Baltimore Orioles Moved on From Veteran Position Players
The Baltimore Orioles released outfielder Eric Young Jr. on Friday, just days after letting go of another veteran, shortstop Alcides Escobar.
When I heard that the Baltimore Orioles signed Alcides Escobar and Eric Young Jr. to minor-league deals this offseason, it was a breath of fresh air. That may sound funny because neither player has had a great career but for baseball fans that don’t keep up with the Orioles’ day-to-day operations, they’d at least be recognizable names in the daily box score. This week, however, both were released by the team.
So there are two sides to this. Obviously, Baltimore is totally committed to their rebuild, so why give away at-bats and innings to guys who definitely won’t be around when the team is ready to contend. In that respect, it makes sense, even though Young Jr. was one of the more impressive players in spring training. On the other hand, Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo are technically position players but outside of them, there aren’t too many guys youngsters can turn to for veteran-like advice, and that’s important. Escobar, who has a World Series ring, and Young Jr., who’s familiar with the MLB grind, absolutely have some advice to give. Young Jr., in fact, even said when he was signed that he enjoys helping young players.
In the grand scheme of things, the exile of two low-level vets isn’t a huge deal. After all, I think I speak for everyone who supports the O’s when I say that I’m excited to see what these young guys can do over a full year.
While with Baltimore this spring, Escobar didn’t set the world on fire, yet he’s already found a new home with the White Sox Triple-A squad. Young Jr., on the other hand, is still seeking another opportunity at the big-league level.
In a conversation with Roch Kubatko, Orioles GM Mike Elias revealed the team may not be done with EY, saying they plan “to keep talking to him in case he doesn’t find a better opportunity.”
Elias: “Eric has looked and played great this spring. Once we determined he was unlikely to make our Opening Day roster, we felt we would allow him to look around for a little while. We plan to keep talking to him in case he doesn’t find a better opportunity.”
— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) March 22, 2019
Young Jr. hit .323 this spring (10-for-31) with two stolen bases and an OPS of .913.