Weekend Bird Droppings: Where it’s Renato Nunez’s birthday

Good morning, Birdland!

It is Renato Nunez’s birthday. In a coronavirus-free world, he would be preparing for a 2:15 p.m. first pitch in St. Louis. Instead, Nunez is just like the rest of us, waiting for any sign that this pandemic is nearing an end. That sign, unfortunately, is unlikely to come for several weeks or months.

But that doesn’t mean we have to be completely down around these parts of the internet. After all, I’m sure Nunez will celebrate is some way, shape or form. We can do the same!

Nunez clearly has some flaws as a player, especially on the defensive side of things. But he also launches some massive dongs and provides the team with legitimate thump in the middle of the lineup. Take, for example, this 415-foot tater against the Red Sox from August:

And then there is this massive 444-foot round-tripper, which finished off a 9-6 win for the Birds over the Giants back in May.

And, of course, there was his two-home run performance from June, when the O’s stomped the Indians 13-0 while donning Maryland flag covered duds.

There’s plenty more where that came from. After all, his 32 home runs last year were second of the team (Trey Mancini). Hopefully we all get to see many more of them at some point this summer.

Links

Can Phillips avoid the injured list? - School of Roch
It seems like whenever a pitcher has a “sore elbow” it never ends well. Sure, they could take some time off, then get back on the mound and pitch successfully for a bit. But how long can that last? Here’s hoping Evan Phillips can get healthy and be ready for the start of the season with no issues.

Orioles’ Chris Davis discusses parenting during the quarantine - Yahoo! Sports
Chris Davis is just like any other parent of young children during this time of home isolation. He is watching lots of cartoons and doing anything possible to tucker out his kids.

Taking another look at the Orioles’ spring roster - Baltimore Baseball
We are running on fumes, folks. There is, quite literally, no baseball news. We have reached the point of just staring at spring training rosters.

How To Get A Job In Baseball, According To GMs - MLB Trade Rumors
Mike Elias and several other GM’s give their thoughts on nabbing a job in baseball. The O’s boss thinks that you need to develop a portfolio of work that you can point to in an interview. Fair enough.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday! A whole slew of former Orioles are celebrating an additional year today.

As mentioned above, current Orioles DH Renato Nunez turns 26 today. The lead-gloved slugger is about to enter his third season with the O’s after being claimed off of waivers from the Rangers in 2018. Up to this point, Nunez owns a .252/.317/.456 slash line and 1.8 bWAR as a member of the Orioles.

Odrisamer Despaigne celebrates his 33rd birthday. The right-handed hurler tossed 27.1 innings over 16 appearances for the 2016 Orioles before he was claimed by the White Sox that September.

Happy 52nd birthday to another pitcher, Jim Dedrick. The righty played just six big league games, all with the 1995 O’s.

Outfielder Brad Komminsk is 59 years old. He spent 46 games of his eight-season MLB career with the Orioles. In 1990, he hit .238/.342/.366 while donning the black and orange.

Mike Epstein opened his career with 15 games as an Orioles first baseman, spread over the 1966 and ‘67 seasons. He went on to garner a bit of MVP buzz with the Washington Senators and Oakland athletics in separate campaigns.

It is the birthday of the late Tom Fisher (b. 1942, d. 2016). He played in just two MLB games, both of which occurred with the 1967 Birds.

Finally, longtime Orioles right-handed pitcher Eddie Watt is 79. Between 1966 and 1973, Watt threw 615.1 innings and compiled a 2.74 ERA and 123 ERA+ as a key member of the Orioles bullpen.

1993 - Bill Clinton becomes the first U.S. President to throw the first pitch of the season from the pitcher’s mound. He achieves this feat at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

2001 - For the second time in his career Red Sox pitcher Hideo Nomo throws a no-hitter. The righty no-hits the Orioles in a 3-0 Red Sox win at Camden Yards. It is the earliest no-hitter, by date, in MLB history.

2005 - Orioles sluggers Sammy Sosa and Rafael Palmeiro make history by becoming the first teammates to have at least 500 career home runs apiece.