One of the biggest lessons Chorye Spoone took from his first full year as a professional baseball player was how to pace himself over a long season.
After getting off to a fast start last year with the Delmarva Shorebirds, the Orioles? low Single-A affiliate, he leveled off at the end of the season, finishing 7-9 with a 3.56 ERA, 90 strikeouts and 80 walks over 129 innings.
“That was the most innings I have ever thrown in a year,” said Spoone, an eighth-round selection by Baltimore in 2005 andgraduate of Northeast High in Pasadena. “By the time I reached 100 innings, I started to tire out.”
Still, the Orioles have high hopes for the right-handed Spoone, who also pitched at the Community College of Baltimore County-Catonsville. He is starting this season in the rotation at high Single-A Frederick Keys, where he is 0-1 with a 3.86 ERA after a decent outing in Sunday?s 3-1 loss at Lynchburg.
Spoone, 21, said he still doesn?t believe he is moving up through the Orioles? minor league system after growing up a fan of the team. He added that he has grown a lot in the two years since he was drafted, when he was simply a pure power pitcher who lacked control.
“The organization tells me what I need to work on and how to fix it,” Spoone said. “They are not necessarily looking at overall wins and losses, but whether I?m progressing and doing what I can to fix my mistakes. If I cut my walk totals in half this season, I consider it a successful year.”
Frederick pitching coach Blaine Beatty said Spoone is making a good impression during the early part of the season.
“He?s come a long way,” Beatty said. “The key now is to quiet down his mechanics and to get him to throw strikes on a more consistent basis.”
Orioles director of minor league operations Dave Stockstill said Spoone is slowly making the transition from a “thrower” into a pure pitcher.
“Chorye has the velocity and is working a lot on changing speeds a little more,” Stockstill said. “He?s made a lot of progress in the last year and is developing nicely.”
The Spoone file
» Age: 21
» Height: 6-foot-1
» Weight: 215 pounds
» Hometown: Pasadena
» Did you know? Spoone went 2-5 with an 8.03 ERA in 24.2 innings at Rookie League Bluefield in 2005 … He was originally drafted by the San Diego Padres inthe 36th round in 2004 but decided not to sign at that time.
