Alright folks, get your Epsom salts and Life Alert bracelets handy, because I'm about to make you feel really old. Last week, Alex Ochoa was named first base coach for the Boston Red Sox. Yes, that Alex Ochoa. HardballTalk's Aaron Gleeman
beat me to the punch, so I can only echo his sentiment. When my Oriole fandom was at its freshest and most fervent, Alex was the "it" guy in the O's farm system: a multi-tool prospect who was flashing power, speed, and a fair amount of plate discipline at AA at age 22. He peaked at #35 in the Baseball America prospect rankings in 1995, the year that the Birds sold high and made him the centerpiece of a deal that brought Bobby Bonilla over from the Mets. He was in the majors from 1995 through 2002, peaking with consecutive strong years as a reserve outfielder for the Brewers in 1999 and the Reds in 2000. Obviously I know that I'm getting older, though I'm still young enough to treat it with the right amount of detached bemusement. 29 is not a bad age to be, and from here, I'm willing to bet that 30 isn't much different. But after a while you just stop thinking about fresh-faced future star Alex Ochoa, and then BOOM, he's a 39-year-old coach for one of your hated divisional opponents. Craziness.
2 comments:
Only thing I konw or remember about him is he has/had a cannon for an arm.
Adam - Yep, I remember hearing that. Never saw it in action, since he was traded before he debuted.
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