The Orioles swept a season-ending series against the Yankees in 2000. By doing so, they altered their position in the June 2001 amateur draft, falling behind the Texas Rangers, who ended up with the fifth overall selection. With that pick, the Rangers selected Maryland native Mark Teixeira out of Georgia Tech. With the sixth overall pick, the Orioles selected Cumberland University lefty Chris Smith.
As this is written, Teixeira, whose debut in the major leagues came opening day 2003, has 134 career home runs and an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of .891. According to baseball-reference.com, the player from the past whose numbers most resemble Teixeira?s at a similar age is Hall of Famer Willie McCovey.
Chris Smith?s numbers as a major leaguer most closely resemble mine. That is to say, he never got there.
Drafting baseball players is somewhat of a crapshoot, and it?s even more so with pitchers. Smith had an unfortunate series of arm miseries, and that was that. Hopefully, he banked some of his signing bonus. Regardless, imagine how history would have been rewritten had the Orioles not swept that series with the Yankees.
Peter Angelos admitted in a recent interview that, had Teixeira been available, he most assuredly would have been the Orioles? top pick that year. A switch hitter with power, able to play third or first, a good-looking local kid who grew up an Orioles? fan ? who better to follow in the footsteps of Cal Ripken? Alas, it was not to be. At least, not then.
The rumblings out of Arlington, Texas, seem to indicate that the Rangers will make major changes this winter. Everyone, including Teixeira, is rumored to be available. According to various sources, manager Buck Showalter has alienated most of his roster this season ? Teixeira included ? and owner Tom Hicks is ready to blow it up and start over. (My mother went to high school with Buck?s father ? also named Buck, in Radford, Va., RHS class of 1936. Just thought I?d throw that out there.)
Hicks, you?ll recall, is the guy who once gave Alex Rodriguez a 10-year contract worth $25.2 million a year, and arranged to get rid of Rodriguez ? arguably the best player in the game at the time ? three years later, after A-Rod had slugged 156 home runs in a Ranger uniform.
When I say that Teixeira would be the perfect Oriole, I mean just that. He?s the only player in baseball ? the one everyday player ? who could come here and bring some excitement back to the ballpark.
Why Teixeira? He?s a Baltimore guy. OK, I?ll concede that he was born in Annapolis, but he?s perceived as a Baltimore guy, the same way the Pittsburgh-born owner is perceived as a Baltimore guy.
Baltimore loves a local ? that?s a fact ? and Teixeira would be the perfect distraction for a team struggling to get back to the winner?s circle. Throughout Ripken?s long career, even when the team was bad, there was always Cal.
The cost of a Teixeira would be high ? a couple of young arms, anyway ? but the potential return would be well worth it. If he?s available, the Orioles owe it to themselves and their fans to try and make it happen.
Phil Wood has covered sports in the Washington-Baltimore market for more than 30 years. You can reach him at [email protected].
