Monday, June 25, 2012

Orioles Release Tejada and Moyer

In the span of three days, the Orioles released both Jamie Moyer and Miguel Tejada, both at the request of the players.  Roch Kubatko reported the Tejada release on his Twitter.  The team had announced the request and release of Moyer on Saturday.

Moyer was lighting it up in Triple-A Norfolk, posting a 1.69 ERA over three starts.  He had 16 strikeouts in 16 innings for the Orioles affiliate.

Miguel Tejada was not fairing quite as well in the minors.  Also playing for Triple-A Norfolk, Tejada had a slash line of .260/.327/.290.  He hit no home runs and drove in 18 runs in 35 games played.

Best of luck to the two of them as they look to continue their careers and make it back to the major leagues!

Friday, June 8, 2012

Orioles Bring Back Moyer

In a career that has spanned what seems like forever, Jamie Moyer has once again signed on with a major league franchise.  The Orioles, one of Moyer's former employers, decided to give the 49-year old pitcher another opportunity.  Moyer previously pitched for the team from 1993-95 and compiled a record of 25-27.  Before he inked a deal with Colorado this past offseason, the Orioles were the other team that Moyer had narrowed his choice down to.

The career of Jamie Moyer started in 1986 with the Chicago Cubs.  As of right now, Moyer has 269 career wins and has an outside shot at 300.  If he makes it, he may be the last 300 game-winner to be seen.  Due to the specialization of the bullpen, pitchers not going as deep into games, and five-man rotations, 300 victories looks unreachable nowadays.

According to Baseball-Reference, Moyer has finished top-10 in the Cy Young award voting three times in his career.  While it's clear that those days are behind him, I still believe Moyer can be a serviceable arm at the major league level.  His fastball may not blow hitters away, but he is a crafty pitcher.  As of now, he will start in Triple-A tomorrow.  Remember, he is coming off of Tommy John surgery, so there may be some good starts up ahead as he completely heals.

I think it's a good move by the Birds.  Definitely low-risk, but could potentially pay some dividends.  At the worst, he can tutor the young pitching staff.  Who better, then a pitcher who has been around 26 years?  I can't help but root for this guy.  He's a class act!

ShareThis