SEASON SUMMARY

Ah, the halcyon days of April and May when Greg Myers was the leading slugger on the Baltimore Orioles.  Really.  As late as May 13 Myers was still hitting .400.  His slugging percentage was over .600 as late as May 30 and his on base percentage didn't slide below .400 until May 31.  Never mind the fact that Myers appeared in only 19 games and compiled just 60 at-bats through May 30.  When he did play, he was hot, hot, hot.  And then he cooled off.  Myers went 0-18 in his next six games and suddenly his batting average was down to .270, his slugging percentage had fallen to .459 and his on base percentage was a mortal .341.  

And then the Orioles released him.

Released him!  Unceremoniously, I might add.  In mid-June, the Orioles cut him loose, apparently unable to find any takers despite Myers' hot start.  How could all those other teams, many with at least some needs behind the plate, ignore him?  There was, of course, the little matter of personal history.  

Greg Myers has never been more than a platoon catcher in his big league career--which started way back in 1987.  He has appeared in as many as 100 games in a season just twice (high of 108) and has been a backup since 1997.  He turned 36 last April.

Roughly ten days after his Orioles release, the Oakland Athletics picked him up and he spent better than three months with the club, hitting seven home runs in just 87 at-bats, but batting just .184 and providing his usual passable defense on the rare occasions when he was called upon to spell starter Ramon Hernandez.  Myers appeared behind the plate just 33 times, committing no errors and allowing no passed balls, and threw out a bit more than 1/4 of the runners who tried to steal against him.

The A's were apparently satisfied, and have already signed Myers to a one-year contract for 2002.  It will be his 15th big league season. 

TO CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY NEXT YEAR, HE MUST:

1) remain satisfied with his backup role; he seems perfectly comfortable doing so

2) continue to be something other than a liability behind the plate

3) contribute the occasional walk and homer when called upon, which will probably be rarely

NOTES

In April, May and September hit .333 and slugged .628 with nine extra base hits (six homers) in 78 at bats; in June, July, August and October hit .120 and slugged .301 with five extra base hits (all homers) in 83 at bats...hit .177 in 79 ABs after falling behind in the count 0-1; hit .286 in 63 ABs after getting ahead 1-0.