TTM Succes- Alberto Castillo, the lefty pitcher

I sent this request to Alberto's attention when he was with the Norfolk Tides earlier this season and had pretty much given up on getting it back since it had been two months since I sent it. But, much to my surprise, I received this in the mail a few days after Alberto had been recalled to the O's for the first time in 2009.

Alberto is the true definition of a journeyman, having originally been drafted by the Giants in 1994. He was out of affiliated baseball in 2003 and pitched in the independent leagues for 5 years before the O's signed before spring training in 2008. Alberto finally made his major league debut for the Orioles in 2008 at the age of 32.

It's pretty funny because some of his info in the '08 O's media guide is wrong. It shows his birth year as 1990. But it does point out that for at least 3 years of his career he attempted to play solely as a first baseman. Hey, whatever works Alberto.

I also want to mention that Alberto is currently the member of the O's bullpen who is wearing the backpack for the walk from the dugout to the bullpen before games. The guy who wears the backpack is generally a rookie or the player with the least Major League experience. At various points this season Matt Albers & Bob McCrory have also had the chance to wear the rookie backpack. At least it's black and not pink like some clubs use.