You may recall back in 2005 the Shorebirds had a player named Paco Figueroa. He played here right after being drafted by the O’s and now is a member of the Bowie BaySox. Maybe it was a courtesy pick or the Orioles hoping lightning could strike twice, but 34 rounds later they also drafted Paco’s twin brother Danny. Both attended the University of Miami.
Unlike his twin, Danny didn’t make his pro debut until 2006, splitting time between the Shorebirds and Aberdeen IronBirds. In just 33 games between the two squads Danny only hit at a .214 clip (but .278 in 18 at-bats with the Shorebirds). It looked just as lackluster for Danny to start the season in 2007 as he batted just .193 with the Shorebirds in April.
However, each month since Danny has improved his average and is now up to a solid .277 mark for the campaign. In particular, Figueroa’s tearing the cover off the ball since the All-Star break as he’s going at a .336 clip average-wise with a .848 OPS mark. Danny’s also the team leader with 28 stolen bases and just behind Brandon Tripp with 64 runs scored (Tripp has 67).
With the chance to play every day, it’s possible that Danny has shown enough promise to pick up a level on his brother in 2008, or at least stay two levels behind (Frederick vs. Norfolk). While age isn’t on Danny’s side (both Figueroa brothers are 24) another good season could put him on the Orioles’ prospect map.
