He's finally coming…multiple readers have emailed that Orioles president Andy MacPhail said on MASN that top prospect Matt Wieters will debut Friday in Baltimore against Dontrelle Willis and the Tigers. Wieters, 23, posted a .285/.367/.482 line in Triple A. He slugged .552 in May.
Since the Orioles were patient with him, Wieters likely won't become a Super Two player. Even if he never sees the minors after his weekend debut, he'll accumulate just 129 days of service time this year and won't have enough experience to become a Super Two after 2011. Every player to become a Super Two in the last three offseasons has had at least two years, 130 days service time. Wieters will hit free agency after the 2015 season regardless, but he'll go to arbitration three times, instead of four. By showing restraint this year Baltimore saved millions of dollars down the road, when they expect to contend.
No player making his MLB debut between now and the end of the season is likely to become a Super Two after 2011, even if he sticks in the majors. This matters for teams like the Braves who can now call up players like Tommy Hanson without paying extra for them in years to come.
Ben Nicholson-Smith also contributed to this post
