By now, you have probably heard the big news from Trade Deadline Tuesday…
Minor-League catcher Blake Hunt is with the Orioles after being called up to the taxi squad ahead of Tuesday night’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Of course, this news is not the big news of the day; that would be the Orioles surprising trade of long-time prospects Connor Norby and Kyle Stowers for Trevor Rogers. But Hunt’s arrival is interesting for a few reasons.
First, it signals that despite his heroic effort to remain in the game yesterday after being drilled in the face by a fastball from Toronto’s Yariel Rodriguez, perhaps all is not okay with backup catcher James McCann. Indeed, it is possible that McCann sustained a fracture (or fractures) to his face and may be placed on the concussion IL. For those asking, no, being placed on the IL after the game does not take away from the Herculean strength and toughness McCann showed by playing 8 more innings after taking a fastball to the face.
Second, the choice of Hunt is interesting. The Orioles acquired the 25-year-old catcher from the Seattle Mariners as part of the trade for bullpen arm Mike Baumann (who was just traded to the Angels about an hour ago – happy trade deadline day!).
Hunt was hitting .222 with 7 home runs and a .701 OPS in 162 at bats between the Orioles and the Tacoma Rainers. He was much more productive in Tacoma though, posting a .905 OPS in 24 games before posting a .490 OPS in 20 games in Baltimore. The other potential option from Norfolk would have been long-time Orioles’ farm hand Maverick Handley, who has disappoointed this year with a .206 average, three home runs, and a .633 OPS.
Third – and perhaps more of a pipedream than anything else – this confirms that Samuel Basallo is not that close to making his MLB debut. The 19 year-old has held his own at Bowie, posting a .264 average, 13 home runs, and a .769 OPS, and seeing him play in Baltimore this year certainly would have been intriguing. However, there have been no indications that Basallo will join the O’s until at least 2025, and this confirms what was probably obvious.
For now, Hunt is only on the taxi squad, and McCann remains on the roster. But if the Orioles decide McCann can’t play, Blake Hunt will likely debut with the Orioles sooner than later.
