BALTIMORE, Maryland, June 27, 2013- When the Orioles took Ryan Flaherty in the Rule 5 draft about one winter ago, there was word that the big prospect from Maine, the son of a college coach, had a huge upside. That is, he was already good enough for the Orioles to virtually commit to keeping him in the big leagues for the entire 2012 season (that is, in short, what teams commit to when they take a player in the Rule 5), but he was potentially good enough to be a big league star. He was all but invisible in the early part of the 2012 season, but as the year moved along and the Orioles became a huge factor in the AL East Race, Flaherty appeared more and more in the starting line-up. As September rolled around and the Orioles battled into the playoffs, Flaherty began to show signs of why he was in the big leagues. A left handed hitter with a very big swing, Flaherty began to hit for power. It wasn't often enough to say Flaherty was a certain keeper, but it was more than enough for him to become an important part of the Orioles plans going forward. Some thought the Orioles would trade for a second baseman over this past winter, but they didn't. Many hoped that this would be the year that Brian Roberts finally put years of injuries behind him and returned as the Orioles regular second baseman. After playing very well in spring training, Roberts did open the season, triumphantly, at second. But within a week he was injured again and soon a hamstring injury required surgery. Some thought he was lost for the season. I was one of them. With Roberts hurt, some thought that Alexi Casila. whom GM Dan Duquette brought in from the Twins and who has almost 2,000 big league at bats as a second baseman, would be the starter when Roberts went down. But instead the Orioles again turned to Flaherty, who battled hard in the spring to even make the team. At first it was more disappointment for Flaherty, whose average hovered just over .100 for weeks. But there was the occasional homer and his fielding - good enough last season - improved dramatically. With Flaherty, J.J. Hardey, Manny Machado and Chris Davis, the Orioles have a virtual Gold Glove infield. And then, all of a sudden, Flaherty started to hit the ball.like an accomplished big leaguer. Including last night's 7-3 win over a very good Cleveland Team - Terry Francona is a great big league manager and he has the Indians playing like they expect to make the playoffs. I expect them to make the playoffs. They have pitching - Flaherty's average has improved some 100 points since early May. He has three straight multi-hit games and five in his last eight. He has 5 home runs and 14 runs batted in. Brian Roberts is going to make another start or two at Norfolk and then return to Baltimore. He will almost certainly start against the Yankees on Sunday night before a national tv audience; and Saturday night isn't out of the question. Whither Flaherty?
In the locker room last night one of the lads gathered around Oriole Manager Buck Showalter postulated that Roberts' return might mean then end of the road for Flaherty and Casilla. Said Showalter: that's not a certainty at all. He reminded the scribes that the Orioles' opening day 25-man roster included Roberts, Casilla and Flaherty.
I love Brian Roberts. He is an All-Star quality second baseman. He is so good that even though he has only played 118 big league games since opening day, 2010, and is now 35, Showalter says that when he returns he is the everyday second baseman. Until about one month ago I assumed that would be the case.
Now that Flaherty is hitting with consistency, now that he is playing up to his potential, the idea of him playing once every week or two does not fill me with joy. I'm sure Mr. Buck will call Flaherty in. I'm sure he will tell him all the things I've recited here. He might point out that Roberts is oft-injured and, you know, 35. And Flaherty does know that Mr. Buck and the Orioles stuck with him last season and early this season when he wasn't hitting a lick.
I know, myself, that the idea of Flaherty going elsewhere and breaking out as an all-star when we had him here and stuck with him while he was getting the rocky road behind him, seems, well, something we ought to try like hell to work around.
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