Just why were the Orioles so lousy at the turn of the century? Check out this bumper crop of Floating Head Rookies. If the fact that you've likely never heard of any of them doesn't convince you of their irrelevance, let's peek at the cumulative minor league stats on the back:Spurgeon had gone 31-16 with a 3.51 ERA in 86 career games. That would make him the cream of this particular crop.
Brea was 16-29 with a 4.37 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. In the MINOR LEAGUES.
And Mr. Casimiro, while he had a pretty great name, was a .242 hitter who averaged an RBI every 7.5 games.
Be still, my heart.
So as we receive reports on the progress of Matt Wieters, Brian Matusz, and Jake Arrieta this Spring, just remember that they might not all pan out, but the odds are certainly a lot better than they once were.
