BALTIMORE (AP) -Matt Wieters will make his major league debut with the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night, armed with a potent bat and the burden of fulfilling the role of the can’t-miss prospect who will rescue the struggling franchise from its run of 12 straight losing seasons.
It’s an almost untenable situation, even for a player who has had so much minor league success. But the Orioles and their fans have been waiting for Wieters’ arrival since Baltimore drafted the 6-foot-5 slugger with the fifth overall pick in the 2007 amateur draft.
“I can understand the anticipation and the excitement that everybody has,” Orioles manager Dave Trembley said Thursday. “You don’t get these guys very often.”
es through Wednesday.
In spite of those numbers, the Orioles waited patiently until they were sure Wieters was ready to face major league pitching.
“We’re reasonably comfortable that this is a good time for him,” president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said. “We’re going to give it a shot.”
The hype has been building since MacPhail made the announcement Tuesday. Earlier this week, the Orioles drew the smallest crowd in the 18-year history of Camden Yards – 10,130. There could be nearly four times as many fans for Friday’s game against Detroit.
“We’ve definitely seen a spike in ticket sales,” said Monica Barlow, the team’s director of public relations. “It’s student night, and the first fireworks night. Between that and Matt coming up, there’s going to be a pretty strong walk up.”
Expectations are extremely high, so Trembley has tried to make everyone realize that Wieters is only 23 years old and will not single-handedly turn around a team that is last in the AL East.
“I don’t expect him to bat 1.000. I don’t expect him to be perfect,” the manager said. “I expect him to ease his way in.”
Orioles designated hitter Luke Scott said, “I don’t think it’s fair to put pressure on a guy like that. Just leave him alone. It’s not fair to build him up as the next coming. It’s hard enough to play at the big league level. People are just setting him up for failure.”
Wieters could be an instant success.
“I’ll just attack the strike zone and keep the ball down,” said Dontrelle Willis, Detroit’s starting pitcher Friday. “If he hits three home runs, I might have to change it.”
There are no guarantees. Wieters could very well struggle at the outset – just like Nick Markakis, another Orioles first-round draft pick. Markakis launched his major league career under similar circumstances in 2006, but was batting .175 after his first 20 games.
In danger of being sent back to the minors, Markakis finally adjusted. Wieters can only hope to avoid a similar slow start.
“He’ll be a good player. Even with all the hype he’s getting, he has a lot of composure,” said Baltimore rookie Nolan Reimold, who played with Wieters at Norfolk earlier this season. “He should be able to come up here and be very polished from the start.”
It’s hard to overstate the anticipation for Wieters’ debut, although Trembley did a pretty good job of it.
“Should we open the clubhouse at 11? Have brunch here tomorrow for everybody? Is it going to be like Duke madness out there, where people are going to be out with tents?” Trembley said. “I’m going to go out and buy pizzas for everybody, and we’re going to have a pajama party out there waiting for Wieters to come.”
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