As you can see, this psychedelic card has tabbed 25 year-old catcher Melvin Rosario as "One to Watch" in 1998. No doubt he was chosen because he had made his major league debut the previous September, when he appeared in four games for the O's but went hitless in three at-bats. The native of the Dominican Republic had come off of a solid season at AA Bowie, hitting .263 with 26 doubles and 12 homers, but a .729 OPS from a guy in his sixth minor league season isn't exactly something worth getting into a lather. He was promoted in September because the rosters had expanded to 40 and the O's wanted another warm body that could catch for a few innings when necessary.
Melvin never made it back to the bigs after being featured on this card. He remained in organized ball for four more seasons, holding down a AAA roster spot for the Orioles, Rangers, Pirates, Royals, Dodgers, and Diamondbacks in short order. He then moved on to independent leagues, spending two years with the Northern League East's Brockton Rox and three years with the Atlantic League's Atlantic City Surf. In 2006, the final year of his career, Melvin hit .306 for the Surf. So he's got that going for him, which is nice.
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