Ty Wigginton - Fantasy News & Updates
Ty Wigginton - Fantasy News & Updates
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By declining their $8 million option on veteran third baseman Melvin Mora's contract, the Orioles' only experienced corner infielder is Ty Wigginton, who can play first and third base. But one thing's almost certain: MacPhail won't part ways with Baltimore's two best hitting prospects -- Bell and Snyder -- for short-term gain. "I would think it unlikely that we would get seduced in a deal where we gave up a young, key part of our future and just got something back that would be a short-term answer for us," MacPhail said. If the 2010 season began today, the Orioles would likely start Wigginton at the hot corner and Michael Aubrey at first base.
In 2008, Mora surged down the stretch to hold onto his third-base job in Baltimore. There was no such luck this season, as the 37-year-old showed signs of age and decline, resulting in some of his lowest overall numbers since the start of the decade. Mora's days of regular playing time may be dwindling, and the Orioles have expressed little interest in re-signing the free agent to serve as a backup. At this point, Ty Wigginton stands as the most likely candidate to take over the hot corner in Baltimore.
Aubrey held his own as the left-handed-hitting part of a platoon when the Orioles shipped Aubrey Huff to Detroit in August. Still, first base is wide open in Baltimore's organization and will likely be a place the Orioles look to upgrade over the winter. The jury is out on the readiness of prospect Brandon Snyder, who thrived in a half-season at Double-A Bowie and struggled upon his promotion to Triple-A Norfolk. Aubrey is seen as a backup type, and the Orioles may also play Ty Wigginton at first base.
Wigginton notched his first multi-hit effort in eight contests, but he's still been a decent option since Sept. 2. In 26 games since then, the corner infielder has hit .307 in an everyday role. His three-year reign of 20-plus homer seasons came to an end as he nailed just 11 homers with 41 RBIs, and it's unclear how his playing time will be affected next year.
Wiggy hadn't homered in 35 games, so he made up for lost time with the multi-homer evening. He laced 23 home runs a year ago for the Astros, so the ultra-versatile infielder/outfielder can bust out the lumber without difficulty. Watch for more homers from him if he continues to get playing time the rest of the way.
Reimold, who was bothered by the injury for most of the season, still distinguished himself in the big leagues. The former second-round Draft pick came up in mid-May and wound up leading American League rookies in home runs (15), on-base percentage (.365), slugging percentage (.466) and walks (47), emerging as a viable mixed-league outfielder up to the time he was shut down. Rehabilitation will likely last until January, but the Orioles expect a full recovery by Spring Training. Ty Wigginton will likely take over as the club's left fielder down the stretch.
The absence of Pie and Adam Jones has left the Orioles short-handed, with Jeff Fiorentino filling in as the center fielder. If Pie can't return over the next few days, other potential options Trembley included were Ty Wigginton and Robert Andino, both natural infielders. Pie was red-hot before he got hurt. The speedster was batting .324 (24-for-74) with 10 extra-base hits, 14 runs scored and 14 RBIs in his past 24 games.
Turner, recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on Sept. 8 made the first start of his big league career Sunday and he made it a memorable one after reaching base three times and garnering a run scored and an RBI for himself. The rookie keystone actually got the nod at the hot corner in his latest tilt, but with veterans Ty Wigginton and Melvin Mora still in the mix, Turner shouldn't play enough to factor into any formats this season.
A nice day at the dish for Wiggy, who has chipped in with a few hits and runs scored here and there but hasn't been the mixed league force that owners have come to know over the past several years. With the '09 season winding down, Wigginton's year-long search for his missing power stroke seems like it will wind up being a fruitless one, as the versatile veteran has cracked just one home run and six other extra-base hits since Aug. 2. On the year the 31-year-old is hitting .272 with eight long balls and 34 RBIs.
Wigginton has turned his season around to a degree, but owners who drafted the versatile veteran based on his multi-position eligibility and 20-plus homer power stroke have to be disappointed with the decline in Wiggy's power game in '09. After cracking 23 homers and slugging at a .526 rate in '08, the 31-year-old has gone deep just eight times and slugged .394 -- the lowest mark of his career -- this season.
Jones landed awkwardly as he attempted to get to first base and was removed during a pitching change. "He has a sprain," said Orioles skipper Dave Trembley. "We'll have a better idea how long he's doing to be out [Wednesday]. He did have an X-ray and the X-ray is negative, but I know it's a pretty good sprain." Jones went hitless in four at-bats before giving way to Jeff Fiorentino. If Jones is forced to miss any time, Felix Pie would take over in center and Ty Wigginton would likely be the man in left field.
Aubrey was not in the starting lineup on Tuesday, but Baltimore manager Dave Trembley said he expects Aubrey to be in the mix at first base. His scouting report describes him as a good defensive player and a strong contact hitter who hits left-handed pitching well. "He's here, he's a left-handed hitter, he plays first base and he DHs," Trembley said. "We'll have to get him the lineup accordingly, and go from there." The 27-year-old Aubrey, the No. 11 pick in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft by Cleveland, was hitting .290 with 29 doubles and 52 RBIs combined between Norfolk and Triple-A Columbus. Also expected to play first are Luke Scott and Ty Wigginton.
O's manager Dave Trembley said Wigginton likely will see regular playing time there against lefties. Against righties, he's going to give Luke Scott and recent callup Michael Aubrey a look.
After the 2008 All-Star break, Mora went off to the tune of a .376 average, 12 homers and a .656 slugging percentage. This time around, however, the aging third baseman has shown little to no power, as Monday's blast marked his first of the second half. Even if he fends off Ty Wigginton for playing time down the stretch, the days when Mora manned third base every day are a thing of the past.
No announcement has been made regarding Huff's successor at first, but Baltimore's president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail did say the Orioles look forward to gauging what they have within their system. Huff's departure will allow the club to test Scott at first base and may also hasten the arrival of Brandon Snyder, Rhyne Hughes and Michael Aubrey. Both Hughes and Aubrey are regarded as potential stopgaps until Snyder finishes his Minor League apprenticeship. Snyder, a first-round pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, started the season at Double-A Bowie and batted .343 with 10 home runs in 58 games, but he's struggled to a .271 average and two home runs in his first 53 games for Norfolk.
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