The Orioles aren't planning a Matt Wieters T-Shirt Tuesday just yet - they don't want to freak out the kid. And there weren't any Matt Wieters bobbleheads at the souvenir stands.
But the team is excited he's here, and so are the fans. And that can be only a good thing for a ballclub that has squandered a huge amount of public goodwill during 11 straight losing seasons.
Let's see, a big, strong catcher who hits for average, hits for power, has terrific defensive skills and a cannon for an arm (he was a closer at Georgia Tech who threw in the mid-90s) - yeah, you can see why that generated a little buzz.
He received a franchise-record $6 million signing bonus. And he was just starting to tear up Triple-A pitching (.391 batting average, four homers, 18 RBIs in his past 46 at-bats).
"I'm excited about seeing him because it's been a long time since the Orioles had such a highly regarded prospect that everyone's talking about," said Chris Welsh of York, Pa.
Welsh, who's in the Army and headed for his third tour of duty in Iraq, was stationed in Texas recently and said even the Rangers broadcasters have been talking up Wieters in recent weeks.
"It's everywhere," Welsh said of the Wieters hype. "ESPN's made a big deal out of him, too."
Maybe that's why Trembley felt compelled to sit down with the media Wednesday and talk about what effect all the hype would have on Wieters.
"I don't think it will be tough on Matt Wieters," Trembley said. " ... I think everybody in this room has been impressed by how he handles himself, how he talks. I hope you all and everybody just kind of gives him a little space.
" ... He's not going to be any different than anybody else. He's just going to be a guy on the team, and I would like to approach it like that with him so he doesn't feel like there's a big spotlight on everything he does all the time, even though we all know it will be hard to avoid. That comes with the territory."
Matt Wieters no different from anyone else?
Good luck with that plan.
