Best players to play at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium
- Russell C. Robbins Jr.
- Feb 24, 2016
- 3 min read
The Delmarva Shorebirds are going into their 20th season of professional baseball in Salisbury Maryland. The Class A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, the Shorebirds have seen their share of talent take the field for the the home nine. I thought in would be fun to look in the past and see what visiting players also laced it up in Arther W. Perdue Stadium, in addition to the Orioles prospects that have called the stadium home.
Many current Orioles players came through Delmarva on their journey to Baltimore. Former Orioles and Mariners ace Erik Bedard, former Expos ace Javier Vasquez, and current Orioles bullpen staple Zack Britton are among the best pitchers to take the mound at Delmarva. Jayson Werth, who is now a Washington Nationals outfields, caught for the Birds during the 98 season, as did Montreal Expos catcher Michael Barrett in 96.
Around the infield the Birds have fielded perhaps undoubtably their brightest stars. Current Orioles second baseman played for the Shorebirds in 2011, and his double play partner at shortstop was Orioles Gold Glove winner and All Star, Manny Machado. Other notible infielders to play for the Birds were longtime Orioles seconds baseman Brian Roberts, Montreal Expos short stop Orlando Cabrera.
The outfield in Perdue Stadium had been occupied by long time Oriole and current Atlanta Brave, Nick Markakis most notably. A few guys like Jeff Fiorentino, Darnell McDonald, Kieth Reed played for the Shorebirds at one point, and made it to the Majors for a cup of coffee, yet nothing substantial. All-in-all, not a bad group of ballplayers during the 20 year span of the squad, and the Shorebirds have several former players fighting for big league spots in 2016.
The visiting clubhouse has been a pit stop on a path to greatness for many former big league stars. From MVPs to World Series MVPS, some of baseballs biggest names have performed just off the Route 50 bypass in the small city of Salisbury, Maryland. In addition to the ones that have made it, some of the games hottest young stars such as Yoan Moncada, Lucas Giolito, Tyler Kolek and others will be reaching the Major Leagues in the near future.
Starting off on the mound, Jose Fernandez of the Miami Marlins, along side San Francisco Giants World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner are among the biggest names to toe the rubber for the visiting squad. Jacob DeGrom also appeared in Delmarva, as did his battery mate Travis D'Arnaud of the New York Mets is perhaps one of the most notable catchers.
The left side of the infield belongs to the New York Mets as both Jose Reyes and David Wright played against the Shorebirds. Current Red Sox star Xander Boegarts and former Brave and Dodger Rafael Furcal also played at Delmarva. Ryan Howard of the Phillies is the most notable name on the right side of the infield to play in Salisbury.
The outfield at Perdue Stadium has been star studed during the 20 year history of the Delmarva Shorebirds. Josh Hamilton was the first big name to play in the outfield at Delmarva back in 2000 as a prospect of the Tampa Bay Rays. Giancarlo Stanton also played here before going on to be baseballs highest paid player. The most hyped player in the last 30 years and reigning National League MVP Bryce Harper played in Delmarva during his short lived tenure in Minor League Baseball.
Go out and enjoy a Minor League Baseball game in your local area. Although many of the names are unknown at the time, you may be watching a future legend embarking on his path to greatness. Looking back, I have several great memories of trips to Perdue Stadium througout the tenure of the team. I can recall the time I chatted with current big leaguers Travis D'Arnaud and Anthony Gose during a lengthy rain delay, or the time Josh Hamilton gave me his bat and batting gloves after a game. My fondest memories came during the championship year of 1997, as Ryan Minor and Calvin Pickering hit tape measure home runs at an alarming pace before both reaching the majors. Minor is the current skipper of the Shorebirds, and the man that replaced Cal Ripken Jr. at third base for the Baltimore Orioles at the end of his illustrious consecutive game streak of 2,632 consecutive games.
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