Since it’s fairly likely that Glynn Davis will be among the top choices for batting leadoff for the Shorebirds this season, it seemed fitting he bat leadoff as Shorebird of the Week. Because we open on the road, it’s quite possible he’ll step into the batter’s box in Asheville tonight tomorrow night to unwrap the 2012 Delmarva campaign.
Davis is another diamond in the rough sort of player – plucked from Catonsville Community College after being passed over in the amateur draft, the 20-year-old Baltimore native impressed the brass enough after his inaugural season to appear in a half-dozen contests with the big club during spring training, where he went 1-for-6 with an RBI. (Only seven of the 27 on the “break camp” roster can claim the distinction of appearing in at least one spring training contest with the O’s.)
And while Glynn has just the 69 pro games under his belt, mostly with Aberdeen, he put up some extremely good numbers in 2011, batting .284/2/16/.713 OPS and making the New York-Penn League All-Star team. He was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise dreadful Aberdeen season as he swiped 23 bases for the IronBirds, placing fifth in the league. If not for a handful of games where he dominated the Gulf Coast League (going 10-for-23 in 6 games) and a one-game cup of coffee at Frederick (1-for-4) he may have led the league in steals.
Obviously this will be a stronger test for the rookie as he embarks on a full 140-game season, but it looks like Ryan Minor is going to pencil him in to patrol center field. A good season puts him on the prospect radar screen, and who knows? Perhaps someday he’ll suit up with the Orioles in a game that counts in his hometown.
