It’s March 30, 1996, and the Orioles are heading north to get ready for Opening Day on April 1. We have covered just about everyone who will make the final roster so far, but there are a couple guys we’ll group together today: Jeff Huson and Jimmy Myers. A utility man and middle reliever, respectively, life on the roster bubble is tough. There’s a lot of churn at the bottom of the roster every year, and these guys might end up back in the minors, or they might be key pieces to fill in when someone gets hurt. Regardless, making a major league roster is a huge accomplishment, so congrats to Jeff and Jimmy.

Jeff Huson was born in August of 1964 in Scottsdale, Ariz. He played collegiately at the University of Wyoming and was so far off the radar he wasn’t even drafted after his senior year in 1985. But he did sign a minor league free agent deal with the Montreal Expos. Showing an ability to play all over the field — both infield and outfield — he shot through the minors and made his debut north of the border in 1988. At the start of the season in 1990, the Expos shipped him to Texas, and he actually had three solid seasons with the Rangers in the early ’90s. When he was released following the 1994 season, the O’s signed him. He spent most of 1995 at Triple-A Rochester, but was up in September and started at third base next to Cal Ripken, Jr., the night the Iron Man broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games streak. So in that sense, Huson will always have a place in Birdland lore. He’s going to make the team in 1996, but with Manny Alexander and Billy Ripken also on the team, having Huson around seems pretty redundant. We’ll see how long he lasts.

Jimmy Myers (no relation to new O’s closer Randy) was born in April of 1969 in Oklahoma City. The San Francisco Giants drafted him out of high school in the 35th round of the 1987 draft. Thus began a lengthy journey through minor league ball. For close to a decade, Myers has doggedly pursued his dream but has never made it to the majors. He has thrown 920 innings across four different organizations, but has never pitched in a game above Triple-A. He got called up for about two weeks and joined the Orioles in 1995, but he never pitched. Calling him “the stealth Oriole” (because he never appeared in a game) The Baltimore Sun says Myers is “extremely well-liked by the Orioles veterans because of his easygoing, folksy manner.” (Baltimore Sun, p. 8C, February 19, 1996) He has a sparkling 1.13 ERA this year and it looks like he will finally make the cut. When he appears in a game out of the bullpen, he will be making his long-awaited major league debut. That he is this close to his dream is truly a testament to his skill and perseverance. Even if he doesn’t stay up long (and he might not depending on how Alan Mills’ rehab goes) he can forever say he made it.

So with that, we have covered the entire roster. Here is how the projected lineup looks, with links to our previous summaries if you want to catch back up:

SP: Mike Mussina
SP: David Wells
SP: Scott Erickson
SP: Kent Mercker
SP: Jimmy Haynes

CP: Randy Myers
RP: Roger McDowell
RP: Jesse Orosco
RP: Arthur Rhodes
RP: Armando Benitez
RP: Jimmy Myers (above)
RP: Alan Mills (injured)

C: Chris Hoiles
1B: Rafael Palmeiro
2B: Roberto Alomar
SS: Cal Ripken, Jr.
3B: B.J. Surhoff
LF: Jeffrey Hammonds
CF: Brady Anderson
RF: Tony Tarasco / RF: Mike Devereaux
DH: Bobby Bonilla

Backup C: Gregg Zaun
Backup IF: Manny Alexander
Backup IF: Billy Ripken
Backup IF: Jeff Huson (above)

Manager: Davey Johnson

Fun in the Sun

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

The football team has a new name.