Baltimore Orioles Leave No Stone Unturned in Search for Players
By Nate Wardle
The Baltimore Orioles made their signing of Welington Castillo official on Friday after he passed the physical process, but it was the minor league signings announced Thursday I want to discuss.
Kudos to Baltimore Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette.
No, I’m completely serious here.
You have to credit the Baltimore Orioles’ GM.
The Orioles may not have one of the lowest payrolls in the game, but they can’t spend like the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs or Dodgers.
For that reason, sometimes you have to explore every available option.
Enter Chris Dickerson, Garabez Rosa and perhaps most notably, Tomo Ohka.
Yes, that Tomo Ohka. The one who last pitched in the majors in 2009. Who it is believed last pitched in organized baseball in the United States in 2014 for the Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League (an Independent League in the Northeast, and also where Lew Ford, Mark Hendrickson, and others played).
More from Baltimore Orioles
- What other Baltimore Orioles Offseason Storylines will you be interested in seeing?
- Baltimore Orioles to Face Numerous Playoff Contenders Down the Stretch
- Baltimore Orioles Showing Encouraging Signs During Recent Wins
- The Baltimore Orioles and the Expanded September Roster
- Orioles Josh Rogers Expectations in his Major League Debut
Ohka is 41-years-old. His best season came in 2002 when he was a member of the Montreal Expos. Yes, you read that correctly. He was signed in 1999 by the Boston Red Sox. You may recognize their GM at the time, a man by the name of Dan Duquette.
What in the world makes Ohka and his 51-68 major league record appealing, with that all coming seven years ago? Ohka now is a knuckleballer. So, why not give him a chance? There are only two pitchers older than him in the game. R.A. Dickey (a knuckleballer) and Bartolo Colon (the unexplainable wonder. By the way, Colon and Ohka were teammates in Montreal in 2002.
As for the other two players? Rosa is the franchise leader in games played at Bowie. Buck Showalter took him on almost every road trip last spring, and all he did is hit. Is Rosa ever going to make it to the majors, maybe not? But, he is a guy who obviously enjoys the organization and wants to play for the Baltimore Orioles if he would get the chance.
Rosa, 27 has been very successful at Bowie in AA but has not seen that success translates in very limited experience at AAA Norfolk. As long as there are not other players to play there, I think it is his time to see if he can do it.
The 34-year-old Dickerson has never played over 100 games in the major leagues, always serving as a fourth outfielder. He also has not played in the major leagues since 2014 with the Indians. The year before, he was with the Orioles.
Dickerson inked a minor league deal with the Orioles that put him in AA Bowie at the end of 2016, and all he did was hit the ball. Dickerson hit .322 with four doubles, two triples, three home runs and 10 RBIs in 15 games.
Dickerson provides a veteran presence in the minor leagues and can be used as a guy who can help tutor some of the younger players.
These are the moves many fans like to whine over, wondering why these ‘re-treads’ are re-signed. Well, you have to have depth, and Dan Duquette and the Orioles are the masters at getting talent and success out of seemingly nowhere.
Next: Wizards' John Wall is scorching hot this December
It doesn’t hurt to try.