Under normal circumstances a player like Luis Matos would never have been promoted to the Big Leagues in the middle of a season. He's only 21 years old, and while his defensive skills in the outfield are outstanding, he's yet to prove he can hit at all. Luis' average at AA Bowie wasn't bad (.271), but with only 17 walks and 14 extra base hits in 50 games it's obvious that he had a ways to go before he could hold his own against pitchers at the Major League level. That the Orioles did bring Matos up in the middle of June says more about what a wasted season it was for the franchise than whether the team actually thought he could contribute to winning ball games.

Luis did live up to his billing as a defensive wiz -- he committed only two errors in 69 games as an OF and his Zone Rating would have led all ML center fielders by a wide margin had he qualified. While playing center, Matos had 123 POs in 44 games, a rate which adds up to 440+ POs over the course of an entire season. To put that in perspective, Andrew Jones had 439 POs last season, Ken Griffey Jr. had 374, and Bernie Williams, 353. Considering how young Luis is it should be safe to assume that he will only get better defensively over the course of the next 3-4 years as he learns the game.

But it's Matos' bat that will determine his future with the Orioles. As good as he is with the glove, in these days of offensive craziness no team can afford to waste an outfield position on a good field/no hit player. And unfortunately "no hit" perfectly defined Luis Matos last season. He hit just .225 w/10 extra base hits in 182 ABs and compiled a horrid OPS of .589. He was 13 for 17 in stolen bases but since he only reached base 28% of the time who could care? But again, taking into consideration his tender age, over time, with good hitting coaches and some hard work, he very well could blossom at the plate. With his other talents, Luis doesn't have to hit like Barry Bonds to significantly help a ballclub.

TO CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY NEXT YEAR, HE MUST:

1) Spend a whole season at AAA learning to hit. Matos' elevation to Baltimore during the 2000 season was premature, and while it was exciting to see him cruise center field he's still only half a ballplayer.

Notes: Matos hit .333 when putting the first pitch in play, .209 in all other situations. He hit .262 at Camden Yards but only .177 on the road. Hit .277 during day games, only .197 at night.