As most fans know, the team acquired the ‘verstaile’ Ty Wigginton off the market yesterday. There’s not been an offiicial press release out on the signing (one can assume he has to finish a physical), but he’ll be an Oriole.
Here’s some more from Wigginton courtesy of the Baltimore Sun.
Wigginton, 31, agreed to a two-year, $6 million deal yesterday morning, which will become official this week once he completes a physical in Baltimore.
“I’m definitely excited,” said Wigginton, who has played in parts of seven major league seasons with the New York Mets, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Houston Astros.
“When I was in Tampa, I enjoyed playing in the AL East. I believe it is the toughest division in baseball. You have to compete on a daily basis in that division, and that’s a lot of fun.”
As for where he plays, he really doesn’t care — he just wants to get out there on ball field. A plus in my book, and sounds like he’ll be a team guy…
Although second is his natural position, Wigginton has played the majority of his big league games at third base. Last year, he played 82 games there and 30 in left field while filling in for injured starter Carlos Lee.
“I’ve never cared where I have played on a baseball field,” Wigginton said. “I enjoy wherever I am playing. Any position is fine with me. I want to put on my cleats and compete.”
It’s sounds like he’ll be a gamer, but Ty is also realistic about his skillset and expectations.
“I’m not the kind of guy that sets goals on the season, to hit .300 or have 20 home runs,” Wigginton said. “My goal is to step on the field and respect the game of baseball, and all those numbers will take care of themselves.”
The bottom line is that Wigginton was signed for his bat as he hit 23 home runs in less than 400 at-bats. He’s not necessarily good anywhere in the field, but we got offense for cheap — 2 years/3 million annually — and that’s a plus. We know what we’ll get with him, and I do think this could be a precursor to a deal being made. If Mora is not re-signed by Baltimore in 2010, one can assume that Wigginton will serve in a more prominent role as an Oriole; however, expect to see his name in the lineup a lot.
