Ryan Minor, Back With the O’s
Jan 28th 2008ericjhoroMinor League Baseball & MLB
Not a lot of people out there remember the name Ryan Minor. The few who do probably remember him as the man who replaced Cal Ripken Jr. in the lineup when the Ironman decided to end his streak. (Some others may remember him as one of the few athletes in recent memory to be drafted in both the NBA and MLB drafts. Coincidentally, in the 1996 NBA draft he was picked one spot after Mark Hendrickson, one of the few athletes to actually play both professional basketball and professional baseball)
But there’s more to the Ryan Minor story. For three years (circa 1997-1999) he was hailed as the heir apparent to Cal Ripken Jr., the man who would be the face of the Orioles for the next decade.
It didn’t quite turn out that way. As the strikeouts piled up and his batting averaged failed to climb past .200, it became clear the Minor would never be the player the Orioles hoped. Even worse, it soon became clear that the Orioles future would never be what the team hoped it would be.
That’s why I will always remember Ryan Minor. In my mind he represents the beginning of this recent dark age for Orioles baseball. The man who was going to take over for the face of the Orioles (and hit even more home runs!!!) just never panned out. And just like that, in the blink of an eye, the Orioles had gone through 10 straight losing season.
So what’s the point of all of this? Well, this weekend Ryan Minor rejoined the Orioles organization—he will be part of the staff at Single-A Delmarva. For some reason this news brought me great joy. Part of it is that it’s always nice to see a guy who doesn’t pan out in the big leagues stay in the game and become a successful coach. But maybe there’s something else going on. Maybe Minor rejoining the organization will complete the circle and close the book on this forgettable age in Orioles history. I hope that’s it.
4 Comments »
basmati on 30 Jan 2008 at 5:36 pm #
The Pirates did something similar. They hired Sid Bream as some kind of minor league instructor. As you well know, it was Bream’s slide barely ahead of Barry Bonds’ substantard throw that marked the beginning of the Pirates’ descent towards what will likely become a record for consecutive losing seasons.
Nate Hays on 22 Feb 2008 at 8:33 pm #
I love Ryan Minor. Not because he did anything special for the O’s, but because he’s a great guy. I know for a fact that he makes his home in Salisbury, where the Delmarva franchise resides, so I’m sure he’s happy to be working for his old pals. While he played at Delmarva, he was a terrific local hero. I’ve had several long conversations with him before, during, and since, his days as an Oriole. He’s always been the same friendly guy who’ll gladly share a moment with a fan.
The second baseman on my college baseball team (UMES) lived next door to Ryan, and Ryan used to give him some pro gear every once in a while. He was a class act. Good luck to him, and I hope he can help set the home team right.
By the way, Cal Ripken’s refusal to get out of the way pretty much killed Minor’s chances of ever making it in the big leagues. Ryan never said that to me, that’s just my opinion. Think about it like this: You’ve got a 25 year old prospect who’s ready to contribute, who’s hitting 25-35 homers a year in the minors. You bring him up, but you only let him play once a week or so. Instead of getting regular playing time and learning the speed of the bigs, he’s wasting away on the bench getting cold. You’ve just taken a player you spent 3 years shaping into an every day third baseman, and now you’ve got him pinch hitting in the 8th inning every once in a while, and starting every time Randy Johnson takes the mound. How do you think he’s going to respond to that? Pile on top the pressure of replacing Cal Ripken! Image the 12 year old kid that goes to Camden yards to see Cal play, only to find that Ryan Minor happens to be taking his place that day. Imagine the extra negative attention this guy got just for being put in the lineup!
You can’t blame the O’s for letting Ripken play, you can’t blame Ripken for wanting to play, and you can’t blame Minor for not playing regularly. That’s just the way it panned out for that poor guy.
The only criticism I’ve got for Minor is that he wasn’t the best fielder. I imagine it’s tough to play infield when you’re 6′9″. If every ball was hit to the shortstop hole, he would have been something special. One or two strides that direction, and he’s suddenly 90 feet from first base.
Thanks for a fun blog! I just discovered it today. I’m going to add it to my favorites on my blog.
Check out one of my latest blog postings. As an Orioles fan, I’m interested in what you think about this:
http://fantasticset.blogspot.com/2008/02/youve-got-to-be-kidding-me.html
DG on 05 Mar 2008 at 1:53 pm #
I’m sitting here trying to think of exactly why Ryan’s name popped into my head…and I can’t. It’s funny how turning 30 last month made me nostalgic all the sudden. Maybe that explains the sudden urge to Google Ryan Minor, and why I’m on this site. I guess I didn’t realize his legacy was so deeply rooted as the guy who ended Ripken’s streak, and as the prospect who never panned out. Growing up in western Missouri, on the fringes of Jayhawk Country, his legacy is basketball. Plain and simple. I loved Kansas basketball, but in my Jr. and Sr. years of high school, I had a brief affair with OU. And I blame Ryan Minor (as do others). I count myself among those who spent countless hours perfecting Jordan’s right-to-left hand mid-air switch from the NBA finals (or was it left to right? What year was that?). But, we also spent a fair amount of time mimicking a couple of Ryan’s white-guys-aren’t-supposed-to-that moves. Like the classic where he shakes a defender at the arc, drives baseline into a triple team just under the basket, elevates, spins 180, and delivers a no-look, over the shoulder, perfectly banked layup. Bottom line: the man was an athlete. Not just a shooter, but a guy who was a threat every time he touched the ball. Capable of acrobatic, circus quality moves and finishes. To me, that’s Ryan Minor. I have now spent my entire lunch doing my best Joe Posnanski imitiation, trying to capture Minor’s collegiate basketball essence. I’m very hungry. It’s cool to hear he was, and is, such a class act for the O’s organization. But I hope people remember him as a stud basketball player, and not the guy who came up short in Baltimore. For those of us who grew up in Big 8 (now 12) country, he’ll always be a basketball cult hero.
Paul on 02 Apr 2008 at 2:21 pm #
I remember Ryan Minor for when I came here from the UK and started going to see the Bowie Baysox; I felt like it would be a good idea to pick a player to follow and learn about the sport through him, and Ryan Minor’s ’star quality’ made him an easy choice. I’m glad he’s still involved with the game, that his exerptise won’t be lost to young players, and that he can be an inspiration to encourage persistence and style still. Thanks for highlighting him.