Heading into the season, Matt Wieters has emerged as a leader for the Baltimore Orioles. Many have argued whether or not he is a bust – despite only having played in the major leagues for less than two full seasons.
That being said, he’s far from it. So Wieters has not turned into the next Johnny Bench, or a “Mauer with Power”. The promise of the night when he debuted is still there, but it has taken a while to come to the surface.
It’s safe to say after Wieters’ 2011 season where emerged as an All-Star and a gold glove winner, he is becoming what fans thought he would be.
He’s not a fiery type at all, and actually quite studious. Wieters may not have the personality of Adam Jones and is not the boisterous type; however, he has such a towering presence that’s just impossible to ignore.
He showed flashes of brilliance in 2009 after a June call-up, but as we all know took a huge step back offensively. Let’s not forget that he had to learn, guide a pitching staff, plus deal with losing on a bigger stage.
All things considered, he’s been fairly sold and as of late has played shockingly well behind the dish. Even more impressive, Wieters has helped stabilize a pitching staff full of young arms and has gotten praise from most everyone on the roster – the most important being a seal of approval from manager Buck Showalter.
Of course, this upcoming season, Wieters has a new challenge: trying to acclimate himself with all the new pitchers; specifically, the new additions from Asia.
Much like with the young pitching staff, Wieters is a major component for the future of the Baltimore Orioles. Every competitive team in the majors has a strong catcher leading the way, and hopefully Wieters can be part of the solution for the franchise.
