Searching Elsewhere

I’ll keep this short because if you’re anything like me, it’s almost 5 p.m. on a Friday, and you’re about clocked out. Regardless, I want to take a second to look at the new strategy of the Orioles to shop internationally. Today, the Orioles signed 18-year-old Andres Aguilar from Guatemala and assigned him to the Gulf Coast League.

According to major league scouts, Aguilar is a centerfielder and a strong hitter who can hit for power.

This offseason, the Orioles have reached out to players in Japan, Taiwan and now Guatemala, a country from which no major league player has ever emerged.

While sitting in my cubicle writing this article, my mind drifted to a term I learned in my economics class: low risk.

Although many Orioles fans have been rather disappointed in the lack of moves by this winter, the team has been making some moves, especially internationally.

Okay, so the team didn’t make a convincing offer to big-name players, (cough, cough Prince Fielder.) But big-name players cost big-time cash. The last time I heard, one player doesn’t make a team. Although he may have affected ticket sales, and I for one would have loved to see less folded up green chairs at the Yard, he can’t play alone.

And how much of a difference does one player, even if he is a superstar, make to ticket revenue in September if the team is 20 games under .500?

Hmm… look at all those empty seats.

Maybe Aguilar makes it to the majors down the road. Maybe he doesn’t. But what we do know is that he is low-risk. And sometimes, low risk leads to high reward.

And always, low risk leads to a need for high levels of patience.

Watch Aguilar take batting practice here and follow me on Twitter.