Lefty swinging outfielder Al Bumbry burst onto the scene for the O’s back in 1973 when he was named the American League Rookie of the Year. Bumbry played in 110 games in 1973 for the Orioles in which he was 120 for 356 (.337 avg, .898 OPS) with 73 runs scored, 11 triples, 7 homers, 34 RBIs and 23 stolen bases. Bumbry’s best season with the Orioles was back in 1980 when he made his only All-Star team and was 13th in the voting for the A.L. MVP Award. Bumbry played in 160 games for the Orioles in 1980 and he was 205 for 645 (.318 avg, .825 OPS) with 118 runs scored, 9 homers, 53 RBIs and 44 stolen bases. Bumbry played in 1,428 games in his 13 years with the Orioles and he was 1,403 of 4,958 (.283 avg, .725 OPS) with 772 runs scored, 53 homers, 392 RBIs and 252 stolen bases. Bumbry is still #9 in Orioles’ history in runs scored with 772 and he is also #4 in franchise history with 252 stolen bases. Bumbry was one of the better CFs in Orioles’ history.

The Orioles have sent 25-year old righty starting pitcher Tommy Hunter to AAA. Hunter has started 10 games for the O’s so far this year and he is 2-3 with a 5.59 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. He has given up a stunningly awful 13 homers in his first 58 innings this year. The Orioles have called up 28-year old righty reliever Miguel Gonzalez to replace Hunter on the pitching staff. Gonzalez pitched in 11 games (3 starts) in AAA-ball this year and he was 2-1 with 1 save, a 1.50 ERA and a 0.50 WHIP. He only gave up 10 hits and 5 walks in 30 innings this year while whiffing 36 batters in the minors, and that is impressive. He made his major league debut for the Orioles last night, working 3 1/3 innings allowing 4 hits and 1 run (it was earned), while whiffing 5 batters and walking none.

The Orioles have sent 22-year old lefty swinging outfielder Xavier Avery to AAA and they have activated 34-year old lefty swinging outfielder Endy Chavez from the D.L. to replace him on the active roster. Avery has played in 15 games for the Orioles this year and he is 13 for 60 (.217 avg, .615 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 0 homers, 4 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He will likely be back at some point in 2012 for the Orioles. Endy Chavez will likely see a lot of time in LF. Chavez has played in 21 games so far this year for the O’s and he is 8 for 61 (.131 avg, .336 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 0 homers, 1 RBI and 1 stolen base. The Orioles hope Chavez is better with the bat this time around.

The Orioles have placed 27-year old righty reliever Stuart Pomeranz on the 15-day disabled list due to a strained left oblique muscle. Pomeranz has pitched in 3 games (0 starts) for the O’s so far this year and he is 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. The Orioles have activated 3B Mark Reynolds from the D.L. to replace Pomeranz on the active roster. Reynolds has played in 28 games for the Orioles so far this year and he is 19 for 92 (.207 avg, .698 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 2 homers, 10 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He will take back his starting job at the hot corner.

The Baltimore Orioles have signed 26-year old righty swinging CF Adam Jones to a 6-year, $85.5 million dollar contract extension. Jones has played in 47 games for the O’s so far this year and he is 59 for 191 (.309 avg, .948 OPS) with 34 runs scored, 14 homers, 31 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. Jones has now played in 598 games in his first five years with the Orioles and he is 643 for 2,289 (.281 avg, .780 OPS) with 322 runs scored, 86 homers, 310 RBIs and 47 stolen bases. This move should have Orioles’ fans really excited as Jones is turning into one of the better outfielders in the A.L. this year.

The Orioles have designated 32-year old righty swinging IF/OF Bill Hall for assignment. Hall played in 6 games for the Orioles this year and he was 2 for 7 (.286 avg, 1.260 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 1 homer and 1 RBI. The Orioles probably hope Hall clears waivers and accepts an outright assignment to AAA, so they can keep him. Hall has played in 15 games in AAA-ball this year for the O’s and he was 14 for 63 (.222 avg, .650 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 2 homers, 7 RBIs and 1 stolen base.

UPDATE: (5/26/2012) - Bill Hall has cleared waivers and he has accepted an outright assignment to AAA.

33-year old lefty swinging 1B/DH Nick Johnson was horrid in April. He played in 8 games for the Orioles in April and he was 0 for 26 (.000 avg, .133 OPS) with 1 run scored, 0 homers, 1 RBI and 1 stolen base. The Orioles could have very easily cut him loose for his April performance, but manager Buck Showalter had faith in him and now he’s being rewarded for it. Johnson has played in 15 games so far in May and he is 13 for 37 (.351 avg, 1.238 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 4 homers, 10 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He has played in 23 games overall this year for the Orioles and he is 13 for 63 (.206 avg, .785 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 4 homers, 11 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Johnson is going to start earning more P.T. if he keeps swinging a hot stick.

26-year old righty swinging CF Adam Jones really stepped up in 2011, but he has been awesome so far this year. Jones has played in 45 games for the Orioles so far this year and he is 57 for 183 (.311 avg, .958 OPS) with 32 runs scored, 14 homers, 29 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Jones has career highs of 83 runs scored, 25 homers, 83 RBIs and 12 stolen bases…..and he should be able to set new ones in 2012 as long as he can stay healthy. Jones’ all-around play this season is a big reason why the Orioles are in first place right now, so they need him to keep up the good work.

The Orioles have signed 35-year old lefty reliever J.C. Romero to a minor league deal. Romero pitched in 11 games (0 starts) earlier this year for the Cardinals and he was 0-0 with a 10.13 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP. Romero has pitched in 675 games (22 starts) in his first 14 years in the majors and he is 34-28 with 7 saves, a 4.15 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. If Romero pitches well in the minors, he will get a shot with the Orioles at some point in 2012.

UPDATE: (7/10/2012) - The Orioles have released 36-year old lefty reliever J.C. Romero. Romero pitched in 17 games (1 start) in AAA-ball for the Orioles this year and he was 1-0 with 2 saves, a 2.51 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP.

22-year old lefty swinging outfielder Xavier Avery is having a good start to his major league career. Avery has played in 8 games for the Orioles so far this year and he is 10 for 32 (.313 avg, .858 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 0 homers, 2 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Avery came into this season as the Orioles’ #9 prospect according to Baseball America. He played in 483 games in his five years in the minors and he was 502 for 1,887 (.266 avg, .691 OPS) with 260 runs scored, 18 homers, 151 RBIs and 125 stolen bases. The Orioles hope that Avery keeps up the good work in LF while Nolan Reimold is out of action.