NumerOlogy

A quick site update before I go to bed, as yesterday the O’s crossed one more weak-hitting shortstop off of the list of pretenders to Miguel Tejada’s old throne. #3 Freddie “Boom-Boom” Bynum lasted just a month as the starting shortstop, batting at a sub-Mendoza level in 99 at-bats. Freddie was designated for assignment, meaning that he could still wind up at Norfolk if he clears waivers. Of course, it’s getting pretty crowded in the Tides’ middle infield, with fellow washouts Brandon Fahey, Luis Hernandez, and Eider Torres already marking time there. I got Bynum’s autograph in Spring Training last year; he’s a very polite guy, but that doesn’t mean that he can hit a breaking ball.

And so the Orioles roster welcomes its 35th player of 2008, Norfolk reliever Ryan Bukvich, formerly of the White Sox. Ryan wore #23 in his O’s debut on Sunday, and didn’t get off to a great start by allowing a home run to Prince Fielder right away. Not exactly the stuff of former #23 Tippy Martinez. Lately the number has fallen on hard times, as six players wore it between 2005 and 2007. All I’m saying is that if I were Mr. Bukvich, I wouldn’t get too comfy in the Bird bullpen.

By the way, does anyone have a spare Wild Bill Hagy #34 shirt from last Tuesday’s game? My train didn’t arrive at Camden Yards until 6:45, by which time the shirts were all gone. If you’re feeling generous or want to make a deal, shoot me an email at kevin AT oriolesnumbers DOT com. Thanks, and have a good week!

Well, Chapter 2 of the Steve Trachsel Era in Baltimore has ended with an inglorious thud. The ponderous, junkballing veteran who The Dugout once referred to as the “Worst Tom Glavine Ever” was designated for assignment on Tuesday, two days after proving that even an eight-run lead isn’t safe in the ninth inning in the hands of certain people. So the #41 jersey goes back into mothballs.

In the Trashman’s stead, the O’s promoted infielder Oscar Salazar from AAA Norfolk. The 29-year-old Venezuelan’s entire body of work in the major leagues consists of twenty-one at-bats in 2002 with Detroit. Though the Birds are 0-for-2 in the two games he’s played so far, he does have two hits and an RBI in his first five at-bats for the team. He’s been outfitted in #19, making him just the fifteenth Oriole to don the number that belonged to great lefty Dave McNally for thirteen years. Salazar is the 34th different player to suit up in orange and black in ‘08.

I’ve made some corrections from the 1990 O’s roster, thanks to the vigilance of reader Bruce. He dug through his personal files to find the roster listing at left, from June 16, 1990. It confirms my suspicion that Chris Hoiles wore #42 during his first tour of duty that year. I’d originally thought that Pete Harnisch wore #42 until Ron Kittle requested it upon his arrival in July, but this roster also shows that Harnisch had already switched to #17 before Kittle became an Oriole. When Hoiles returned to the big league club later that summer, he switched to #28. In addition to these two numbers, Chris also wore #17 in 1989 and #23 from 1991-1998. This makes him one of just a pair of players to wear four different numbers for the O’s. The other was pitcher Billy O’Dell.

While double-checking this roster against my All-Time Roster page, I also noticed that I’d previously overlooked #23 Joe Price somehow. So I’ve added Price and corrected the entries for Hoiles and Harnisch. I’ve also tweaked their bios on the number countdown pages and made some updates to the Odds and Ends page.

Huge thanks to Bruce for helping to ensure the accuracy and comprehensiveness of NumerOlogy! As always, if you’ve got any corrections, send them along to me.

The young man pictured on the left made Orioles history tonight. Recalled from AAA Norfolk to make the start against the Twins, Radhames Liz became the first O’s player to ever suit up in #62. The number was previously worn by ex-bullpen catcher and batting practice pitcher Rudy Arias. Liz wore #58 in his first exposure to big league hitters in 2007. The photo on this card shows him in the #74 that he wore last Spring. He becomes lucky player number 33 on the O’s MLB roster this season.

The corresponding roster move brought an end to the illustrious Luis Hernandez era in Baltimore. The former #2 was designated for assignment. Barring any desperate moves by another team, he should pass through waivers and take his rightful place on the Tides roster.

I’ve updated the usual (All-Time Roster, #60-#99 biographies) and as soon as I get this posted, I’ll go back to crossing my fingers so that the Birds might nail down Radhames’ first major league victory!