A rash of injuries to Orioles outfielders--Marty Cordova most particularly--led to the recall of Larry Bigbie from AAA Ottawa in late April.  Over the span of a month or so, covering 67 at bats, Bigbie performed in desultory fashion (.239/.316/.328), and was then hurt himself and, after being removed from the DL, was returned to Ottawa, where he hit well.  He was recalled for a second time in 2003 in late July and remained on the Orioles' big league roster for the remainder of the season.

Bigbie was, to put it mildly, impressive in his second major league stint.  In 223 ABs, he managed a .323/.380/.495 performance after being recalled in July.

Based on fairly mediocre minor league performance over the course of his career, there was a great deal of skepticism as to whether Bigbie would ever perform at the big league level and, to at least some degree, there undoubtedly still is.  But even in his first stint with the Orioles, when he wasn't producing very much, it was clear that Bigbie wasn't overmatched by big league pitchers.  He wasn't getting on base much, but he wasn't simply putty in the hands of his opponents.  When he reached the show for the second time last season, he really put the hammer down.  Including his rather poor performance in April and May, Bigbie's 2003 Offensive Winning Percentage (.642) was the second highest mark on the club for those batters with at least 100 plate appearances (only Melvin Mora was better).

The central knock on Bigbie during his pro career has been a lack of power and while he'll almost certainly never be a big home run hitter, after his recall in July, Bigbie had a solid, if unspectacular Isolated Power mark of .172 (league average: .161), compiling 21 extra base hits (including eight home runs) in 223 ABs.  That's not going to make anyone forget Babe Ruth, but it does demonstrate adequate production for a complementary corner outfielder as long as he keeps his batting average up.  If Bigbie is really capable of hitting .300 or better for an entire season with walk and power numbers comparable to those of his second stint last season, he will be well above the league average for his position (2003 AL left field OWP average:  .547).

Defensively, Bigbie appeared solid in the outfield, with a decent if generally unremarkable throwing arm.  He certainly doesn't hurt his team with his glove. 

TO SUCCESSFULLY CONTRIBUTE NEXT SEASON HE MUST:

1. Demonstrate that he can produce at the 2003 level for an entire season.  That's the whole story.

NOTES: Hit for a higher average vs. LHP than RHP (.324 vs. .296) but showed far more power vs. right-handers (22 extra base hits in 216 ABs as opposed to three in 71 ABs vs. lefties)...crushed the ball at Camden Yards (.365/.423/.565 in 126 ABs at home)...far more potent at night (.335/.403/.510) than during the day (.237/.284/.344 in 93 ABs)...in 41 plate appearances that reached a 3-2 count, Bigbie was just 3-23 (.130), but drew 18 walks (.512 OBP)....327/.410/.500 in 104 ABs with runners on base...was .426/.472/.574 in 47 "close and late" ABs.

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