I'm sure everyone watched Kevin Millar play well against his former team in the Toronto Blue Jays' three-game sweep against the Orioles over the weekend.

Through Sunday, Millar is hitting .333 with one home run and 10 RBIs in 11 games this season.

Would you like an update on the other former Orioles who are playing in professional baseball?

Adam Loewen (right), who can no longer pitch due to an elbow injury, is attempting to make it back to the major leagues as a position player in the Blue Jays' minor league system.

The Orioles' first-round selection in the 2002 MLB draft is batting .200 with 13 strikeouts in 30 at-bats with the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays so far this season.

Check out baltimoresun.com's photo gallery on ex-Orioles in the majors, as well as some in the minor leagues, by clicking here.

Statistics are updated through May 3. E-mail sports@baltimoresun.com if you would like to see updates on former Orioles players who are not included in the gallery.

(AP photo)

Posted by Dean Jones Jr. at 3:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Former O's minor leaguers
        

Former Orioles starting pitcher Jason Johnson, who is attempting to make the New York Yankees' Opening Day roster, was diagnosed with choroidal melanoma of the right retina on Feb. 9.

According to this story in Newsday, Johnson had gone to buy new contact lenses in Tampa, and the eye doctor noticed an abnormality. A retina specialist provided the diagnosis and sent him to the Wills Eye Institute in Philadelphia for treatment.

I'm not a health expert by any means, but it looks like this condition is extremely rare. According to this medical Web site, it affects about six people for every 1 million. The good news is that Johnson said there's a 98 percent recovery rate for people with his stage of retinal cancer, according to the Newsday article.

Johnson pitched for the Orioles in five seasons from 1999 to 2003. He was originally acquired from Tampa Bay in a trade for Danny Clyburn and a minor leaguer in March 1999. Johnson won 10 games in two different seasons (2001 and 2003) for the Orioles, but he also had two bad years (1-10 in 2000 and 5-14 in 2002).

Cancer isn't Johnson's only health issue. Some Orioles fans might recall that he deals with type 1 diabetes on a regular basis. Beginning in the 2004 season, Johnson received permission from Major League Baseball to wear an insulin pump while pitching.

The 35-year-old right-hander still hopes to play for the Yankees after making a recovery. For now, he's limited in his baseball activities, and Johnson's main focus is to get healthy.

Posted by Dean Jones Jr. at 2:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Former O's minor leaguers
        

According to the latest list of minor league transactions on the Baseball America Web site, two former Orioles relief pitchers have signed with new organizations.

Former Orioles left-hander Kurt Birkins agreed to a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies, while right-hander Winston Abreu signed with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Orioles selected Birkins in the 33rd round of the 2000 MLB draft. He was 6-4 with a 6.61 ERA in two major league seasons for the Orioles. His best season was in 2006, when the 28-year-old reliever was 5-2 with a 4.94 ERA in 35 appearances.

Birkins was selected off waivers by Tampa Bay in October 2007. He looked strong in six appearances for the Rays at the beginning of the 2008 season. Birkins had a 0.90 ERA in 10 innings before being sent back to the Triple-A Durham Bulls. In 31 games for the Bulls, however, Birkins struggled to repeat those impressive numbers. He was 2-3 with a 7.52 ERA and walked 28 hitters in 40 2/3 innings.

The Orioles signed Abreu as a free agent in December 2005, and he made seven appearances for the team in 2006. Abreu allowed 10 runs (nine earned) in eight innings, and he became a free agent following the season.

Abreu pitched in the Washington Nationals' minor league system in 2007, as well as two stints in the major leagues. He was 3-0 with a 1.20 ERA and five saves in 37 appearances for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers. In 26 games for the Nationals, Abreu was 0-1 with a 5.93 ERA.

The 31-year-old relief pitcher played for the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan during the 2008 season. Abreu had a 3.32 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings.

The blog post also mentions that the Orioles have agreed to terms on a minor league deal with Japanese pitcher Ryohei Tanaka.

Tanaka is a 26-year-old right-hander who has pitched primarily in the minor leagues in Japan. Chiba Lotte selected Tanaka in the first round in 2001. He had an 8.10 ERA in five appearances for the Marines during the 2003 season, which was his only time in the big leagues. Tanaka had five strikeouts and 10 walks in 10 innings.

Overall, the Orioles' acquisition of Tanaka probably won't make a difference -- at least on paper.

While the Orioles shouldn't count on him to make a contribution in the major leagues, the move shows that the organization is serious about making waves in Japan. The idea that the team is able to sign several Japanese players will help the Orioles build long-term success in the international scouting department.

Posted by Dean Jones Jr. at 1:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Former O's minor leaguers
        

According to the latest list of minor league signings on the Baseball America Web site, the Colorado Rockies and Toronto Blue Jays have agreed to terms with four former Orioles minor leaguers – two with each team.

The biggest name on the list, from an Orioles perspective, is Brandon Fahey. The 28-year-old middle infielder hit .224 with two home runs and 36 RBIs in 189 games, spanning three seasons, in the major leagues. Last season, he batted .226 with no home runs and 12 RBIs in 58 games for the Orioles. Fahey signed a minor league contract with the Blue Jays. He also received an invitation to spring training.

In the discussion about Fahey’s signing, Baseball America talks about the different shortstops that the Orioles used in 2008:

Not a team afraid to take chances on discarded shortstops -- think Royce Clayton, Pedro Lopez, Hector Luna, Ray Olmedo, Danny Sandoval, Jason Smith and Jorge Velandia just from the past two seasons -- the Blue Jays now have signed Fahey, part of the ‘08 Orioles’ five-headed monster at shortstop. The other four: Freddie Bynum, Juan Castro, Alex Cintron and Luis Hernandez. (Just think about that the next time you pity your favorite team’s assembled depth at a particular position.)

The Blue Jays also agreed to terms on a minor league deal with left-handed pitcher Rommie Lewis Jr., who pitched for the Double-A Bowie Baysox in 2008. Lewis was 1-6 with a 3.41 ERA in 38 appearances (five starts) for the Baysox last season. He had 63 strikeouts and 26 walks in 66 innings.

The Orioles selected the 26-year-old left-hander in the fourth round of the 2001 MLB draft. Lewis pitched in the Orioles’ minor league system for the first seven seasons of his professional career. He didn’t pitch in 2005, and spent three years with the Single-A Frederick Keys – 2003, 2004 and 2006.

Overall, Lewis was 13-30 with a 3.64 ERA in 252 games (37 starts) in the Orioles’ minor league system. I was always impressed with the 6-foot-6, 203-pound pitcher’s stuff, but it’s probably best that he hooked on with another organization. Lewis is getting older, and the Orioles have an influx of young pitchers who are ready to take his spot.

The Rockies agreed to minor league deals with two players who played for a brief period in the Orioles’ minor league system.

Mike McCoy, who the St. Louis Cardinals selected in the 34th round of the 2002 MLB draft, played in 53 games for the Triple-A Norfolk Tides last season. The 27-year-old utility player hit .276 with two home runs and 16 RBIs for the Tides. He had six stolen bases and 25 runs scored.

Ruddy Yan split time between the Tides and Baysox during the 2007 season. He batted .149 in 14 games for the Tides before being demoted to Double-A. In 98 games for the Baysox, the 27-year-old outfielder hit .263 with three home runs and 22 RBIs. Yan played in nine games with Veracruz in the Mexican League last season.

The biggest non-Orioles name on Baseball America’s latest list of transactions, in my opinion, is former Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Jonny Gomes, who recently agreed to a minor league deal with the Cincinnati Reds. I’ll never forget watching the 28-year-old outfielder hit one of the longest home runs that I’ve ever seen in person at Camden Yards against the Orioles on Opening Day in 2006.

His best season was in 2005, when the 6-foot-1, 205-pound right-handed hitter batted .282 with 21 home runs and 54 RBIs. The Reds are a little thin in the outfield, so don’t be surprised if Gomes rejuvenates his career in the National League Central.

Posted by Dean Jones Jr. at 12:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Former O's minor leaguers
        

Several former Orioles players – in the major leagues, as well as the minors – have recently signed minor league contracts with other organizations, according to Baseball America.

Shortstop Juan Castro, who hit .205 with two home runs and 16 RBIs in 54 games for the Orioles last season, agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Omir Santos, who batted .269 with one home run and 36 RBIs in 84 games for the Triple-A Norfolk Tides in 2008, signed with the New York Mets. The 27-year-old catcher also appeared in 11 games with the Orioles.

Josh Towers, a right-handed pitcher who was 8-13 with a 5.05 ERA in 29 games (23 starts) for the Orioles during the 2001 and 2002 seasons, agreed to terms with the Washington Nationals. The 31-year-old pitcher was 6-7 with a 6.27 ERA in 31 games (15 starts) for the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox, an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, in 2008.

Gustavo Molina, who appeared in seven games with the Orioles in 2007, also joined the Nationals. The 26-year-old catcher appeared in two games with the Mets last season. He also batted .206 with seven home runs and 27 RBIs in 74 games for the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs in the Mets’ minor league system.

Relief pitcher Dave Borkowski, who was 3-4 with a 5.14 ERA in 17 games with the Orioles in 2004, agreed to a minor league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. The 31-year-old right-hander was 0-2 with a 7.50 ERA in 26 appearances for the Houston Astros during the 2008 season.

Speaking of the Astros, they recently agreed to terms with two former Orioles pitchers. Russ Ortiz, who was 0-3 with an 8.48 ERA in 20 games (five starts) for the Orioles in 2006, is attempting to return to professional baseball after missing the entire 2008 season because of arm surgery. Chad Paronto, who was drafted in the eighth round of the 1996 MLB draft by the Orioles, re-signed with Houston. The 33-year-old right-hander was 0-1 with a 4.35 ERA in six appearances for the Astros in 2008. He spent most of the season with the Triple-A Round Rock Express, where he was 0-2 with a 3.08 ERA in 35 games.

Finally, former Orioles minor leaguer Angel Chavez agreed to terms with the Boston Red Sox. Don’t worry if you can’t remember him. The 27-year-old infielder only played four games in the Orioles’ minor league system after he was acquired from the Phillies for Jeff Conine in 2006. Chavez was 4-for-15 with two doubles and three stolen bases for the Double-A Bowie Baysox, and he became a free agent following that season.

Posted by Dean Jones Jr. at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Former O's minor leaguers
        

Some trades have burned the Orioles in the past, like the notorious deal that sent Steve Finley, Pete Harnisch and Curt Schilling to the Houston Astros for Glenn Davis.

Recently, they’ve had a lot of success in the trade department. Last offseason, they dealt Erik Bedard to the Seattle Mariners for Adam Jones, George Sherrill, Chris Tillman, Kam Mickolio and Tony Butler. They also shipped Miguel Tejada to the Astros for Luke Scott, Matt Albers, Dennis Sarfate, Troy Patton and Mike Costanzo.

While a number of trades have a definitive winner and loser, like the ones described above, the majority of deals don’t give an advantage to any of the participants. An example would be the exchange of Chris Britton for Jaret Wright between the Orioles and New York Yankees on Nov. 12, 2006.

I’m mentioning this trade because the Yankees recently parted ways with Britton when they didn’t tender him a contract for 2009. According to The San Diego Union-Tribune, the 6-foot-3, 278-pound relief pitcher signed a minor league contract with the San Diego Padres. He’s expected to compete for a spot in their bullpen during the upcoming season.

Wright only made three starts for the Orioles in 2007 before missing the remainder of the season due to a shoulder injury. He was 0-3 with a 6.97 ERA in 10 1/3 innings. The team released the right-handed pitcher at the end of the year, and he signed a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates prior to the 2008 season. He didn’t make the majors out of spring training and elected to become a free agent.

In two seasons with the Yankees, Britton split time between the majors and minors.

He was 0-1 with a 3.55 ERA in 11 appearances for the Yankees during the 2007 season. The Orioles’ eight-round pick in the 2001 MLB draft had five strikeouts and issued four walks in 12 2/3 innings. When he wasn’t pitching in the major leagues in 2007, Britton was 4-2 with a 2.51 ERA and eight saves in 37 games for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees.

Britton wasn’t as successful in his second season with the Yankees. The 26-year-old reliever had a 5.09 ERA in 15 appearances in 2008. He walked 11 hitters and had 12 strikeouts in 23 innings. Britton was 3-1 with a 2.28 ERA in 21 games with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season.

It’s obvious that the trade didn’t have a major effect on the Orioles or the Yankees, but there’s always the chance that Britton could develop into something in the future.

Does anyone have any strong feelings about this trade? While we’re on the topic, what do you think were the best trades in Orioles history? How about the worst deals?

Posted by Dean Jones Jr. at 8:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
Categories: Former O's minor leaguers
        

Baseball America posted the most recent minor league transactions on The Prospects Blog yesterday. Although the Orioles haven’t added anyone, according to the list, there was a familiar player who recently signed with the Cincinnati Reds.

Raise your hand if you remember Darnell McDonald.

The Orioles selected the 5-foot-11, 210-pound outfielder during the first round of the 1997 MLB draft. McDonald showed flashes of potential in his tenure with the organization, but he was never able to prove that he was ready for an extended look in the major leagues.

McDonald received a brief chance during the 2004 season with the Orioles, but he struggled in his time with the team. In 17 games, the outfielder hit .156 (5-for-32) with one RBI, one stolen base and three runs scored.

Following the season, the Orioles cut ties with McDonald and he signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Indians. McDonald batted .270 with one home run and four RBIs in 26 games for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, but the Indians released him on June 4, 2005.

Six days later, McDonald signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and was assigned to the Triple-A Durham Bulls. In 73 games with Durham, McDonald hit .284 with 12 home runs and 34 RBIs.

McDonald spent the entire 2006 season with the Bulls, and he put up impressive numbers. The outfielder batted .292 with 14 home runs and 57 RBIs in 136 games. He also had 33 doubles, 80 runs scored and 30 stolen bases. With the combination of power and speed, it was arguably his best season at the professional level. Tampa Bay didn’t give him an opportunity to prove himself in the majors, however, and McDonald left as a free agent following the season.

Prior to the 2007 season, McDonald signed with the Washington Nationals. He continued to play well for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers, hitting .315 with two home runs, 41 RBIs, 17 doubles and 14 stolen bases in 73 games. Washington traded the outfielder to the Minnesota Twins for right-hander Levale Speigner on June 24, 2007.

McDonald batted .277 with five home runs, 32 RBIs, 19 stolen bases and 32 runs scored in 61 games for the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings. The veteran outfielder received another chance in the major leagues when the Twins recalled him on July 20, 2007, but once again didn't shine during his brief stint. In four games, McDonald had only one hit in 10 at-bats. He struck out three times and walked once.

Last season, McDonald hit .268 with 11 home runs and 57 RBIs in 93 games for Rochester. He had 25 doubles and 19 stolen bases.

It’s unfortunate that McDonald never lived up to his billing as a first-round draft pick during his time with the Orioles. He was part of a long line of failed first-round selections for the organization, including Alvie Shepherd, Rick Elder, Mike Paradis, Richard Stahl, Keith Reed, Beau Hale and Chris Smith. Luckily for Orioles fans, the past few players picked in the first round look to be pretty special – so far.

Posted by Dean Jones Jr. at 1:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Former O's minor leaguers
        

As the calendar turns to December, baseball fans know the offseason will soon be active with free-agent signings and trades.

While we’re waiting for major announcements in the baseball world, it seems like a good time to publish another update about how a former player from the Orioles’ minor league system has performed after leaving the organization.

Recently, I’ve been reading about the success of ex-Orioles center fielder Luis Matos in the Puerto Rican Winter League, so I thought people might want to know how he’s fared since leaving the club.

I know he played in the major leagues for parts of seven seasons with the Orioles and the topic of O’s on Deck is primarily the minor leagues, but I figured some fans might be interested in what he’s been doing since he left the organization.

After hitting .207 with two home runs and five RBIs in 55 games during the 2006 season, Matos was designated for assignment by the Orioles on July 6 of that year. The Washington Nationals signed Matos on July 14, but he was only 3-for-15 (.200) in 14 games before being released on Aug. 10.

Prior to the 2007 season, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Matos to a minor league contract. The outfielder batted .257 with three home runs and 30 RBIs in 98 games for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians. Matos also had 23 doubles and 46 runs scored for Indianapolis, but he was traded to the New York Mets for future considerations on Aug. 21, 2007. He hit .204 with one home run and four RBIs in 14 games for the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs before the season concluded.

The 30-year-old center fielder didn’t sign with a major league organization before the 2008 season, so he elected to play for the Yucatan Leones in the Mexican League. Matos played well for the Leones in 88 games, batting .289 with six home runs and 44 RBIs. He also had 16 doubles, 22 stolen bases and 58 runs scored.

Matos is currently playing for the Criollos de Caguas in the Puerto Rican Winter League. Through 16 games, he is second in the league with a .381 batting average, tied for first with six stolen bases, tied for third with five doubles and fifth with 35 total bases. Matos also has two home runs and nine RBIs, including a grand slam earlier this season.

While Matos was with the Orioles, it always seemed like injuries kept him from being a successful player. Another organization might be willing to give the veteran outfielder an opportunity if he’s able to continue his success in Puerto Rico.

What are your feelings about Matos? I’m assuming there aren’t too many positive memories of his time with the Orioles, but would you like to see him get back to the majors? Do you think he’ll be given another chance?

Posted by Dean Jones Jr. at 12:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (34)
Categories: Former O's minor leaguers
        

In yesterday’s post about the Arizona Fall League, I mentioned infielder Nate Spears and asked if anyone knew how he was connected to the Orioles. No one came out and actually named the association, but the commenter “jj” hinted that he knew the answer.

Anyway, I decided that I was going to start a new feature for O’s on Deck that would talk about former players from the Orioles’ minor league system and how they’ve performed after they left the organization. Since I mentioned Spears yesterday, it’s only logical that he is the first player discussed.

Spears was traded along with minor league pitcher Carlos Perez to the Chicago Cubs before the 2006 season for outfielder Corey Patterson. Prior to the trade, Spears hit .294 with six home runs and 41 RBIs in 112 games for the Frederick Keys in 2005. He had 30 doubles and 64 runs scored during that season.

The 23-year-old second baseman struggled in his first season in the Cubs’ minor league system. He only hit .246 with one home run and 25 RBIs in 97 games for the Single-A Daytona Cubs during the 2006 season.

Spears hit .261 with one home run and 26 RBIs in 78 games for Daytona in 2007. He was promoted to the Double-A Tennessee Smokies in the middle of July. Spears, who was originally drafted by the Orioles in the fifth round of the 2003 MLB draft, hit .298 with four home runs, 11 RBIs and 22 runs scored in 38 games for the Smokies.

Spears played well for the Smokies this season. He hit .299 with seven home runs and 51 RBIs in 115 games. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound infielder had 22 doubles, five triples and 71 runs scored. Spears was named to the midseason and postseason All-Star teams in the Southern League. He was 5-for-18 with five runs scored in five games for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs at the end of the year.

Patterson hit .276 with 16 home runs and 53 RBIs for the Orioles in 2006. He had 45 stolen bases and 75 runs scored in 135 games during that season. The 29-year-old outfielder hit .269 with eight home runs and 45 RBIs in 2007. He had 26 doubles and 37 stolen bases in 132 games. Patterson, however, is no longer in the organization.

Perez pitched for the Cubs in Single-A during the 2006 season, but he returned to the Orioles’ minor league system and pitched for Frederick and the Bowie Baysox in 2007.

What’s everyone think of the deal that sent Spears to the Cubs for Patterson? Was it a good trade because Patterson helped the Orioles for two seasons? Do you believe it was a bad transaction because Patterson is no longer with the Orioles? Does it depend on how Spears progresses in the Cubs’ minor league system?

Let’s hear your thoughts. Also, feel free to let me know if you’d like to find out what happened to other players after they left the organization.

Posted by Dean Jones Jr. at 4:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Former O's minor leaguers