It’s March 23, 1996, and the Orioles got blown out, 11-1, by the Florida Marlins in a preseason game. The games don’t count, but it is disconcerting that Jimmy Haynes, who is in the running for a rotation spot, gave up 6 runs in 5 innings. 

But what happened on the field is less concerning than the news the O’s received off it, which is that catcher Chris Hoiles has been dealing with arthritis in his throwing shoulder since last year. The condition limits the strength in that arm, which may be why he has struggled to throw out baserunners so far this spring. “It’s an ongoing situation,” said O’s trainer Richie Bancells. “You can get the shoulder stronger, but there’s a fine line between what’s helping and what’s not.”

With Hoiles ailing, the O’s have been looking — both internally and externally — for other options at catcher. The top internal option is rookie Gregg Zaun, who is still trying to establish himself as a major leaguer after debuting in Baltimore late last season. Well, at the very least he wants to establish himself enough that his name is spelled right on his baseball card (see above).

Gregg Zaun was born in April of 1971 in Glendale, Ca. Growing up, he had big baseball dreams, but he was not big. He didn’t break 100 pounds until the ninth grade and wanted to grow so badly he used to hang upside down from a bar on the playground. (Baltimore Sun, p. 1C, February 26, 1996)

His uncle is Rick Dempsey, a beloved Orioles icon who spent a decade as the team’s catcher in the ’70s and ’80s. Taking his uncle’s advice, Zaun learned how to hit from both sides of the plate.

He finally got a growth spurt in high school and became a full-time catcher on his school’s team. He was good, but when the O’s drafted him in the 17th round in 1989, he had the suspicion it might have just been as a favor for his uncle.

“They didn’t treat me any differently [in the minor leagues],” Zaun said. “They waited for me to fail.”

But Zaun was determined to make it, and hung on. Over five seasons in the minors, he played at five different levels. At 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, he’s still not very big for a major league catcher, but that’s not stopping a man who has catching in his blood. His confidence has made him a clubhouse leader each stop along the minor league ladder.

“The way I see it, I’m a catcher and the other eight guys on the field are looking at me,” he said when he was the starting catcher of the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings. “If I’m upbeat, they’re going to be upbeat. But if I’m selfish, that’s going to spread throughout the clubhouse.” (The Times-Union, Rochester, N.Y., March 24, 1994)

Other than Hoiles, there aren’t really any other established catchers on the roster. So, 1996 could mean semi-regular playing time for Zaun in Baltimore. He’s been rankled by the rumors about the O’s possibly trading for another backup catcher, but he’s hung in this far, he’ll continue to fight for his spot in the majors.

In what will become an eerily prescient quote, earlier this spring Zaun predicted his major league career. “Fifteen years,” he said. “Fifteen years, and I’ve got to be a starter sometime. I’ll play until I’m 40-something years old. I want to play here so badly.”

Fun in the Sun

Welcome to a recurring segment where I find fun things in today’s (in 1996) Baltimore Sun!

Ostrich burgers are becoming a thing in England as fears about British beef continue to rise. The UK recently announced that 10 deaths in the country may be associated with “mad cow disease.”