Baltimore Orioles: Checking in on some former Orioles from yesteryear
What have former beloved members of the Baltimore Orioles been up to this season? Contributor Jesse Morrison takes a quick look at the growing list of ex-Orioles and their performances in 2019.
With the Baltimore Orioles holding the worst record in Major League Baseball, it is hard to believe they were one step away from the World Series as recently as 2014. The downturn for the Birds happened rather quickly as the team went from the postseason in 2016 to the worst record in baseball in 2018.
Initiation of the rebuild meant a mass exodus of talent at last year’s trade deadline. Here is a look at what those players are up to this season, along with a few other former beloved members of Birdland.
OF Adam Jones (Arizona Diamondbacks)- The face of the Orioles’ franchise for over a decade has moved on to the Arizona Diamondbacks this season. Jones started off the 2019 campaign well hitting .286 in the first month of the season. His batting average for May and June dropped each month but he has picked it up and is hitting .296 in the month of July. His power numbers are back up as he has 13 home runs, two off of what he had all of last season. He has been playing right field instead of center this season as the Diamondbacks use Ketel Marte and Jarrod Dyson in center.
OF Nick Markakis (Atlanta Braves)- Jones’ counterpart for many years in Baltimore and one of the more underrated players in all of baseball is currently in his fifth year with the Atlanta Braves and is doing his thing. The 35-year-old is showing his usual consistency, batting .286 with nine home runs, 55 RBIs and an OPS of .793 for a big-time contender in the Braves. He is also leading the league with 102 games played.
3B Manny Machado (San Diego Padres)- The former Orioles’ superstar signed a massive, 10-year $300 million contract this offseason with the San Diego Padres. After starting slow in his new city, Machado has picked it up and is having a good year. He is currently hitting .266 with 25 home runs, 66 RBIs and an OPS of .846. He hit .314 with 11 home runs in the month of June and was probably one of the bigger snubs for the National League All-Star team.
2B Jonathan Schoop (Minnesota Twins)- The 2017 All-Star for the Orioles signed a deal with the Minnesota Twins in the offseason and while he is not having an All-Star caliber season, he is definitely contributing to the success of a surprising Twins team leading the AL Central. Schoop, 27, is batting .255 with 15 home runs, 41 RBIs and a .768 OPS, solid numbers for a role player on a good team.
1B/OF Steve Pearce (Boston Red Sox)- Pearce seemed to be the guy the Orioles could never get rid of as much as they tried. After being waived by the team in 2012, he was picked up before the 2014 season then released in late April of that year only to be picked back up two days later and lead the Birds in WAR in 2014. After leaving the Orioles and signing with the Rays after the 2015 season, he was right back in Baltimore for the 2016 playoff push as the Rays traded him back to the Orioles in August of 2016. Finally (for now) saying goodbye to Camden Yards, Pearce spent time with the Blue Jays before eventually being traded to the Red Sox late in the 2018 season where he ended up being World Series MVP. Pearce, now 36, returned to Boston this season and is hitting just .180 in only 29 games due to a lower-back strain.
C Matt Wieters (St. Louis Cardinals)- The No. 5 pick in the 2007 draft by the Orioles has moved on to St. Louis from Washington and is now backing up Yadier Molina. He has been relatively solid for the Cardinals. With Molina on the injured list, Wieters’ playing time has increased and he is proving to be a valuable pickup for the Cardinals as he is really stepping up. In his last 15 games, he is hitting .267 with a .358 on-base percentage and a .600 slugging percentage. Overall on the season, he is hitting .234 with eight home runs and 18 RBIs in 41 games but his defense, as usual, has been his strength this season as he has gunned down six out of seven potential base stealers.
LHP Zack Britton (New York Yankees)- A consistently healthy Zack Britton has a been a force for the Yankees in 2019. The former Oriole closer is having yet another great season for New York this year. In 44 games, Britton is 3-1 with a 2.63 ERA in 44 appearances. Opponents are hitting just .215 off of him and his WHIP of 1.24 is solid. It seems as though his injury struggles from the past two seasons are not really going to harm him in the long term. He may never return to being the dominant force he was out of the Orioles’ bullpen but he has proven this season he can still be a great reliever for a contending team.
DH Nelson Cruz (Minnesota Twins)- It is easy to forget Nelson Cruz had a 40 home run season for the Orioles in 2014. Cruz, now a Twin and 39-years-old, continues to be an ageless wonder with 21 home runs and 52 RBIs in 2019. He is currently batting .269 with a .363 on-base percentage and a .556 slugging percentage. He has been one of the main reasons the Twins have surprised baseball fans this season.
LHP Wei-Yin Chen (Miami Marlins)- Chen was a force for the Baltimore Orioles in 2014 winning a career-high 16 games and posting an ERA of 3.54. Nowadays, he is a 34-year-old struggling reliever for a tanking Marlins team, posting an ERA of 7.58 in 29 appearances, all out of the bullpen.
RHP Kevin Gausman (Atlanta Braves)- Gausman was a disappointment for the Orioles and is now a disappointment for the Braves. In 14 starts this season, Gausman is posting a 5.71 ERA and a record of 3-5. His whip of 1.428 is decent but not where it needs to be.
RHP Tommy Hunter (Philadelphia Phillies)- Hunter pitched well in five games for the Phillies this season but recently underwent surgery on a torn flexor tendon and is done for the season.
RHP Andrew Miller (St. Louis Cardinals)- Miller was a great pickup in the 2014 season as he posted a 1.35 ERA down the stretch for the postseason bound Orioles. Nowadays, he is a decent relief pitcher in St. Louis. Miller, now 34, is 3-4 with a 3.74 ERA in 46 appearances on the season. The 6’7 righty is giving up a .220 opponents’ batting average and has a solid WHIP of 1.24
RHP Wade Miley (Houston Astros)- Miley was horrible for the Orioles in his time in Baltimore. However, now he’s a reliable starter on a contending Astros’ team. Miley, 32, is having a great season as a crucial part of the Astros’ rotation. He is 8-4 with a 3.18 ERA in 21 starts this season. Opponents are batting just .216 against Miley and he has an excellent 1.11 WHIP.
UT Ryan Flaherty (Cleveland Indians)- A utility-man on the playoff teams of a few years back, Flaherty has yet to crack the majors this season. Currently assigned to the Indians AAA team in Columbus, Ohio, Flaherty has been solid in the minors with a .268 average, a .380 on-base percentage and 14 home runs in 83 games. It will be interesting to see if he ever gets another crack in the MLB.
RHP Darren O’Day (Atlanta Braves)- O’Day was quite the force out of the pen for the Orioles in 2014 and 2015. Since then, he has dealt with injuries and has not pitched for the Braves this season. According to multiple reports, he has started a throwing program and might be an option down the stretch in Atlanta.
IF Tim Beckham (Seattle Mariners)- A questionable trade in 2017 brought Tim Beckham to Baltimore in exchange for pitching prospect Tobias Myers (5-1, 3.00 ERA in 13 Advanced-A appearances this season). The infielder hit .306 with 10 home runs in 50 games after the trade, but appeared in just 96 games inn 2018, hitting .230 on the year. Now with Seattle, Beckham is slashing .239/.294/.471 with 14 home runs. He’s played five different defensive positions for the Mariners, but has committed 12 errors in 41 games at shortstop. Three of them came in the first inning of one game against the White Sox earlier this year.
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RHP Brad Brach (Chicago Cubs)- Brach was sent to Atlanta at last year’s deadline for international bonus money, pitching to a 1.52 ERA across 23.2 innings. Now with the Cubs, Brach has imploded. He is 3-3 with a 6.05 ERA and 1.76 WHIP in 40 games, with 44 strikeouts and 27 walks.
OF Joey Rickard and Mike Yastrzemski (San Francisco Giants)- The NL West is home to an absurd amount of former Baltimore Orioles, including two outfielders in San Francisco. After hitting .203 both at the major league level and in Triple-A with the Orioles this season, Rickard is doing Rickard things in Triple-A for the Giants. He currently owns a .388 average and 436 OBP with the Sacramento River Cats, but we all know who the real Joey Rickard is. As for Yaz, the 28-year-old has found his groove out west, hitting .260 with 17 extra-base hits in 50 games for the Giants. Good for him, seriously.
RHP Mike Wright (Seattle Mariners)- Oh, Mike Wright. Wright lasted just nine games with the Mariners (6.75 ERA) before being designated for assignment, clearing waivers, and being assigned to Triple-A Tacoma. Per usual, Wright has been successful in the minors (even in the extremely hitter-friendly PCL), owning an 0-2 record with a 3.71 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in eight appearances (six starts).