Brian Roberts stealing second base |
In the wake of the recent
news I think it’s appropriate to write a tribute to the Orioles former table
setter, Brian Roberts. After 13 seasons wearing the orange and black, Brian
Roberts will be suiting up in pinstripes next season. He received a 1 year 2 million
contract plus incentives from the New York Yankees. Roberts was the longest
tenured Oriole after being in Baltimore for his entire 13-year career. Roberts
holds the team record for doubles in a season with 56 set in 2009. He was a
consistent force atop the order with a .276 batting average and an on base
percentage of .312 from 2001-09 (all stats through baseballreferance.com). With
that solid on base percentage Roberts also added speed, gap power and good
defense to the lineup. Roberts was also a clubhouse leader even during the
orioles losing seasons.
Then in the 2010 season
Brian Roberts was limited to 59 games due to a serious concussion that he
suffered sliding into second base. From 2010-13 Brian Roberts averaged 48 games
per year causing the Orioles to search for a new second basemen. Due to injuries
Roberts wasn’t even able to take part in the Orioles 2012 playoff run. With
players like Ryan Flaherty, Jonathan Schoop and the newly acquired Jemile Weeks
the Orioles are prepared for life without Roberts. Because of that the Orioles
began the offseason by filling other holes rather than resigning Roberts and
hoping that he would stay healthy all season. That opened the door for the
Yankees to sign Roberts to replace Robinson Cano.
Orioles’ fans instead of
showing Roberts the respect he deserves for his service to Baltimore are now
pegging him as a traitor. Sure it would have been good for him to retire a
career Oriole but it wasn’t a good fit for either side. It was a strictly
business decision on both sides. The Orioles are able to carry the trio of Schoop,
Weeks, and Flaherty for about 1.3 million (courtesy of baseballprospectus.com).
That’s .7 million less than the base salary for Roberts, a player we aren’t
sure will make it to the end of the season. If Flaherty plays like he ended the
season his pop and defense will fill the void left by Roberts. This move also
allows Nick Markakis a career .335/.390 hitter in the leadoff spot to move
there once again if no one is signed. This betters the Orioles offense as a whole and hopefully allows Markakis to rebound from his
slump last season.
Instead of being bashed on
how they are treating an icon the Orioles should be applauded on a good
business decision. Sure I wish Brian Roberts luck with the Yankees but I’m
confident that the Orioles trio of second basemen can pick up the slack.
If you like what you see take the time to follow me on twitter @chat_with_chuck
No comments:
Post a Comment