Orioles right-hander Chris Tillman pitched to catcher Matt Wieters during the 2008 season at Double-A Bowie. He threw to him again this season at Triple-A Norfolk.
And when Tillman debuted for the Orioles in July, Wieters, the franchise's most hyped phenom in two decades, had already been in the major leagues for two months.
Yet, the quiet Wieters who Tillman knew so well in the minors dissipated with each big league game, replaced by a more confident, more vocal force behind the plate.
In the minors, "he kind of let you pitch, kind of let you do your thing," Tillman said. "Here, he's kind of taking control, taking that leadership role of being a catcher and controlling the field and being more vocal. And he's doing a good job so far."
It's a common observation: Wieters the hot minor league prospect now looks to be Wieters the legitimate big leaguer.
"The biggest thing I like about him now is, as the season went along he kind of caught up to the league," Orioles hitting coach Terry Crowley said. "His actions are quicker. His feeling he belongs here and hitting in the middle of the order is accurate. He feels good about himself."
Wieters made his Orioles debut May 29 amid extraordinary expectations that rivaled perhaps only those surrounding pitcher Ben McDonald in 1989. He went hitless in four at-bats, but it didn't matter, as hungry fans packed the park to see Wieters.
"You were never going to be able to live up to Wieters' [hype], but he's obviously starting to show that he can really play at this level and make a big impact," second baseman Brian Roberts said. "I think guys just get built up so much and you expect him to come up here and just dominate. That's not going to happen."
In his second big league game, Wieters doubled and tripled against Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander, further cementing the 23-year-old's reputation. Then he experienced the inevitable rookie growing pains. He batted .253 in his next 24 games (21-for-83) and had just five extra-base hits in that month-plus span. Heading into August, he only had three homers and 13 RBIs in his first 157 at-bats.
"When I first got up here, I was trying to hit every ball as hard and far as I could," he said. "Now, it's you just got to go out there and play and whatever happens, happens. You work off the field. You work before the game, you work after the game. But once the game starts, it's just going back to playing."
