1st Baseman Ryan Garko has been released by the Texas Rangers, will the Baltimore Orioles have interest?

The 29 year-old right-handed hitter is certainly not a long-term option, and might not even help you this year. However, in 2008 he had 36 extra-base hits for Cleveland, with 90 rbi in 495 at-bats.

Prior to be traded to San Francisco last-year, Garko had a .826 OPS (.464 slugging) in 239 at-bats for the Tribe, with a respectable walk to strikeout ratio (20 to 40).

His last 55 games (40 for San Fran in ’09 and 15 for Texas in ’10) have been brutal. 138 at-bats, and just 30 hits, with 2 homers.

He might just be Garrett Atkins, or he might be worth a look. You could make the case that Atkins (with his 96 at-bats) has received more regular playing-time and you are closer to knowing just what you have. Clearly his production (.593 OPS) is not enough. If you wanted to cut Atkins today and replace him with Garko – I think most people could get on-board with that.

One thing I see in Garko’s past that I really like is that he played 141 games in the Minors at Catcher. So he could serve as your emergency catcher here in Baltimore. With Tatum being a complete offensive liability, this would give you some flexibility.

http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/G/Ryan-Garko.shtml

Chris Stoner
Chris Stoner

Owner

Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.

X