Ira Gewanter looks more like he belongs in the press box than on a baseball diamond.
Still, the 5-foot-8, 140-pound Baltimore native showed up Thursday at Bachman Park in Glen Burnie determined to accomplish his dream of becoming a professional baseball player. Dressed in an old black T-shirt and gray baseball pants, Gewanter was focused on his mission: impress the Orioles? scouts who were hoping to find someone who can one day bring the masses back to Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
“I?ve loved the Orioles my whole life,” said Gewanter, 24, who attended Beth T?Filoh High School and recently graduated from the University of Maryland. “I might be one of the smaller guys, but that wasn?t going to stop me. The worst case scenario for me was that I got to play baseball for the day.”
However, Gewanter ? who last played organized baseball in high school ? and most of the other 102 aspiring players quickly learned about the cruel realities of professional sports. Within an hour, approximately 12 players remained after scouts determined most players lacked speed or were sloppy in the field. Pitchers had approximately nine throws to prove they deserved a second look.
Orioles scout Dean Albany said he was looking for position players who could run the 60-yard dash in under 6.9 seconds, right-handed pitchers who could throw at least 89 miles per hour or left-handed pitchers who could throw at least 85miles per hour. Most of the players ran the 60 in approximately 7.5 seconds, with pitchers? fastballs mostly ranging between 69-82 miles per hour.
“I want to give everyone a fair chance because they came out here on their own to follow their dreams,” Albany said. “But, this is a tough game to play and we have to find players with a certain skill level.”
Outfielder Brian Moran was one of the few players asked to hit again during the second half of the tryout. The former Chapelgate Christian star acknowledged just being asked to take additional swings during batting practice doesn?t guarantee him a major league contract. However, he was satisfied in attracting the Orioles? attention-something very few players accomplished.
“I didn?t come in here expecting to get signed to a contract on the spot, and anyone who came in with that mindset will be disappointed,” said Moran, 20, who attends Grove City (Pa.) College. “But, maybe I?ll do enough here today for them to come out and see me play in the spring.”
Albany said he wasn?t likely going to offer a contract to anyone from the tryout, but there were a few players he was going to continue scouting. However, he felt there were candidates for spots on either his fall baseball team for high school students, the Oriolelanders, or his summer team for college-aged players, the Maryland Orioles.
“This was a great way to see where you rank among other players,” said catcher Zach Moore, 18, who attends the Community College of Baltimore County-Dundalk. “You just hope that somebody notices you.”
