In the beginning Matt Wieters created the heavens and the Earth.
No, that’s not true. But if you listed to all of the hype since spring
you’d be forgiven for thinking so. It’s been years since a rookie has
been talked up as much as Wieters has been. Even his teammates contributed to the circus.
But a funny thing happened on the way to immortality: Wieters has proved human.
Twenty-one games into his big league career he’s at .243/.300/.405.
Yesterday he dropped a ball at home plate, turning a sure out into a
run for the Nationals. Overall, he’s thrown out just two of 15 base
stealers and has committed three errors in less than a month. As Dan
Connolly of the Baltimore Sun notes, Wieters isn’t even the best rookie on his team. In fact, he may not even be the second best:
The way things are going right now, Wieters (.234 average, two
homers, six RBIs) is not the Orioles’ best candidate for Rookie of the
Year. Outfielder Nolan Reimold (.286, 9 homers, 20 RBIs) is, with
pitcher Brad Bergesen (5-2, 3.76 ERA) also ahead of the backstop.
Connolly believes that Wieters will start hitting and playing better
defense soon. So do I, because the kid is just too good not to. But his
early struggles are an excellent reminder that baseball is a really
hard game with a learning curve to which almost no one is immune.
Not even deities.
