Question: Why continue with Coby Mayo, a guy who just can’t hit major league pitching? Yes, he’s young (23), but he’s going the opposite way. Send him to minors where he can get a good feeling about his game. Start new next year. It’s absolutely depressing to watch him every night. He doesn’t swing at any of the first two pitches and then strikes out the majority of the time. From: Patrick Clune
Answer: Patrick, Jack Waggoner has a similar question. Since the trade deadline, the Orioles have been playing different guys to see if they have a future with the team, and Mayo is one of them.
Mayo has shown improvement, especially defensively. He’s a hard worker and, according to major league scouts, they believe he has a future in the majors.
He’s done all he can in the minor leagues. There’s nothing to be gained from playing him in the minor leagues. The guess here is that a year from now, Mayo will be a far better major league player because of his experience this season.
Question: What is the status of Cionel Pérez? From: Dick Johnson.
Answer: Dick, left-handed reliever Cionel Pérez hasn’t pitched at Norfolk since August 16th, and he’s on the minor league injured list. There are just under two weeks left in Norfolk’s season, and the Orioles haven’t ruled out Pérez pitching for the Tides before the end of the season.
Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.