Upgrading My Steves

Shortly before I went on my trip, I acquired both of these autographed Orioles postcards for my collection.

And then a few days before I left, I did some in-person graphing at the O's game. See if you can notice anything different on these two. 

Yep, both personalized, just as I like 'em.

I'm especially happy to have gotten Pearce to sign his postcard, now that he has moved on to the Astros and will be much harder to track down. I do have to give him props for signing at O's game I attended during his short tenure with the team. I just wish more players shared his attitude towards signing for the fans.

A Slew of Debut

So of course I happened to be away over a weekend when a player made their Orioles debut in four consecutive games. I had a great time with some friends and still was able to catch bits and pieces of the games, but overall, I didn't pay attention like I normally do, so I'm playing catch-up now.


Steve Tolleson became the 923rd Oriole when he started the second game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Rangers. He went 1-3 at the plate and also started Saturday's game, going 1-4 with a double but  did commit an error at third base.

I picked up Steve's autograph during spring training this year, so he goes straight on the have list. And it's personalized to boot!

Journeyman Dana Eveland will forever be Oriole #924 after he was called up to start Friday's game against the Rays. It was a rather sloppy affair, although he somehow kept the O's in the game. He lasted six innings and allowed three earned runs, walked six, struck out two and also hit two batters.

He came on in relief in last night's game and the results were pretty similar. In just 1.2 innings, he walked two and hit two batters while allowing another earned run. Dana's stay in Baltimore is apt to be short if he continues to have those type of control issues.

I added Dana's autograph to my collection back at Orioles FanFest, so he also goes right to the have list.


Longtime big leaguer, Bill Hall was called up from Norfolk prior to Saturday's game and he started the game in left field to become Oriole #925. He went 1-3 with a late home run that provided some nice padding in a 5-3 win over the Rays.

As you can see, or rather cannot see, I don't currently have an autograph of Bill's, but he has plenty of certified examples out there that can be had cheaply, so I'm not worried about it. I'll try to get him in person and if it doesn't work, I can just drop a few bucks to pick one up online. But for now, his name is added to my need list.

Lastly, for today at least, is Oriole #926, Xavier Avery. "X" made his Orioles, and MLB, debut on Sunday and went 0-4 out of the lead-off spot. He is the only one of these four players who would be considered a prospect, and his name has appeared near the top of Baseball America's Orioles top prospect list in recent years, highlighted by being listed at #3 heading into the 2011 season. He has long been known for his speed and athleticism and is a real burner when he gets on the base-paths. The Orioles selected him in the second round of the 2008 draft.

His speed was clearly visible in last night's game against the Yankees when he again led off, but had better luck at the plate, hitting a first inning double for his first big league hit and followed it up with a fifth inning triple. Pretty solid for just his second MLB game!

Since X has played at nearly every level of the Orioles' farm system, I have multiple copies of his autograph, especially from his time with the Keys and Baysox. And as you can see, his signature doesn't consist of much more than an "X".

I made it back in town in time to catch Avery's debut on Sunday. I believe this picture was taken during his third at-bat.

At this point, I expect Avery to stick with the Orioles and bat lead-off in most of their games, at least until Nolan Reimold is healthy enough to return. As for the other three, only time will tell, but I just hope that the Orioles can continue their winning ways!

Orioles Spring Training Autographs- Extras For Trade

Many of the Orioles players were kind enough to sign multiple cards for me during my trip to Spring Training and some of the extras are available for trade. Let me know if anyone out there is interested in these bad boys. I'd be happy to swing a deal to help other O's collectors with their collections. 

Spring Training Autographs- Roster Long Shots

Today's autograph all feature guys who are/were with the Orioles in Major League camp but are long-shots to make the trip north with the Orioles at the end of the month. 

Oscar's had a very up and down Spring, with some very good games and a few ugly appearances. 

Tolleson and Antonelli have both been solid for most of the spring but are likely left out due to Ryan Flaherty's advantage of being a Rule 5 guy. 

O'Day has been struggling with a groin injury which could earn him a ticket to the DL. 

The next four guys were extreme long-shots to make the team and would have needed to do something ridiculous to start the season with the Orioles. They should all provide depth at AA & AAA and a few could make their way to Baltimore at some point during the season. 

 

Who Will Be the First Player To Make Their Orioles Debut in 2012?

One thing that we all know is that some players will make their Orioles debut during the 2012 season, but what he don't know is who will be the first. My assumption, which generally has been proven true in past seasons, is that multiple players will make their Orioles debut on Opening Day. And if multiple players debut in the same half inning, I use the position numbering system (pitcher- 1 through right fielder-9) to break any ties.

I don't believe that the Opening Day starter will be Wei-Yin Chen, Dana Eveland, Jason Hammel, or Tsuyoshi Wada, although Chen and Hammel are remote possibilities.

I'm confident that Matt Wieters will be behind the plate on Opening Day, but, God forbid, he tweaks something in Spring Training, Taylor Teagarden is the most likely guy to fill-in as the backstop.

Looking around the infield, Wilson Betemit is a lock to get regular playing time, but his position is up in the air; he could play first or third, DH, or pop up somewhere else on the field. He's definitely on the O.D. roster though.

Nick Johnson is a wild card, but will likely make the team if healthy. Ryan Flaherty and Matt Antonelli seem to be in direct competition with one another for the utility infield spot, with Flaherty having the edge since he's a Rule 5 guy that would have to be returned to the Cubs if he drops off the 25 man roster. Even if either of them make the team, it seems unlikely they would start on Opening Day. 

My money is on Endy Chavez to be the fourth outfielder, and I think that's a safe bet, but again, it's unlikely he would start the first game of the year. Jai Miller and Steve Tolleson are in the discussion too, but likely only can make the team if someone gets hurt.

If no position players make their debut on Opening Day, which is a possibility, then a relief pitcher very well could be the first O's debut of the season. I have no idea how Buck will use the guys out of the 'pen this year but I know that Luis Ayala and Matt Lindstrom are both near locks to make the team. Darren O'Day, Pat Neshek, and Armando Galarraga are also posibilities to break camp with the Birds.

 

 My guess is that Wilson Betemit is the first new player to debut for the Orioles at Camden Yards on April 6. Think I'm wrong? Who do you think will become Oriole #911?

Orioles Minor Moves

So far this off-season, the Orioles have signed a handful of minor league free agents and had a few of their former minor leaguers sign with other teams. I use BaseballAmerica's amazing minor league free agent tracker to keep up on all the O's transactions. Here's a quick rundown of those moves so far. I'll start with the players that the O's have signed and/or re-signed.

They inked outfielder Scott Beerer to a deal on November 13. Scott has an interesting back story; he pitched in the Rockies farm system from 2000-06 before walking away from the game in 2007-08 and then returned to the Rox system as an outfielder in 2009. He split the 2011 season between AA and AAA and hit .372 over 41 games in the first AAA action of his career.

On November 22, they signed right-handed relief pitcher Miguel Socolovich, who has spent the past four seasons in the White Sox farm system and also split the 2011 season between AA and AAA.

That same day, the team also signed shortstop Steve Tolleson. He played in the Twins farm system from 2005-09 and has spent the past two seasons in the Padres and A's systems. He played 25 games for the A's in 2010 and hit .286 with 1 homer and 4 RBI over 49 at-bats.

The O's re-signed right-handed starter Brandon Erbe on December 5th. He is a local kid and was the team's third round draft pick in 2005. Prior to the 2010 season, the O's placed Erbe on the 40 man roster to protect him for the Rule 5 draft, but he proceeded to go 0-10 at AAA Norfolk in 2010 and has faced multiple injuries as well so his stock has majorly dropped. He was removed from the 40-man late in 2011 but I hope Brandon can get his career back on track in 2012.

Now for the subtractions from the team...

Jake Fox signed with the Pirates

 Chris Jakubauskas signed with the Diamondbacks (and I finally learned how to spell his name)

Felix Pie signed with the Indians

Steve Lerud signed with the Phillies

Chorye Spoone (another local guy) signed with the Red Sox

I'm not sure who all is interested in hearing about these updates but I will probably write another update or two about the O's minor league transactions throughout this off-season.