NumerOlogy

Another September has arrived with the Orioles buried deep in the cellar of the American League East. But this month also brings the potential for expanded rosters, which makes it a time of interest as it pertains to this site. The O’s have already called up four players from AAA Norfolk, three of whom have been here before in ‘09: relievers #24 Alberto Castillo, #34 Matt Albers, and #45 Dennis Sarfate. The fourth player has not been seen in Baltimore since 2006. Outfielder Jeff Fiorentino, affectionately known as “Screech” for his resemblance to the nerdy character from “Saved by the Bell”, had worn #16 in previous cups of coffee in 2005 and 2006. However, he has now made history as the first Oriole player to ever wear #70 in the regular season, which he did in replacing Adam Jones during Tuesday night’s loss to the Yankees. Wild stuff.

A little bit of news on the coaching staff, as John Shelby left the team over the weekend due to a death in the family. Minor league instructor Don Werner filled in for him (wearing #58) and will stay with the club until next Tuesday, when minor league pitching coach Mike Griffin will take his place. (All teams are allowed to carry an extra coach this month as well.) The O’s are also expected to add a few more players that day, including an infielder (likely Justin Turner), a catcher, and probably twenty or thirty pitchers. So I’ll be back next week with more updates, and I bet you can’t wait.

More to the point: here in April, gone in May. I hope no one got attached to utility player #2 Ryan Freel, who had two hits in fifteen at-bats over nine games before being concussed by an errant pickoff throw in Boston. While he recuperated, Freel let off some steam about his lack of playing time in Baltimore, and when he was ready to return, the Birds dealt him to the Cubs for all-speed, no-anything else outfielder Joey Gathright, who will fill a roster spot at AAA Norfolk. Que sera, sera.

Speaking of injuries, third baseman #6 Melvin Mora returned from a tweaked hamstring at the end of the April. To clear a roster spot, reliever #34 Matt Albers was sent to Norfolk for the second time this year to work out the kinks. Then last week, righthander #45 Dennis Sarfate discovered that a kink in his shoulder was causing numbness in the middle finger of his pitching hand. He’s been shut down for the foreseeable future, so he’s been replaced by #41 Bob McCrory. McCrory debuted last year in #31, but struggled with his command and was quickly shipped out again. When he resurfaced in September, it was in #41. So at least they’re trying to give the kid a sense of stability.

Of course, there could be more changes on the way. #30 Luke Scott appeared to injure his shoulder pretty badly yesterday afternoon, and if he’s out for an extended period of time, either Oscar Salazar or Nolan Reimold should get the call from Norfolk. I might be back sooner rather than later.

That’s right, it’s finally here! I’m realistic about the Orioles’ chances this year (as in, they have a chance to win 65-70 games), but they’re starting out even with everyone else at 0-0. There’s something refreshing about the feeling, however small, that anything is possible.

The final roster spot was claimed by Scott Moore, who will see time as a backup at the corners of the infield, and maybe even some second base. This meant that the O’s took another mildly surprising step in the rebuilding process by releasing #31 Jay Gibbons and treating the two years and $11.9 million they owed him as a sunk cost. The move isn’t surprising based on merit: as I stated last week, Gibbons has been chronically injured, has declined as a player in recent years, and is limited defensively. But it is surprising that Peter Angelos gave Andy MacPhail the green light to dump him and to eat all of that money. Although I (and most Baltimore fans) have been rough on Jay recently, this is still a bittersweet moment. He had been the second-longest tenured Oriole behind Melvin Mora, having spent his entire seven-year MLB career in orange and black. He seemed like a nice guy and a good teammate, and he was once a productive power hitter. But there’s just no room for him on this team any more, especially not at his current level of play. Best of luck to Jay wherever he goes from here.

I’ve been eager to update the site for the 2008 season ever since new players and new numbers started trickling into Fort Lauderdale nearly two months ago, and now that the roster is official, that’s just what I’ve done! There are updates to all of the number countdown pages where applicable, and of course the All-Time Roster. Let’s summarize the new guys, as well as a few number switches:

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