Somewhere amid the ridiculous buzz surrounding super-prospect Matt Wieters, and the noise following Nolan Reimold, Jason Berken, Brad Bergesen, and David Hernandez, super utility guy Oscar Salazar got the call up to Baltimore.
It's not as if he didn't earn it. He along with Reimold and the injured Lou Montanez were all hitting above .370 at the time of their call up. He also had ten home runs and 43 RBI in 50 games at AAA Norfolk. The difference between Salazar and Reimold however, may be the very same reason why the former is a perfect fit for these O's.
Salazar was signed as an undrafted free agent following the 1994 MLB draft. Yeah, you read that right, 1994. The A's snatched him up and sent him to rookie ball, where he hit well over .300. He then moved up to low A, where he also hit over .300. In his third stop, with high A Modesto, Salazar hit 18 home runs and drove in 105 runs. The next year he took on AA and performed quite admirably, adding another .300 season to his resume.
Double A would be where his career would stall, at least with the A's. After scuffling back and forth between double and triple A, Salazar was selected off waivers by the Detroit Tigers, and thus began his struggles. He did manage to earn his first call-up to the bigs, playing in eight games, notching a .190 average. While his measly average wasn't enough to guarantee him regular playing time, other teams took notice, and that summer, he was claimed again off waivers by the New York Mets.
The next two years, 2003 and 2004, saw Salazar change teams four times, before finally dropping off the face of the earth. Not actually the face of the earth, but he did end up playing in lower-tier Mexican Leagues, in an attempt to revive his career. That's where the O's got their first look at him. They had struck gold, or at least bronze, with another player trying to make it back to the bigs before, pitcher Rodrigo Lopez, who had several better-than-average years with the O's.
The O's signed Salazar, then a 29 year old rookie with seven years of playing experience. After tearing apart pitchers at AA Bowie to the tune of a .289 average with 22 home runs and 96 RBI, Salazar moved up to AAA Norfolk the next year. He performed even better, hitting .316 with 13 homers and 85 RBI. He could have had even better numbers if he hadn't spent 34 games with the Orioles during his second stint in the Majors, more than six years after his first with the Tigers.
Salazar, now 31, was outstanding at Norfolk again this season, before receiving the call to come up and serve as a super utility guy, while Cesar Izturis is on the DL. So far, he hasn't disappointed. He's played sparingly, more often than not, pinch-hitting in the O's interleague games. The limited playing time hasn't seemed to affect his bat however, as he is hitting .412 in nine games for the O's.
Salazar not only has manager Dave Trembley's confidence, but also has this writer's appreciation and respect. Fighting to make it back after a three year hiatus from the game is no small task, and to make it back and be able to contribute at the Major League level is even more impressive.
While Salazar may not prove to be a long term solution for the big league club, I argue that his presence is more important and crucial to the O's having a successful end to their 2009 season. Reimold has the edge on power, but Salazar is a much better hitter for average, and unlike Reimold isn't limited to the outfield corners. In fact, Salazar can play just about every position on the diamond.
He began his career with the A's as a third baseman. He also played a little shortstop, and even got a look at second base. After playing strictly second and third his second season, he was shifted back to shortstop, where he played excellent defense for the next two years. In Detroit he saw time at third, second and short. It took until 2008 until he tried his hand at first base, where his range was extremely helpful and somewhere along the way he worked in 42 games in the outfield.
More so, Salazar is the kind of guy you want on your bench. He has no problem coming off the bench to pinch-hit in the bottom of the ninth, or he can fill in at second base if Brian Roberts goes down with an injury in the second inning. Heck, the guy could probably pitch if they let him. In addition, he has a great attitude, is a team player, and is a veteran presence, albeit a inexperienced one, on a team that needs some veteran leadership.
Talk about a super-duper utility guy.
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