O's Sign Everth Cabrera

[wildcard]

I don't know if Hassan will pass through waivers, but if he does the O's can outright him and he has to accept the assignment to Norfolk. He has never been outrighted before.

[bobmc]

FF

"Baseball Cards Come to Life! talked to Steve Babineau, the owner of Sports Action Images and the photographer on the infamous card (h/t to Carson Cistulli).

I shot the Billy Ripken card ? it was definitely not intentional. I was at Fenway, and everyone is out there doing BP. Billy is the only one wearing a game uniform with the number in the front. Everyone else is wearing their orange BP top. For everyone else I would need to make sure there was an identifying marker like a glove, or I would take their picture as they walked away to get their uniform number. I didn?t have to magnify Ripken?s card because the number was clearly visible. In the past Fleer used to send us full color sheets, which we would use to check for reverse negatives and other problems with the picture. That year, to save money, they just sent us blueprints that were in three shades of blue. Your eyes don?t focus on something like that. After the card came out, my boss called me and told me to look at the knob of the bat. ?Please tell me it says ?slick face,?? he said to me. I had to look at it with the magnifying glass and tell him that that was not what it said.

The next year the first team I went to see at Spring Training was the Orioles, playing the Expos in West Palm Beach. I went up to Billy and he says ?Thanks for making a nickel card into a thirty dollar card!? He told me he started using that bat as a BP bat on a road trip in Detroit or Cleveland before coming to Fenway. He said it was his brother that wrote that on his bat. I heard that he actually started signing that card for kids but had to stop."

http://fbihop.tumblr.com/post/2391494841/the-story-behind-the-infamous-billy-ripken-****

[paullwaull]

I enjoyed that little story. Didn't realize Billy had it in him.

[scOtt]

Thanks. Sorry if my post indicated that I didn't know who Cal Sr. was or how long he was in the organization, or if it appeared that I believed that 7 was retired. Do you think it should be retired?

Cal Sr. was THE Oriole Way. Originally. Blade #7 on top cements it. As good as retired.

[mdbdotcom]

Is Cabrera's contract guaranteed? If not, I could see him being released before opening day and getting 30 or 45 days pay (depending on when he's released. Unless he starts showing something on defense, he could be behind Flaherty, Parades, Navarro, and Nix on the utility spot depth chart.

[Crazysilver03]

Is Cabrera's contract guaranteed? If not, I could see him being released before opening day and getting 30 or 45 days pay (depending on when he's released. Unless he starts showing something on defense, he could be behind Flaherty, Parades, Navarro, and Nix on the utility spot depth chart.

It should be guaranteed since he signed as a free agent.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Can_of_corn]

It should be guaranteed since he signed as a free agent.

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I had no idea he was a Boras client.

[eddie83]

Today he didn't stop a bad throw from the catcher on a hop that went into CF. He also bobbled a double play ball but got an out at 1st. His arm strength looks much better to me than Flaherty at SS for what that is worth.

[SteveA]

Today he didn't stop a bad throw from the catcher on a hop that went into CF. He also bobbled a double play ball but got an out at 1st. His arm strength looks much better to me than Flaherty at SS for what that is worth.

Got the out at first thanks to a very friendly call by the first base umpire.

[eddie83]

Got the out at first thanks to a very friendly call by the first base umpire.

The umps have helped the Orioles twice today. He does look like someone with good arm strength.

[Dipper9]

I'm not a Flaherty fan by any stretch of the imagination, but Cabrera has done nothing to earn a spot on this team over Ryan.

[Bahama O's Fan]

To those who think Spring Training doesn't matter, it does to Cabrera right now. He is going to be sent down. Not because of his bat, but because of his glove and his head. Buck wants defense and he knows Flaherty and Schoop give it to him.

[OFFNY]

o

Cabrera is starting in centerfield today:

http://forum.orioleshangout.com/forums/showthread.php/146783-vs-PHILLIES-3-16

Roch says that Cabrera has not played centerfield in 2-3 years, and that he has not taken any fly balls at all this spring:

http://twitter.com/masnroch

He played centerfield for 5 games for AAA-Tuscon in 2012.

He has not played there (centerfield) at all before or since in his professional career (2006-present.)

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=cabrer001eve

[Aglets]

On Roch's blog this morning (http://www.masnsports.com/school-of-roch/2015/03/cabrera-on-playing-center-field-that-surprises-me.html) there's an interesting quote by Cabrera at the end where he talks about his versatility.

He says he can play 'all over.....no 3rd base, no catcher, no pitcher, but other than that I can help my team in a lot of situations like that.'

I admit I found it a bit odd that he just came out and said he can't play 3rd base. That would really seem to limit his usefulness for us as a utility player.

Both Flaherty and Paredes can fill in at 3rd.

[Redskins Rick]

But only Flaherty can back up short, which is why another body or two was brought in for depth. Somebody is going to be at AAA, able to catch the first shuttle to the team, if Hardy pulls up lame for a few games.