Orioles Minor Leaguer of the Week: Steve Clevenger

Norfolk Tides catcher Steve Clevenger racked up some very impressive numbers last week for the triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. The 28-year-old went 16 for 27 (.593 avg.) with 9 runs, 7 doubles, and 13 RBIs in just six games.

Many O’s fans were a bit surprised when the veteran catcher was optioned to Norfolk on May 28th, as Clevenger had been filling in fairly nicely for the injured Matt Wieters. Clevenger, however, did not let the small setback dent his confidence at the plate. After going 0 for 11 in his first three games with the triple-A club, the Baltimore native went on a 16 for 23 tear in the team’s next six games.

Clevenger was acquired by the Orioles in the July 2013 trade with the Chicago Cubs (along with Scott Feldman) for Jake Arrieta and Pedro Strop. While it took some time for Clevenger to get some at bats in Baltimore, he quickly became a fan favorite.

Although Wieters is on the disabled list with elbow issues, the Orioles still had three catchers on the big league roster on May 28th: Caleb Joseph, Nick Hundley, and Clevenger. One of the three players had to be sacrificed and be sent down to Norfolk, and it would definitely not be the newly acquired Hundley.

While many expected Joseph to be the one to be demoted (especially since both Hundley and Joseph are right handed hitters), Clevenger (a left handed hitter) was the one to draw the short straw.

Perhaps Clevenger’s best moment with the Orioles in the first part of this season was a walk-off double in extra innings on May 10th to extend Baltimore’s winning streak at the time to five games. The Baltimore native hit .243 in 24 games with the Orioles before being optioned.

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Brian Hradsky

The owner of MSB, I created this website while in college and it has never died.

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