Sorry to jinx the guy, but have you noticed those zeroes behind his name?
by Matthew Taylor
Roar from 34's infatuation with Randor Bierd continues. In his longest outing of the young season Randor pitched 2 2/3 innings of shutout ball on Wednesday, walking none and striking out one. He still has yet to give up a run after 10 innings pitched. Here's hoping he doesn't get worn down by the starters' inability to go deep in games.
Typically the only relievers who generate much fan interest are the closer and potentially the set-up man if the duo is dynamic enough (think Rivera to Wetteland). But with a name like Randor, a number like 51, and a .211 split against lefties/.125 against righties, there's a lot to like about Mr. Bierd. And besides, after last season O's fans should have a much greater appreciation for any guy who can come out of the pen and retire batters. When is Randor's T-shirt Tuesday?
So one of the O's top relievers at this point (most innings, least runs allowed) is a Rule 5 pick-up, and the No. 1 starter, Jeremy Guthrie, was claimed off of waivers. If the O's ever do turn this thing around, those two pick-ups might well be termed "shrewd moves."
Bierd, who Tigers President Dave Dombrowski called the team's "41st man," was considered a "key loss" for Detroit. And that was before the season when the injury bug had yet to hit the team's bullpen. Think they miss him now?
Guthrie was rated by Baseball America as the 11th best overall prospect entering the 2002 draft.
2 comments:
Speaking of "shrewd moves", Brian Burres (who I believe will be pretty good once they put him back in the pen)was also a waiver claim (from the Giants) and has managed to stick with the big club.
Not as shrewd at Bierd and Guthrie but a nice addition for nothing.
Thanks for the comment, Heath. That's a good observation. Hopefully Burres does turn things around in the pen and become another shrewd pick-up for the O's. The team's going to need some steals/good luck as part of the rebuilding process. They can't do it all through trades, and it's going to take a bit of winning and promise for the future before free agents look at Charm City as an option again.
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