Monday, July 27, 2009

Appreciating Nolan Reimold

As far as promising American League rookies go, the Orioles have a few solid ones: Matt Wieters, Brad Bergesen, and Nolan Reimold. Koji Uehara, technically a rookie, posted pretty good numbers before getting hurt in late June. David Hernandez has also been impressive lately, shutting down the Yankees and Red Sox in consecutive starts. Plus, Chris Tillman is set to make his Major League debut on Wednesday against the Royals.

I've written a little about Bergesen and Wieters, but I don't think I've given Reimold his due.

In 59 games, Reimold is hitting .281/.362/.467 with nine home runs, 27 RBI, and a 0.62 BB/K ratio (24/39). According to FanGraphs, he's been worth $3.2 million so far, though his defense in left field -- -4.9 UZR, -12.6 UZR/150 -- has been subpar. He also has five steals and has yet to be caught.

Compared to other AL rookies, Reimold is more than holding his own. He ranks third in hits, fifth in doubles, first in home runs, first in RBI, t-fifth in steals, first in walks, second in average, second in OBP, and first in slugging. Now those are strong numbers.

Reimold, who turns just 26 in October, certainly seems like he has a very bright future ahead of him in Baltimore -- not to mention that he has a decent chance of winning Rookie of the Year honors in the AL.

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