Luis Matos
| G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | CS | OBP | SLG | AVG | SH | SF | HBP | GIDP | OWP |
| 109 | 439 | 70 | 133 | 23 | 3 | 13 | 45 | 28 | 90 | 15 | 7 | .353 | .458 | .303 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 9 | .572 |
| Age: 25 Height: 6-0 Weight: 208 lbs. Bats: Right Throws: Right Pos: CF |
Born: October 30, 1978, Bayamon , Puerto Rico Full Name: Luis David Matos College: none Experience: 4 years |
| Luis was not really in the Orioles' plans for 2003. With
Jay Gibbons, Gary Matthews, Melvin Mora, B.J. Surhoff, and Marty Cordova
manning the outfield, there wasn't any room to consider him a viable
contender for the rotation. But, as usual in baseball, things weren't
exactly as they seemed. Gary Matthews lost the magic of last June and July
as rapidly as he had found it, and was released, with Matos, who had been
tearing up AAA Ottawa, being called in to take his place. Then to add to the
pressure, Luis ended up moving down into the #2 slot when Jerry Hairston,
and later, Melvin Mora, went down with an injury. Luckily for the Orioles, and for Luis, he came out blazing, hitting .500 in May, .298 in June, and .314 in July. He cooled in August, but then seemed to get a second wind and finished strong, as well. Matos was still only 24 years old, despite his seemingly interminable minor league injury-riddled career, so there is still room for improvement. His walk numbers, like most everyone's on this club, are sub-par, he strikes out too much, and his stolen base ratio stinks. There is the added matter of an injury history, and that he's never hit like this before. Still, he had displayed talent in his earlier stints with the club, so who is to say he can't be a productive player? With Matos, Larry Bigbie, and Melvin Mora, the Orioles have three guys that can play a decent center field, so, at long last, the Orioles have a corner on something besides mediocre first basemen/DH's. This season, the Orioles got stellar play out of their center fielders once Matthews was sent packing. Matos' OWP was a hundred points higher than the average for the position. Even if he may not reach that lofty height again, it certainly appears that center field is well taken care of for a good while. To Help the Orioles Win Next Season, He Should: (1) improve his patience. He should be posting a better OBP when he hits .303. His speed is an important facet of the Orioles' game, but, in order to use it, he must be on base. (2) Cut down on the strikeouts a bit. (3) Stay Healthy. Matos has had a spectacular array of injuries, until this season. Can he stay healthy in 2004? NOTES: only hit .189 against the Yankees...hit 4 HR against Boston.
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