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06-09-2003, 07:22 PM
I love him already. :D
06/09/2003 12:51 PM ET
At long last, Matos has arrived
By Gary Washburn / MLB.com
http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/images/2003/06/09/mFRfFCRX.jpg
Luis Matos enters Tuesday's contest against the Cubs on a 14-game hitting streak. (Tim Sharp/AP)
BALTIMORE -- When he was a multisport athlete in his native Puerto Rico, playing everything with ease and wowing baseball and volleyball scouts, injuries did not enter Luis Matos' mind. He was young, spry and healthy, and it was only going to be a matter of time before he made an impact with the Orioles when they drafted him in 1996.
Six years later, Matos is beginning to make that impact, but his road to the Major Leagues has been an arduous trek that nearly made him the forgotten man in the organization because he was passed up in favor of healthier players.
Every time it seemed Matos was on the verge of cementing his status as a top outfield prospect, he got hurt. And the Orioles looked elsewhere for their "center fielder of the future." Former top prospect Gary Matthews Jr fit the bill for a while.
Club officials said Matos, 24, needed one healthy year in Triple-A before he could legitimately compete for a roster spot.
Try one month.
Matos enters Tuesday's game against the Chicago Cubs batting .424 with a 14-game hitting streak, having hit safely in every game since being recalled from Triple-A Ottawa.
With Matthews having faltered as a starter, placed on waivers and subsequently claimed, Matos is the center fielder of the future -- and the present.
"All I needed to do was stay healthy," Matos said. "I had no doubts in my abilities. I just needed to stay away from the bad luck and forget about everything else and just play."
Matos has made an impact on an improving Orioles offense and has become one of the leaders, along with Melvin Mora, who is carrying a 20-game hitting streak into Tuesday.
Perhaps it's a case of the league knowing little about how to approach Matos, but he is hardly a rookie.
He played 72 games as a 21-year-old in 2000 and showed promise despite hitting just .225. Club officials thought Matos was ready defensively for the Major Leagues but needed to improve his offense. But just as he was set to put in a full Triple-A season, he separated his shoulder while sliding into second base and was limited to just 49 games in 2001.
"It wasn't anything major," he said. "I just had to rest the shoulder, and I had to sit out. But it was frustrating because I knew I was losing valuable time. I wanted to get out there, and I couldn't."
Matos then entered 2002 Spring Training with an outside chance at making the team. But the Orioles had signed veteran Chris Singleton to be their center fielder so Matos could log a full season in Triple-A and be ready for 2003.
But injury struck again. Matos broke the hamate bone in his right wrist and had to miss the first two months of the 2002 season. He gained the reputation as a gifted but injury-prone player. Meanwhile, Matthews moved into the starting center field role and appeared cemented there.
"I don't think he was forgotten in our eyes," manager Mike Hargrove said. "I just think there were at-bats he had to catch up to. We have tried to allow that to happen. But it just hadn't happened."
After hamate surgery, Matos spent a healthy 2002 season with Double-A Bowie but played little during a 17-game stint with the Orioles. This year, he was supposed to man center field in Ottawa and perhaps have a shot to make the club next year.
But the Orioles placed Matthews on waivers, and he was claimed by the Padres, the team that drafted him in 1993.
That, coupled with an injury to left fielder Larry Bigbie, created the need for Matos, who was batting .303 for Ottawa.
"I didn't think about when they signed Matthews or anything but getting healthy," Matos said. "I had no question about my talent, but I get paid to play, not to be injured. So I felt like I was letting people down. I wanted to do my part, and I wasn't."
For the four-sport star for Disciple of Christ Academy in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, the past two weeks have been a culmination of hard work and patience. Matos' body is healthy. He can do all the things he did before. Now, the task, as with any young player, is to remain consistent.
"I still have a lot to learn," Matos said. "This game is not easy. Right now, I feel good. But I want to be able to keep this up and stay here. I do not want to go back to Triple-A."
Gary Washburn is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
06/09/2003 12:51 PM ET
At long last, Matos has arrived
By Gary Washburn / MLB.com
http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/images/2003/06/09/mFRfFCRX.jpg
Luis Matos enters Tuesday's contest against the Cubs on a 14-game hitting streak. (Tim Sharp/AP)
BALTIMORE -- When he was a multisport athlete in his native Puerto Rico, playing everything with ease and wowing baseball and volleyball scouts, injuries did not enter Luis Matos' mind. He was young, spry and healthy, and it was only going to be a matter of time before he made an impact with the Orioles when they drafted him in 1996.
Six years later, Matos is beginning to make that impact, but his road to the Major Leagues has been an arduous trek that nearly made him the forgotten man in the organization because he was passed up in favor of healthier players.
Every time it seemed Matos was on the verge of cementing his status as a top outfield prospect, he got hurt. And the Orioles looked elsewhere for their "center fielder of the future." Former top prospect Gary Matthews Jr fit the bill for a while.
Club officials said Matos, 24, needed one healthy year in Triple-A before he could legitimately compete for a roster spot.
Try one month.
Matos enters Tuesday's game against the Chicago Cubs batting .424 with a 14-game hitting streak, having hit safely in every game since being recalled from Triple-A Ottawa.
With Matthews having faltered as a starter, placed on waivers and subsequently claimed, Matos is the center fielder of the future -- and the present.
"All I needed to do was stay healthy," Matos said. "I had no doubts in my abilities. I just needed to stay away from the bad luck and forget about everything else and just play."
Matos has made an impact on an improving Orioles offense and has become one of the leaders, along with Melvin Mora, who is carrying a 20-game hitting streak into Tuesday.
Perhaps it's a case of the league knowing little about how to approach Matos, but he is hardly a rookie.
He played 72 games as a 21-year-old in 2000 and showed promise despite hitting just .225. Club officials thought Matos was ready defensively for the Major Leagues but needed to improve his offense. But just as he was set to put in a full Triple-A season, he separated his shoulder while sliding into second base and was limited to just 49 games in 2001.
"It wasn't anything major," he said. "I just had to rest the shoulder, and I had to sit out. But it was frustrating because I knew I was losing valuable time. I wanted to get out there, and I couldn't."
Matos then entered 2002 Spring Training with an outside chance at making the team. But the Orioles had signed veteran Chris Singleton to be their center fielder so Matos could log a full season in Triple-A and be ready for 2003.
But injury struck again. Matos broke the hamate bone in his right wrist and had to miss the first two months of the 2002 season. He gained the reputation as a gifted but injury-prone player. Meanwhile, Matthews moved into the starting center field role and appeared cemented there.
"I don't think he was forgotten in our eyes," manager Mike Hargrove said. "I just think there were at-bats he had to catch up to. We have tried to allow that to happen. But it just hadn't happened."
After hamate surgery, Matos spent a healthy 2002 season with Double-A Bowie but played little during a 17-game stint with the Orioles. This year, he was supposed to man center field in Ottawa and perhaps have a shot to make the club next year.
But the Orioles placed Matthews on waivers, and he was claimed by the Padres, the team that drafted him in 1993.
That, coupled with an injury to left fielder Larry Bigbie, created the need for Matos, who was batting .303 for Ottawa.
"I didn't think about when they signed Matthews or anything but getting healthy," Matos said. "I had no question about my talent, but I get paid to play, not to be injured. So I felt like I was letting people down. I wanted to do my part, and I wasn't."
For the four-sport star for Disciple of Christ Academy in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, the past two weeks have been a culmination of hard work and patience. Matos' body is healthy. He can do all the things he did before. Now, the task, as with any young player, is to remain consistent.
"I still have a lot to learn," Matos said. "This game is not easy. Right now, I feel good. But I want to be able to keep this up and stay here. I do not want to go back to Triple-A."
Gary Washburn is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.