23-year old switch hitting catcher Matt Wieters is the face of the franchise going forward so why don’t the Orioles just call him up? It’s not like Gregg Zaun and Chad Moeller are ripping the baseball anyway. Zaun has played in 31 games for the Orioles this season and he is only 21 for 101 (.208 avg, .617 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 1 homer and 3 RBIs. Moeller has been even worse playing in 12 games for the Orioles in which he is 8 for 41 (.195 avg, .599 OPS) with 1 run scored, 1 homer and 1 RBI. If this is over money down the road the Orioles’ front office is being flat out stupid. Wieters has played in 34 games in AAA-ball this season and he is 34 for 121 (.281 avg, .860 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 5 homers and 23 RBIs. Give the kid a chance and he might just prove that he is more than ready to excel in the major leagues right now!

The Orioles have recalled 24-year old righty reliever Kam Mickolio from AAA to pitch out of the bullpen. Mickolio was part of the impressive haul for Erik Bedard over the winter as he was the Mariners’ #18 prospect in their system coming into this season so he does have talent. Mickolio pitched in 43 games (0 starts) in AA+AAA ball this season and he was 2-1 with 3 saves, a 3.67 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. He also whiffed an impressive 60 batters in 56.1 minor league innings this season. Mickolio made his major league debut last night and he worked 1 inning allowing 3 hits, 1 earned run and whiffed 2 batters.

24-year old righty swinging outfielder Nolan Reimold is climbing up the organizational depth chart this season. He was the #4 prospect in the Orioles’ minor league system heading into this season according to Baseball America and he’s showing why now. Reimold has played in 94 games in AA-Ball this season and he is 101 for 348 (.290 avg, .859 OPS) with 58 runs scored, 15 homers, 48 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. If the Orioles continue to slump and trade some outfielders Reimold might get his big chance at the major leagues later this year.

20-year old righty starting pitcher Charles Tillman is pitching very well in AAA for the Orioles. He was one of the keys of the Erik Bedard trade last winter as he was the #3 prospect in the Mariners’ minor league system according to Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook. Tillman has started 17 games in AA ball this season and he is 7-2 with a 3.12 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. He has whiffed 83 batters in only 80.2 innings this season which shows what kind of stuff he has. But, he needs to tighten up his control a bit as he has walked 41 batters this year. Tillman is making the Orioles’ front office look really sharp as it appears that they fleeced the Mariners really good over the winter.

The next time the Orioles need an outfielder they might call up 28-year old righty swinging Luis Terrero who is playing well in AAA ball. Terrero has played in 59 games in AAA ball for the Orioles this season and he is 71 for 228 (.311 avg, .873 OPS) with 37 runs scored, 6 homers, 46 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. I’m starting to wonder if Terrero is a AAAA player…..too good for AAA and not good enough for the majors. He has played in 243 games in his major league career and he is 129 for 551 (.234 avg, .675 OPS) with 66 runs scored, 14 homers, 52 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. But, he has whiffed an astounding 161 times in the major leagues.