SotW HoF
Beginning with the first week of the 2006 Delmarva Shorebirds season, I began a feature on monoblogue called “Shorebird of the Week.” Through 2011, I’d selected over 100 players for the honor, some twice in two different seasons.
As is the usual fate of those who pursue the dream of playing major league baseball when they sign their first contract and report to their first minor league team, most of those selected didn’t make it to The Show. Each year over 1,500 amateur players are drafted by the 30 major league clubs, with hundreds more who live around the globe signed as free agents. All this to be one of the 750 players available at any one time during the season to take the field in a major league game.
Generally it takes two to three years for a good player at the South Atlantic League level to advance to the major leagues. Most “can’t miss” prospects start at higher levels, so it’s rare for us to get a top draft choice unless he’s selected out of high school.
So it is that it took until season number four of doing the SotW for a player I selected to become part of a major league team. But on April 21, 2009 I took advantage of a rain delay at the Shorebirds game to watch my first inductee take the mound at Camden Yards and create the need to begin this page on my website. He was later joined by another selection, bringing to two the first class of inductees to the SotWHoF.
My first inductees made up the Shorebird of the Week Hall of Fame Class of 2009.
Brad Bergesen
Shorebird of the Week: June 15, 2006 and April 12, 2007.
Major League debut: April 21, 2009. Bergesen was called up from AAA Norfolk to replace the injured Alfredo Simon in the rotation and drew the start at home against the Chicago White Sox.
In that contest, Bergesen became the second of four O’s 2009 rookies to win their big league debut as the Orioles prevailed 10-3. Obviously a rain delay at the start didn’t affect Brad’s nerves too much as he allowed three runs (one earned) and four hits in 5 2/3 innings, leaving with the Orioles leading. Bergesen allowed two walks and struck out four.
Rest of the season: Bergesen stayed in the big leagues until an injury he suffered July 30 against Kansas City ended his day and eventually his Orioles season. During his run Brad was 7-5 with a 3.43 ERA in 19 starts and appearances, allowing 126 hits in 123 2/3 innings. Brad fanned 65 while walking 32 (a 1.28 WHIP) and even went 1-for-5 at the plate in 2 National League park starts, with a single against Washington. His best outings came mostly in the stretch between Memorial Day and July 4th, where Brad was 4-0 with a 2.06 ERA over 7 starts.
2010: In his second season with the Orioles Brad struggled at the beginning, and was briefly demoted to Norfolk and to the bullpen to work out some issues. But Bergesen was lights out after August 1, wrapping up the season with a 5-2 record and 2.78 ERA over his last 10 starts. Overall he had an 8-12 record and 4.98 ERA, allowing 193 hits in 170 big league innings, walking 51 and striking out 81 in 30 appearances (28 of them starts.)
Even with his early-season struggles, Brad had a couple gems. His best outing was 6 2/3 shutout innings in a 2-0 win over Minnesota on May 6th. But fans could breathe a sigh of relief that the Bergesen who wowed Oriole fans as a hot-shot rookie in 2009 was back when he stymied Cleveland in a complete-game two-hitter on August 11, 3-1.
2011: Brad again rode the shuttle between Baltimore and Norfolk, pitching well at the AAA level but not able to excel in the American League. After working almost exclusively as a starter his first two seasons, Brad was demoted to the bullpen when on the Orioles’ roster. Overall, Bergesen made 34 appearances with the Orioles, including 12 starts and one complete game, a sparkling 6-0 whitewash of Tampa Bay on May 14 where he allowed just four hits and one walk. He pitched 101 innings, allowing 119 hits and an alarming 16 home runs. The topline numbers were 2-7 with a 5.70 ERA on the year for Baltimore, but 2-1 with a 1.64 ERA in 3 Norfolk starts.
David Hernandez
Shorebird of the Week: April 27, 2006
Major League debut: May 28, 2009. Hernandez was summoned from AAA Norfolk to fill the roster spot of reliever Chris Ray and the starting slot of injured Koji Uehara. Against the Detroit Tigers, David pitched 5 2/3 innings and gave up all five hits and the lone run in the Orioles’ 5-1 win. Hernandez gave up four walks and struck out three, and was the fourth of the four O’s hurlers to win their debut.
Rest of the season: David bounced back and forth between Baltimore and Norfolk, spending most of the season in the Orioles’ rotation. Just as Bergesen did, Hernandez made 19 starts (with one relief appearance) but finished 4-10 with a 5.42 ERA.
David pitched well until August, after which he staggered home by finishing the last weeks of the campaign 0-6 with a 7.65 ERA. For the season, Hernandez pitched 101 1/3 innings with the O’s, allowing 118 hits (including 27 home runs) and walking 46 while striking out 68. This gave him a WHIP of 1.62.
2010: Hernandez spent nearly all season with the Orioles (save for a quick rehab trip to Bowie) but found himself evolving from a mediocre starter to a presence in the bullpen. A 1-5, 5.31 mark as a starter was more than erased by a 7-3, 3.16 mark as a reliever, where he converted two saves in six opportunities.
One key for David in the transition was the rapid decline in walks per nine innings. He walked 28 in 42 1/3 innings as a starter (or about 6 per nine innings) but cut the rate nearly in half as a reliever, allowing 14 walks in 37 relief innings. Put it all together and you get a 8-8, 4.31 season where David allowed 72 hits in 79 1/3 innings, walking 42 but fanning 72 (almost one per inning.) He’s counted on to be a power arm out of the bullpen for 2011 and was mentioned as trade bait – indeed that was his fate as he was sent to the Arizona Diamondbacks on December 6, 2010 with pitcher Kam Mickolio for 1B-3B Mark Reynolds.
2011: In his new Arizona home David became a mainstay in the Diamondback bullpen, leading Arizona by making 74 appearances during the regular season, compiling 11 saves and finishing sixth in the National League with 23 holds. He allowed just 49 hits in 69 1/3 innings (a .193 average against) and fanned 77 while walking 30. Mostly handling the eighth inning chores for Arizona’s NL West-winning team, Hernandez amassed most of his saves during a mid-season stretch when D’back closer J.J. Putz went on the disabled list. He’s easily become the most established member of the SotW Hall of Fame, and perhaps evened out the trade for Mark Reynolds a little bit insofar as Arizona is concerned.
Just one new player comprises the Class of 2010, but he distinguishes himself as the first position player.
Brandon Snyder
Shorebird of the Week: May 25, 2006 and April 5, 2007.
Major League debut: September 10, 2010. Snyder was inserted as a defensive replacement at first base in the bottom of the ninth inning in a game the Orioles won 6-3 at Detroit.
Two days later, Brandon would get his first at-bat against the Tigers in a 6-2 loss, getting the start and batting ninth. He popped out to short and went 0-for-3 on the day.
Rest of the season: Brandon eventually got into ten games, going 6-for-20 (.300) with two doubles and three runs batted in. He struck out three times and was caught stealing once during his brief stint. The highlights for Brandon were two-hit performances at Toronto on September 24 (with his first double and an RBI) and against Detroit on October 1.
2011: By any stretch of the imagination, 2011 had to be a disappointing campaign for Brandon and his fans. He managed to spend a brief period of time with the Orioles in May and June, but was not among the plethora of September callups made by the Orioles. Brandon went 3-for-13 in 6 games with Baltimore, with a double and RBI to show for it. With AAA Norfolk, Snyder had a reasonably decent year, getting into 114 games and putting together a .261/14/71 campaign for the Tides – the 71 RBI paced the Tides’ offensive attack. Yet with depth at first base at the big league level, Snyder didn’t fit into the O’s future plans anymore so he was traded to the Texas Rangers on January 3, 2012 for cash considerations.
The Class of 2011 is by far my largest, and features my first player to make his debut with another organization.
Pedro Beato
Shorebird of the Week: May 10, 2007.
Major League debut: April 1, 2011. After being selected by the Mets in the Rule 5 Draft and making the team out of spring training, Beato was immediately thrown into the fire by pitching in relief on Opening Day at Florida. Coming on to begin the sixth inning of a game the Mets trailed 5-0 Pedro pitched two scoreless innings, allowing three hits, including a double to John Buck – the first pitch Beato threw. The Mets eventually lost 6-2.
Rest of season: Pedro went on to set a Mets record by not allowing a run in the first 18 2/3 innings of his MLB career – a stretch that included Pedro’s first MLB win April 27 in Washington. In 60 appearances, Pedro went 2-1 with a 4.30 ERA, allowing 59 hits and 27 walks, fanning 39. However, Beato faded in the stretch with a 6.23 ERA after August 1.
Zach Britton
Shorebird of the Week: August 7, 2008.
Major League debut: April 3, 2011. It wasn’t supposed to happen quite that soon, but when Brian Matusz was scratched from his first start of the season down in Tampa the Orioles called Britton up to replace him in the rotation. Britton allowed a run on three hits in a six-inning start as Baltimore finished a surprising three-game opening sweep, 5-1.
Rest of season: Zach made 28 starts for the Orioles, and as one would expect from a highly-touted rookie he had his ups and downs. Some of the high points were a 5-1, 2.63 opening in his first six starts and a dominating three-hit shutout of the Seattle Mariners on May 12. But the lows were deep valleys – being sent to AA Bowie after giving up 8 runs in 2/3 of an inning to Boston July 8 only to return and be shelled for nine runs in just 1/3 of an inning at New York July 30. He also spent a few weeks in August on the disabled list. Overall, it averaged out to an 11-11 mark with a 4.61 ERA. Zach allowed 162 hits in 154 1/3 innings, striking out 97 while walking 62. His overall WHIP was 1.45.
Interestingly enough, Britton proved to be no slouch at the plate, going 5-for-8 (.625) with a home run he hit at Atlanta. It was the first home run by an Orioles pitcher since Kris Benson hit his lone career home run in 2006.
Ryan Adams
Shorebird of the Week: August 14, 2008.
Major league debut: May 20, 2011. Getting the start at second base against the Washington Nationals, Ryan went 1-for-4, grounding out to third in his initial at-bat. His first hit in that 17-5 loss came in his next at-bat, a single off Washington starter Jason Marquis.
Rest of season: Ryan was sparingly used in the month’s time he was first on the Orioles’ roster, getting into just nine games and, not surprisingly, hitting just .217 (5-for-23) with just one run batted in. But once he was recalled to stay in late August, Ryan saw increased playing time and the average moved smartly upward. He finished with a .281 mark (25-for-89) with no home runs and seven knocked in. Oddly enough, all four of his extra-base hits (all doubles) occurred in a five-game stretch from August 23-28.
But Ryan’s strong finish was marred by missing the last few days of the season as he underwent surgery for a sports hernia. It’s expected he’ll be at full strength for the 2012 season.
At AAA Norfolk Ryan played in 94 games, putting together a solid .284/10/37 line with a .794 OPS.
Blake Davis
Shorebird of the Week: July 27, 2006.
Major League debut: June 22, 2011. Davis had a debut he may want to forget, going 0-for-4 and committing an error which allowed the Pirates to escape with a 5-4 win in Pittsburgh. Two fly outs, a ground out, and a strikeout were the extent of Blake’s line, along with the error. But you can’t completely blame Davis, for his error was in the bottom of the fifth and the Orioles had chances afterward.
Blake’s first career hit was two days later, a triple against Cincinnati which staked the O’s to an early 2-0 lead in a game they’d win 5-4.
Rest of season: Davis spent two months with the Orioles, putting together a serviceable .254 average (15-for-59) in 25 games. He managed to hit his first Major League home run on August 13 against Detroit, a game which was one of his three multi-hit games. Ironically, he was sent to Norfolk on August 22 in order to clear a roster spot for the return of Ryan Adams. Not among the September callups, Blake was instead designated for assignment on September 6 and is no longer on the O’s 40-man roster.
At AAA Norfolk Blake got into 62 games, hitting .280/5/27 with a .706 OPS.
Matt Angle
Shorebird of the Week: April 24, 2008.
Major League debut: July 17, 2011. Leading off and playing left field against the Cleveland Indians, Matt grounded out to short in his first at-bat to begin an 0-for-3 effort; however, Angle drew a walk in his final at-bat in an 8-3 O’s victory. He wouldn’t get his first major league hit until being recalled from Norfolk a month later, finally breaking through with a single at Minnesota August 25.
Rest of season: Aside from his brief July cup of coffee (0-for-7 in 2 games), Angle came up for good in late August. Once he returned, he predominantly started in left field although there were a number of games Angle appeared as a late-inning pinch-runner. On the whole, Matt only hit .177 (14-for-79) in 31 games, with his first major league home run coming September 24 at Detroit. Angle also batted in 7 runs and, more importantly, was 11-for-12 on the basepaths. That total was good for fourth on the team and only 2 off the lead; however Matt played in over 100 fewer games than any Oriole ahead of him.
Down at AAA Norfolk, where Matt played most of the season, he hit .271/4/33 in 108 games and swiped 27 bases in 30 attempts. That stolen base total led the Tides and tied for third in the International League.
Before spring training, however, Matt was designated for assignment by the Orioles and claimed by the Los Angeles Dodgers on February 23.
Kyle Hudson
Shorebird of the Week: June 18, 2009.
Major League debut: September 4, 2011. Kyle became the quickest Shorebird of the Week to make the climb to The Show when he started in left field at Tampa Bay, batting eighth. Kyle would go 0-for-3, grounding into two double plays to begin his big league career as part of a forgettable 8-1 loss to the Rays. The next night, Kyle would get his first major league hit as he singled off Yankee reliever Scott Proctor.
Rest of season: Kyle got into 14 games, but hit just .143 (4-for-28) without an extra-base hit. He also struck out 6 times and batted in 2 runs. Unlike Matt Angle, the fleet Hudson stole only two bases in as many attempts but Kyle did see frequent usage as a pinch-runner down the stretch, too.
However overmatched Hudson seemed in his brief Oriole stint, it didn’t take away from a fantastic season which saw him leap all the way from single-A Frederick to the big leagues. At Frederick he hit .279/0/2 in 23 games and stole 8 bases, with Bowie Hudson had a .308/0/10 line with 7 steals in 28 games, and at Norfolk Kyle hit .297/0/11 with 26 steals, finishing fifth in the International League in that category despite playing only 68 games. Obviously the whirlwind tour caught up with Hudson at the end.
In a bit of a surprise Kyle was let go by the Orioles, released on January 19, 2012. He was signed to a minor league deal by Texas on January 28.
Pedro Florimon, Jr.
Shorebird of the Week: April 3, 2008.
Major League debut: September 10, 2011. Pedro went 0-for-3 in a 5-4 loss at Toronto, starting the game at shortstop and batting eighth. His three official at-bats were all strikeouts, although in his first plate appearance he laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Kyle Hudson, who had singled and advanced on an error.
Rest of season: Well, there wasn’t much to tell as Pedro only appeared in four games over the last 2 1/2 weeks. Pedro did get his first (and so far only) big league hit on September 25, a two-run double off Detroit’s Brad Penny. He ended up 1-for-8 (.125) with the double and 2 RBI, along with six strikeouts and a walk in four games.
Pedro spent the remainder of the season at AA Bowie, hitting .267/8/60 in 133 games for the Baysox, ranking among the team leaders in nearly every offensive category.
After the season, Florimon was placed on waivers by the Orioles on December 5, 2011 and claimed by the Minnesota Twins. The Twins then outrighted him to AAA Rochester a week later.
Photo credits:
Brad Bergesen of the Baltimore Orioles pitches against the Boston Red Sox at Camden Yards on September 2, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Images of David Hernandez, Brandon Snyder, Pedro Beato, Zach Britton, Ryan Adams, Blake Davis, Matt Angle, and Kyle Hudson via Wikipedia.
Image of Pedro Florimon via espn.com.
Eastern Shore Political Buzz Examiner
Syndicate
Subscribe to this site's RSS feed.
-
-
-
Advertise with monoblogue and you’ll reach a lot of people!
Click on the photo for details.
Link to Maryland Democratic Party
In the interest of being fair and balanced, I provide this service to readers. But before you click on the picture below, just remember their message:
Locals flock to monoblogue
Click on the photo for details on advertising opportunities.
Please note that the opinions expressed on monoblogue are not necessarily those of the Wicomico County Republican Party Central Committee, of which I'm a member. (But they probably should be.)
