February 22, 2009
Gregg Zaun lends helping hand to Baltimore Orioles
The Orioles are turning to veteran catcher Gregg Zaun, whom they drafted 20 years ago, to be a mentor to hot prospect Matt Wieters and to contribute to the development of a new pitching staff.
BY JIM VARSALLONE
jvarsallone@MiamiHerald.com
With the emergence of a prized prospect, catcher Matt Wieters, the Baltimore Orioles turned to an experienced catcher to hold fort until Wieters is ready.
Enter a familiar face: Gregg Zaun, 37.
''He's another coach, is what he is,'' Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. ``He brings credibility because he has a framework of reference, and that framework of reference is all the years he's been behind the plate.''
Zaun's 14-year major-league career has come full circle as a recent free agent acquisition of the Orioles, who drafted him in 1989.
''I've always felt at home in Baltimore,'' Zaun said. ``A lot of people who are still here in the organization were there in the beginning, when I was coming up. So it's nice to see some familiar faces.''
Zaun was used as a backup with the Orioles in 1995 and '96, and was traded to the Marlins in August 1996. This time around, Zaun takes a leadership role -- grooming a new pitching staff and catcher.
''It's a thrill for me and a nice compliment that they would think of me to be included in helping develop the younger players,'' said Zaun, who has been with the Rangers, Royals, Astros, Rockies and Blue Jays, who won a World Series with the Marlins in 1997.
``At least for the early going of the season, I'll take over the everyday role of guiding the ball club on the field.''
Said Trembley: ``I think it's particularly pertinent that he wanted to be a Baltimore Oriole again. I think that makes it even better for him and for us. We certainly have a lot of young pitchers who can certainly benefit from his expertise. He's a pro. We lean on him. He wants to feel a part of what's going here. He wants to feel like he can give his input, and we welcome that. I welcome that.''
Wieters also can welcome that.
Wieters, the 2008 Baseball America and mlb.com minor-league Player of the Year, was the fifth overall pick (by the Orioles) in the 2007 draft out of Georgia Tech. Wieters, 22, will get his shot at some point in 2009. It's just a matter of time.
''The first year of pro ball is always a special one, but now last year's over, and we're getting ready for this year,'' Wieters said. ``You just got to work hard everyday in spring training, and hopefully that gets you ready.''
When trying to find your identity as a team, sometimes there is a knee-jerk reaction to rush a player into the lineup, especially in a division like the American League East, which has powerhouse teams in New York, Boston and Tampa Bay.
The Orioles are not going to rush Wieters.
''You're asking an awful lot of a kid with 200 at-bats in Double-A [last season] to start in the big leagues,'' team president Andy MacPhail told mlb.com. ``If you're going to err, let's err on the side of being conservative. If he's ready, he's going to show it in a short period of time. That's an easy thing to fix. If you do it the other way, that's not such an easy thing to fix.''
Because of Wieters, the Orioles parted ways with starting catcher Ramon Hernandez in an offseason trade for Reds utility player Ryan Freel and midlevel prospects Justin Turner (2B) and Brandon Waring (3B).
MacPhail also told mlb.com that Wieters will get a long look in spring training, but likely will spend the beginning of the season at Triple A Norfolk, Va.
''You just try to be like a fly on the wall and listen to what everybody has to say,'' Wieters said, ``because they've been doing it for so long and been through the game -- the ups and down.
``If you can learn from their experiences, it will help you out in the long run.''
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