Jorge Mateo is the perfect “everything” player for the Baltimore Orioles

After a month of playtime and things starting to take shape, the Baltimore Orioles roster is beginning to take form, with Jorge Mateo being a massive part of it.

For starters, is he the perfect baseball player? No, and that comes to no one’s surprise, including him, I’m sure. Don’t expect Mateo to hit .300, drive in 80+ RBIs, or steal 30 to 40 bases this year. However, you should expect him to do everything needed to help the Orioles win.

After the Orioles claimed him off of waivers in 2021, he played right away, the very next day. That should tell you everything you need to know about him from the get-go. Mateo finished the 2021 season with a .280 BA, 30 hits, and five stolen bases in just over 30 games.

Jorge Mateo has been at it again but in full compacity through April and a sampler of May. He’s currently hitting .224 with five RBIs to boot. On top of all that, he has walked five times and around stolen seven bases. Both of those numbers are almost half of what he contributed both here and in San Diego in 2021.

Jorge Mateo is the perfect “everything” player for the Baltimore Orioles

Mateo currently has 17 hits which puts him in sixth overall for the Orioles. Out of those hits, he has placed them everywhere. According to Baseball Savant, ten hits have gone left of center while seven have gone to the right. He is spreading the wealth well and keeping pitchers and fielders guessing every time he comes to the plate.

Even as I am writing this, Mateo is dropping them perfectly in-between the infield and outfield. His speed goes without saying, but for the sake of conversation, he is FAST! Did we mention his fielding? Yeah, he is excellent at that, too, making tough plays to his right, left, front, and back with ease no matter where he is playing.

As mentioned at the top, he isn’t the Orioles’ best player, but he is exactly who they need and can be in many different ways. Mateo should remind O’s fans of Melvin Mora or Ryan Flaherty. He can play almost anywhere and has been clutch when needed so far this season.