Baltimore Orioles' Matt Wieters Debut is Set

Orioles Announce a Call-Up from the Minors for their Top Prospect

May 27, 2009

The Baltimore Orioles called-up minor league catcher Matt Wieters, who will make his major league debut Friday, May 29th at Camden Yards.

The apprenticeship period for the Baltimore Orioles top prospect, Matt Wieters, is officially over. After a one and a half-year stint tearing up minor league pitching and learning the craft of catching, Wieters was officially called up by the Orioles, and will make his major league debut on Friday May 29th at Camden Yards against the Detroit Tigers.

The announcement by Andy MacPhail, President, Baseball Operations, came during the broadcast of an Orioles game against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 26th, and was picked up immediately by wire services and local media.

Matt Wieters Minor League Statistics

It has always been just a matter of time for Wieters, the Orioles first draft choice, and the majors’ overall fifth pick in the 2007 Major League Baseball draft, to take his game to the majors. His offensive numbers have been stellar since he began at Frederick:

Wieters showed great power and an ability to provide clutch hits, blasting 32 home runs and driving in 103 runs during the course of his minor league career. Coming off a May 26, 2009 game where he went 4 for 4, with a walk and 4 runs batted in, the Orioles felt the time was right to bring him up sooner rather than later.

Orioles Recent Games Success Awaits Wieters

The Orioles are on a run, having taken two out of three from the Washington Nationals, and sweeping a three game set against the Toronto Blue Jays, to climb within five games of .500 in the American League East. Wieters will join the club as they await a four-game series against the Detroit Tigers, and with the club rolling, the clubhouse atmosphere could not be better for Wieters’ arrival.

Wieters and Oriole Pitchers are No Strangers

One of the reasons the Orioles waited on Wieters was to allow him to get comfortable with the position, and to get as much experience as possible. The Oriole rotation contains a number of pitchers who’ve teamed with Wieters as a battery while in the minors, including Brad Bergesen, recent call-up Jason Berken, and David Hernandez. Wieters’ has also caught spring training games with Jeremy Guthrie and Koji Uehara, and should be comfortable with Bergesen, Friday’s projected starter.

Camden Yards Excitement

Oriole fans have been waiting for Wieters’ arrival since he was drafted, and the anticipation for his call-up and debut during the 2009 season has been much awaited. Wieters can expect a large, supportive, and exuberant crowd to greet him at Camden Yards on Friday night. The time is right, and with the Orioles playing well and the debut of Wieters, Camden Yards will be the place to be on Friday night.

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