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Baltimore Orioles: A Look At Norfolk Tides Standout Zach Vincej

By Aaron Gershon

SEATTLE, WA - AUGUST 01: Zach Vincej #6 of the Seattle Mariners is congratulated by first base coach Chris Prieto after his first career hit as a Mariner and first career RBI at Safeco Field on August 1, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - AUGUST 01: Zach Vincej #6 of the Seattle Mariners is congratulated by first base coach Chris Prieto after his first career hit as a Mariner and first career RBI at Safeco Field on August 1, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images) /
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28-year-old Zach Vincej has had a solid year at Triple-A Norfolk. Could he be called up to the majors to showcase his talents for the Baltimore Orioles before seasons end?

There are many holes on the Baltimore Orioles current roster. One of those holes is at shortstop. Rule-Five selection Richie Martin enters play Friday with a less than impressive .195/.254/.301 slash line with just four home runs and 13 RBI’s.

As a rule-five selection, the Orioles must keep Martin on the 25-man roster for the entire season to prevent returning him to the Oakland Athletics. Though Martin has great potential as a former MLB Draft first-round pick of the A’s he has done nothing to prove this season he is the Orioles shortstop of the future.

Thus, before the season ends the Orioles should take a look at some other organizational options to see if any are worth keeping around for 2020 and beyond. One name the Orioles could take a look at before seasons end is Zach Vincej.

Vincej was originally a 37th round selection of the Cincinnati Reds in the 2013 MLB Draft. As a 37th round selection, Vincej was seen as a long shot to reach the majors, but with a stellar minor league carer, he was able to defeat the odds. He was called up to Cincinnati in September of 2017 and played in nine games. Vincej’s time with the Reds would not last for long as he was placed on waivers at the conclusion of the 2017 season. Vincej was claimed by the Seattle Mariners where he spent much of the 2018 season in Triple-A before being called up on July 30th. He played just one game in the majors and went 2-4 but was quickly optioned back to Triple-A and later designated for assignment.

On November 20th, the Baltimore Orioles signed Vincej to a minor league contract. He has spent the entire 2019 season with the Norfolk Tides where he has slashed a solid .278/.328/.420 with eight home runs and 40 RBI’s.

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No, Vincej is not going to become the next Manny Machado, but he has been more reliable at Triple-A this season than Martin has been for the Orioles and despite not being on the 40-man roster he should be a player the Orioles give a chance to in the majors come September.

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