promotion. He’ll be 25 early next season so we may have seen the last of Brian here – if he washes out with Frederick he’ll likely draw his release.

Other honors: Brian was selected to the SAL All-Star Game and picked as the Delmarva Shorebirds Fan Club Player of the Half for the first half.

May 20: Josh Dowdy

Once Josh was promoted in July, it seemed to affect both him and the Shorebirds staff adversely. He was pretty much lights-out as our closer, amassing 15 saves and a 1.23 ERA in 29 1/3 innings here. Yet once he settled in Frederick he was hammered, going 1-0 but allowing 15 runs in 14 2/3 innings. His 24 hits allowed with the Keys matched the total he allowed with the Shorebirds. But Dowdy has shown in his brief history that he struggles with a midseason promotion, so perhaps starting at Frederick next year will suit the 23-year-old well.

May 27: Steve Bumbry

Fans expected a lot out of Steve this season, and at times he delivered. But he slumped badly toward the end (hitting just .171 in August) and finished the season on the disabled list. Oddly enough, he was a player who fared much better on the road (.315/2/15) than at home (.215/2/19). Mixed together, Steve put together a decent season, hitting .263 with the 4 home runs and 34 knocked in. But he needs to cut down on strikeouts (131 was the most on the team) and take better advantage of his speed – he stole nine bases but was caught 11 times. Since he turns 23 next season I see him as a cusp player between repeating here or moving on to Frederick; more likely the latter.

June 3: Nathan Moreau

Nathan began in the bullpen but found his stride as a starter. For Delmarva he was 2-3 with a 2.98 ERA, allowing 45 hits in 60 1/3 innings while walking 23 and fanning 70. And you couldn’t make a better impression on your new teammates than tossing a no-hitter as Nate did on June 30 for Frederick. As it turned out, his numbers there were pedestrian at best, going 4-5 with a 5.29 ERA and allowing 43 hits in 49 1/3 innings (obviously all in the last 40 1/3.) Nate turns 24 later this month so he’s probably not coming back here since he dominated before.

Other honors: Nate was selected as Pitcher of the Week both by the South Atlantic League (June 1) and by the Carolina League (July 6.)

June 10: Kieron Pope

After a year-long layoff due to injury, Kieron returned to action in May and got off to a fast start. Unfortunately he couldn’t keep up the pace and struggled dreadfully after the All-Star break, hitting just .204 in the second half. Overall, he had to have two good games right at the end to place his average right at the .250 mark. Kieron also had 6 home runs and 44 knocked in. What he didn’t do was cut down appreciably on his strikeout pace, fanning 94 times in 284 at-bats. Pope has spent 5 seasons in the Orioles chain and hasn’t hit better than .257 for a season – very disappointing for a 4th round pick, I’m sure. (Ironically, current Orioles Josh Bell and Brian Matusz were picked in the same 2005 draft round by different teams.) He may have played himself out of a job despite the effort he made in just returning from a devastating injury.

June 17: Kenny Moreland

A solid, durable starter while he was here, Kenny pitched like he had something to prove after a demotion from Frederick. He ended up tying for the team lead in victories (7) in just 16 starts. For Delmarva he was 7-7 with a 4.20 ERA, allowing 101 hits in 100 2/3 innings while fanning 70 and walking just 10. He rejoined Frederick in August and didn’t do as well, finishing the year there with a 5.80 ERA in 49 2/3 innings. Still, he walked just 12 there. Kenny has come a long way since being signed as a non-drafted free agent out of a Division III school, and he may get yet another crack at Frederick next year (his fourth) – by next year’s season opener he’ll be 25 so I’d be surprised if he came back here.

Other honors: Kenny was named SAL Pitcher of the Week on June 21.

June 24: Ryan Minor

Because it was my 100th Shorebird of the Week selection I decided to do something different, and Ryan was a good choice since he’s served the team as a player, coach, and manager. Certainly a 59-81 record isn’t something which looks good on a manager’s resume but considering the sheer number of players Ryan had to deal with this year, I’d like to see the Orioles give him another shot. He does have some managing skills to learn, but there is potential for Ryan to be a good skipper down the road.

July 1: Jesse Beal

Considering Jesse was shut down the last month of the season, he put together a good campaign. Jesse tied for the team lead in wins with 7, was just short of leadership with 114 1/3 innings pitched, and crafted a 3.86 ERA. 64 strikeouts to 23 walks is a nice ratio and allowing 122 hits is reasonable. All in all, it was good experience for a kid who won’t turn 21 until the middle of next year, and it may be a season he works in Frederick’s rotation.

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

July 8: Luis Noel

I was surprised to see Luis back, and he didn’t stay long – in fact, right after I named Luis he was promoted. But in the 8 starts he was here, he won 4, lost 2, and had a sparkling 2.59 ERA. He allowed 16 walks in 41 2/3 innings. With Frederick, though, he struggled to a 6.18 ERA in 51 innings. The biggest difference was the longball – whereas Noel allowed just one home run here he gave up eight with Frederick. He’s only 23 at the start of next season, though, so he’ll probably stick with the Keys – I’d say it’s about a 1 in 5 chance he’ll be demoted back considering he’s played at this level twice and pitched well both times.

July 15: Brent Allar

Brent is entertaining to watch and a fan favorite. But he needed to put up better numbers than he did, particularly in allowing walks (47 in 75 2/3 innings is quite high compared to league averages.) Trying him in the starting rotation over the tail end of the year netted him a 1-4, 4.84 mark as part of a 2-4, 5.00 season. Allar can touch 95 on the radar gun but can’t always locate his pitches (even with adopting the practice of pitching out of the stretch full-time), and at higher levels batters will be more discerning. I hope he can latch on either here or with Frederick, but in a numbers game he may be squeezed out given he’s been in the organization five seasons and will turn 26 during spring training.

Other honors: Mountaire selected Brent as their Humanitarian of the Year based on his service to the community.

July 22: Tyler Townsend

Shorebird fans were looking forward all spring to seeing this local boy do well, and they got a brief glimpse in May before he injured his hamstring. Upon his return (after going 5-for-13 in the Gulf Coast League), he continued to tear up the SAL so the Orioles promoted him just days after I selected him as a SotW. Hitting .342/3/26 in 30 games definitely qualifies as tearing up the league, and the good news is that he continued his success in Frederick, hitting .284/3/14 in 19 games. Overall he had a superb .959 OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage – .700 is considered average) so I’m naming him my 2010 Prospect of the Year and wouldn’t be completely surprised to see him in an Orioles jersey at the end of 2011. My guess is they fast-track him to Bowie to start next season.

July 29: Ty Kelly

Ty was the sort of player who came to work every day and quietly helped the team. By doing so, he led the squad in a number of offensive categories including games played, at-bats, and hits. He tailed off just enough at the end to finish with a batting mark under .260, but .259/4/58 is very respectable. He also drew 68 walks, which was among league leaders. He’ll turn 23 in the middle of next season so there’s a good chance he could come back but I think he deserves a chance at Frederick.

Other honors: The Shorebirds Fan Club picked Ty as their Player of the Half in the second half.

August 5: Bobby Bundy

What Ty Kelly was to the offense Bundy was to the pitching staff – by doing his job he ended up atop several categories. Of particular interest would be the most innings pitched (116) and strikeouts (91). Overall, Bobby finished 4-6 with a 3.65 ERA and was quite a bit better as a starter (a 3.55 ERA in 90 innings) than as a reliever (4.24 in 17 innings.) He also allowed just 100 hits, which is a solid ratio and could be an indicator of future success.  Bobby may be ticketed for Frederick next year even though he’ll be only 21 based on being a fairly high draft pick and the good season he posted.

Other honors: Mountaire selected Bobby as their Player of the Year and the Shorebirds Fan Club picked him as their Pitcher of the Half in the second half.

August 12: T.J. Baxter

The hard-nosed Baxter is another player who showed up daily to play but didn’t find quite as much success as the aforementioned Ty Kelly. Baxter hit .243/8/34 for the season, slumping with a 5-for-39 effort in his last 10 games to fall below the .250 mark. He did lead the team with 34 stolen bases, however. Baxter, who will be 25 by next season, is probably another player who’s at a career crossroads because he was less successful at this level, and having 118 strikeouts to 41 walks may not be desirable for a leadoff hitter. But he has versitility and speed, so there may yet be another shot for T.J.

August 19: James Brandhorst

The workhorse of the bullpen, James made a team-leading 46 appearances and pitched better than his 1-8 record may indicate. In 61 innings he allowed only 50 hits, struck out 65, and walked 28. Upon looking at his line, perhaps the only flaw is allowing a few more walks than one would prefer – if he can cut that down there’s no reason the 23-year-old Brandhorst can’t advance up the system beginning with Frederick next season.

August 26: Justin Dalles

Considering the aggregate average for all Shorebirds catchers was a puny .191 hitting .208/4/14  in 48 games isn’t all that bad. Believe it or not, that’s the most games any Shorebird catcher of the six we had played here this season. Over the last couple years the Shorebirds haven’t had many good-hitting catchers. But Dalles endured two trips to the disabled list after memorable collisions and was placed on a third time just before I named him as SotW. He’ll only be 22 and the Orioles have a tendency to repeat catchers at this level so I would expect Justin to be back for 2011.

September 2: Nick Haughian

Nick was another pitcher who did whatever was needed, mostly in long relief. He put together a good season, going 6-4 with a 3.97 ERA in 35 games and 5 starts. Nick struck out 90 in 93 innings while walking only 33, but he allowed 110 hits for a .293 average against. That is probably the area Haughian needs to improve upon most as he advances up the system, but since he’ll be 24 next spring I would expect that to occur in Frederick next season.

My 21 Shorebirds of the Week were definitely a mixed bag of successes and failures. And because of the turnover I probably had the hardest time of any of the five seasons I’ve done this to pick a winner for Shorebird of the Year.

There’s several guys who had the potential to be winners had they been here longer – Tyler Townsend immediately comes to mind, but had Mike Flacco arrived earlier and put up the same numbers he would have contended.

It came down to a group of four or five guys who played fairly well all year – Jesse Beal, Steve Bumbry, Bobby Bundy, Brian Conley, and Ty Kelly. But you can only pick one and this is who I decided on.

Brian won out because I thought the team simply played better on those nights he was in the lineup than those when he was out. And while there were a number of other factors at play, the fade of the team in the late season seemed to coincide with the time period after he was called up. Conley was good at getting on base, swiping one if needed, and setting the table for those further down the lineup.

As I closed out my post last season, I wish nothing but the best to each and every one of the 2010 Shorebirds and thank them for making my third season as a season ticket holder a wonderful experience. Next week I turn my attention to the front office with my Shorebird Picks and Pans.

He’s been one of the ‘go-to’ guys for long relief all year, but when placed in a starting role Nick Haughian has showed his worth. The lefty has stymied Hagerstown over his last two starts and hopes to conclude things on a high note tonight in what may well be his final 2010 outing against Kannapolis.

Over his three-season pro career, the 9th round 2008 pick out of the University of Washington has bounced between starting and relieving roles. For Aberdeen in 2008 he made 9 appearances with one start, but in 2009 all but one of his outings opened the game (including 2 starts at the tail end of the season here.) This year Nick began in the bullpen but moved into the starting rotation on August 8 and has stayed since.

As a whole, Nick has proven to be just effective enough to pile up strikeouts but allows more hits than innings pitched, which suggests that a starting role may work better because it allows him to develop three or more effective pitches – if he can do that the batting average against him should come down (hitters are batting .289 against him for the year) and he can maintain the great ratio of ground outs to fly outs he currently boasts. For every fly out, Nick gets 1.95 ground outs, which is impressive and means that runners getting on base can more easily be erased by double plays.

Looking at the more common stats, the 23-year-old out of Marysville, Washington is 6-3 with a 3.77 ERA in 34 appearances (including the most recent 4 starts.) Haughian (pronounced ‘Hoy-an’) has only allowed 29 walks while famming 84 in 88 1/3 innings this season and is among team leaders with 6 wins – five of those came in relief with the sixth earned in his last start.

One would think Nick may have moved a little faster up the organization given a relatively high draft pick status, but if he can put up good numbers at Frederick next year it would probably align him back to where he is supposed to be. Left-handers who can get guys out are always in demand and Haughian may just have the tools to put himself on the Orioles’ prospect map with a good season in 2011.

It’s been a rough year for the Shorebirds, who are already destined to have a losing season this year and on the cusp of elimination from playoff contention. Nowhere has that been more evident than at the catcher’s position, where five  (make that six as of tonight) players have moved through a revolving door for those wearing the “tools of ignorance.” Perhaps the most consistent player among the group, Justin Dalles had been sought after for several seasons before finally signing with the Orioles in 2009 as a sixth-round pick out of the University of South Carolina.

Yet Dalles has had a miserable season. It started with a memorable home plate encounter with Steven Souza of the Hagerstown Suns that literally knocked him out cold and landed him on the disabled list. A month later, another home plate collision left the opponent with a broken leg and Justin enduring another trip to the DL. Guys from Brooklyn are tough, but not quite superhuman enough to avoid injury from these violent encounters.

Through all this, Dalles has struggled at the plate, hitting only .208 at the moment after a decent start. However, he has hit 4 home runs in 48 games played, suggesting he has a little bit of power to go with the catching ability. It was ability highly sought, since he was drafted by the Mets in 2006 (15th round), St. Louis in 2007 (40th round), and Toronto in 2008 (26th round) before finally leaving USC for a pro career in 2009. Justin had a decent season with Aberdeen last year (.225/0/21 in the exact same 48 games) and perhaps the Orioles were expecting more out him of this season.

But with all the injuries and time off Dalles has endured, perhaps a more fair assessment will come from having a fresh start next year. It wouldn’t hurt the 21-year-old Dalles to begin a second campaign here in 2011 and hopefully avoid the maladies he’s fought through this year.

Sometimes a minor league campaign is simply about survival, particularly for a pitching staff. Due to a number of factors, only 5 of the 13 pitchers who began the 2010 campaign here are still around – James Brandhorst is one of them.

That’s not to say James has been ineffective – in fact, he’s unscored upon in his last 5 appearances covering seven innings. But perhaps it’s Brandhorst’s size (at 6′-4″ and 245 pounds he’s one of our bulkier pitchers) or careful usage which has led to his durability over the course of a 140 game season. Overall, he’s made a team-leading 40 appearances covering 51 innings.

Obviously he’s been on the wrong end of some decisions as his 1-7 record would indicate, but a losing record is not atypical for a reliever who tends to come into the final innings of a close game. He also has 4 saves as the backup closer to the now-departed Josh Dowdy. But in 51 innings he’s piled up 60 strikeouts while allowing only 44 hits and 24 walks and a decent 3.53 ERA. The resulting 1.33 WHIP could be improved upon by allowing fewer walks but the 2009 20th round draft choice out of Lamar University is probably progressing on schedule.

James pitched well for Aberdeen last season (0-1 but with a 1.30 ERA and 4 saves in 27.2 innings) and appears destined to remain a reliever for his career. I’m sure the 22-year-old Texan (he turns 23 next week) doesn’t really mind so long as he continues to advance through the system.

One of the top base stealers in the Orioles’ chain, T.J. Baxter has provided one of the sparks for the Shorebirds’ offense this year with an ability to get himself into scoring position. Although he’s slowed down the pace in recent weeks, his 28 steals still puts him in the top 15 leaguewide.

The outfielder, first baseman, and designated hitter has proven to be relatively versatile as well, filling in gaps in the lineup and allowing other players a bit of rest. And after a July slump (he hit just .219 in 17 games) a 7-for-21 homestand against Lexington may have shaken him out of the doldrums and reignited his bat. He clobbered his 7th home run of the season late in the final game, a 10-3 loss.

The 24th round pick in 2008 out of the University of New Orleans (and New Jersey native, so trips to Lakewood are like a homecoming for him) spent the previous two seasons with Aberdeen before making the jump to full-season ball this year. And while his overall batting average is down from the .280 range he kept with the IronBirds, he’s managed to maintain an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of remarkable consistency, varying between .720 and .724 over the course of his career (.700 is about average.) He’s lost a touch of on-base percentage this year but has more power to make up for it. He’s improved on his stolen base totals each year, too.

However, T.J.’s pro career could be at a crossroads as he is one of the older players on the Shorebirds’ roster – he’ll turn 25 in December. Obviously spending a second season at Aberdeen (although it was a pretty successful one) put him a little behind in development, so he may need a solid finish to assure him a place in the organization next season. With Frederick being a little short-handed in the outfield and first base, though, there’s a chance he could yet move up this season for a short stint and see how he fares at that level.

Last week I detailed one player who’s been a steady performer for the Shorebirds and this week it’s another’s turn. Bobby Bundy has kept a pretty even keel during a season where he began as a reliever but returned to a more familiar starter’s role in May.

Over twelve starts, Bundy has put together several workmanlike performances, with the best coming June 7 against Hickory where he allowed just four hits and one run in seven innings. It seems Bundy is more comfortable as a starter, though, since his numbers as a reliever were fairly pedestrian (a 4.24 ERA in 17 innings and ten appearances) compared to the 2-4 record and 3.88 ERA in 60 1/3 innings compiled as a starter.

Bundy is in his third professional season, although the 8th round pick in 2008 out of Sperry (Oklahoma) High School barely saw action in the 2008 campaign, making two forgettable appearances for the Gulf Coast League Orioles. In Bluefield last year Bobby was only 2-7 with a 5.10 ERA in 12 starts (54 1/3 innings) but apparently Baltimore’s brass liked what they saw in spring training enough to advance Bundy to a full-season team. He does have a nice strikeout-to-walk ratio for his pro career (108-51 in 134 pro innings) but is prone to giving up the longball – he’s allowed 10 home runs this year, most among the Shorebirds’ staff. Since he was drafted out of high school, Bundy has plenty of time to develop and advance through the system; he won’t turn 21 until next January.

As with his fellow high school prospects Matt Hobgood and Jesse Beal, we may see Bobby’s appearances become a little shorter as the season draws to a close. Having already thrown 77 1/3 innings this season with several early relief appearances, the limit may soon be reached for Bundy’s season in order to preserve his arm. Still, he can prove to be an effective pitcher in the remaining weeks of the season and perhaps begin next season as an anchor of Delmarva’s rotation.

Sometimes observers like me are mesmerized by the gaudy stats of a player just starting out in league play. Obviously there are those who can keep up this hectic pace long enough to quickly advance to the next level but more often these stars fade back to a more average or even subpar stat line. We tend to overlook the steady performer who comes to work every day and continues performing at a sound level. Ty Kelly is one of those guys.

Indeed, Kelly got off to a slow start, hitting just .233 in April. But since then he’s slowly built up the batting mark to a level where he’s well in line with the numbers he posted last year in his inaugural pro season at Aberdeen.

There Ty went .265/1/18 in 61 contests with the Ironbirds; in his first full season with Delmarva Kelly has brought the mark to .261/3/39 in 92 games. One big difference comes in extra base hits – Ty was almost exclusively a singles hitter with Aberdeen (just 7 extra base hits) but this year Kelly is knocking the ball around with authority, boasting a line of 23 doubles, 3 triples, and 3 home runs. And Ty seems to thrive with runners in scoring position with a .289 situational average, which probably explains the vastly improved RBI total.

Kelly wasn’t a highly-touted prospect as the Orioles waited until the 13th round to claim him last year; the native Texan played for the University of California-Davis. But he could be the kind of player who will advance through the system as his experience and hard work matches up well with the increasing ability of the players he’s up against. Toss in the fact he’s a switch-hitting infielder (although hitting .170 as a right-hander may necessiate dropping that eventually) and has a good eye at the plate – in his season-plus career Ty has 90 strikeouts and 86 walks – and the guy perhaps picked as an organizational player may defy the conventional wisdom and advance all the way to Baltimore. He just turned 22 last week so developmental time is on his side and there’s guys in the big leagues who’d love to see a .260 average right now.

Slow and steady may well win this race.

The closest thing this year’s Shorebirds have to a ‘hometown hero’, Tyler Townsend came to town with some high expectations placed upon him by both the Orioles and local fans.

The high expectations from the Orioles come from being a third-round pick in last year’s amateur draft and one of the top 100 selected overall. When you throw in the obvious familiarity of many Delaware Shorebird fans with Townsend’s talent, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see some players buckle and fold under the pressure. Indeed, it looked like Townsend might be a bust – or at least develop more slowly than scouts figured – after he hit just .143 in 31 games for Aberdeen last year.

Maybe home cooking is what Tyler needed to succeed, though. Despite being sidetracked by a hamstring injury and a quick trip to the Gulf Coast League for a rehab stint, Townsend has moved into a leadership role among the batters in manager Ryan Minor’s lineup. Hitting .383 at home certainly proves he finds the confines of Perdue Stadium quite friendly.

A far cry from that anemic .143 mark last year, Tyler is leading the squad with a .324 average in 108 at-bats spanning 28 games. More importantly, Tyler is showing signs of power, ripping 14 extra-base hits so far including a triple and two home runs. It leads to an OPS of .887, leaving him second among this year’s crop of Shorebirds (and he tops the list among current players.) Yet Townsend is difficult to strike out as he’s fanned just 16 times.

Having gone away to star at Florida International University, the native of Lewes gets to return to the closest Orioles affiliate and allow those fans who saw him tear up the First State’s prep ranks continue his bid for a job in The Show. Having just turned 22, this experience will be helpful in the long run and South Atlantic League foes will suffer in the short run.

My significant other and I call him, “Bubblegum Brent.”

If you’re around early enough before the game and hang out by the Shorebirds dugout, you’re likely to see Brent Allar walking out with a handful of bubble gum, ready to toss it out to lucky kids sitting nearby. Each piece impresses a lasting memory for some child, each autograph he signs creating a new favorite Shorebird player.

There’s something to be said for players who are friendly to fans. Perhaps it’s the way the pregame ritual works out, but relief pitchers seem to be the ones who are most likely to be available for autographs and Brent is generally quite willing to oblige.

What’s even more fun is seeing this sort of player succeed, and Brent has been on a great roll of late. Since the league’s All-Star break Allar has made five appearances (including a spot start Monday at Lakewood) and been pretty dominant, allowing just 1 earned run in 12 1/3 innings. Against Hickory on July 5th he blew through the Crawdads to the tune of 12 batters up, 12 batters down with seven strikeouts. Brent followed that up with five shutout innings and a victory in that start against Lakewood, allowing two hits and one walk.

The key has been control. Brent has always been able to feature a lively mid-90’s fastball, but not always been able to know where it’s going. In 156 minor league innings over 5 seasons, Brent has fanned over a batter per inning (172 total) but walked almost as many – 118 free passes, or nearly 7 per nine innings. In this stretch Brent has walked just 4, a much more acceptable ratio of about one per three innings. And cutting walks has enabled Brent to bring his ERA down from the upper-6 range to a more respectable 4.45 for the season.

Allar is quite familiar to Shorebird fans, as the 14th round pick in 2006 has spent three seasons here (most of 2007 and all of 2009 and 2010.) He is also the oldest active Shorebird player, as he turned 25 in March. Obviously the Texan and onetime TCU Horned Frog needs to keep turning in these performances to resurrect his career and advance upward in the system.

Brent definitely has a lot of fans hoping for that sort of success.

It was just about this time two years ago that Luis Noel was my Shorebird of the Week – July 3, 2008 to be exact. And with the numbers he put up during that 2008 campaign for the Shorebirds (10-8, 3.96 in 27 appearances and starts for Delmarva) it was surprising that he didn’t move up to Frederick to begin 2009 – instead he ended up toiling back home in the Dominican Summer League.

Perhaps the issue was control – Noel allowed 73 walks in 138 2/3 Delmarva innings, or maybe he was worked a little excessively for a then-20 year old pitcher. Regardless of the reason, Noel put together a good enough season for the DSL Orioles to make his return to the Shorebirds in May, at a time where they needed stability in the pitching staff. Out of the five original members of the starting rotation, only one (Jesse Beal) has answered the bell each time his turn came up – others have been promoted, released, or missed time for various reasons.

In the second go-round for Delmarva, Luis has shown improvement over his previous tenure by cutting down on the walks while maintaining a pretty good strikeout pace (40 K’s/16 BB’s in 41 2/3 innings.) Going 4-2 over that 8-start span has already placed him among team leaders in victories, and a sparkling 8 inning performance (5 hits, 1 run on a solo home run, and 10 strikeouts without a walk) against Hickory on Tuesday was enough to give him the nod over other contenders for this week’s honor.

Since Luis was signed at the tender age of 18, the 22 year old is already in his fifth minor league season. Obviously the native of San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic would like to advance farther up the system as Delmarva marks his high-water status to date, and if he can keep the walks down he has a chance to do just that.