Orioles recall Bynum to fill Cintron void

Intelligencer Journal

Published: Jul 02, 2008
02:02 EST

Baltimore, MD

By ED GRUVER, Sports Writer

Orioles shortstop Freddie Bynum stood in front of his locker Tuesday afternoon, wearing a white T-shirt, dark blue jeans and the bemused smile of a man who had just been given a rare and precious gift.

That is, a second chance to make a first impression.

"It's surprising, but yeah, I'm happy," the 28-year-old North Carolina native said after being recalled to Baltimore when the club placed shortstop Alex Cintron on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left hamstring suffered in the seventh inning of Monday night's loss to Kansas City.

Bynum played 34 games for the Birds this season and owned a team-high 29 starts at short before being designated for assignment on June 22. He cleared waivers and was sent to Triple-A Norfolk.

"Things happen for a reason," he said, his demotion no doubt hastened by a .192 batting average. "Maybe (going to the minors) was part of a plan to get me going."

Bynum responded by hitting .400 in five games for the Tides. He sought to avoid any self-imposed pressure to perform like he would a high and tight fastball. Yet he knew that if he wanted to get back to the bigs, he had to take care of business in Norfolk.

"That's true, but you don't want to put too much pressure on yourself," he said with an ironic smile that reflected the complexity of a produce-but-don't-press mindset. "I just went down there and tried to relax. I got to see some people, got back to reality, and that helped me clear my mind."

To make his stay in the majors a permanent one, Bynum knows he has to perform at the plate. It's been a problem area in the past. He hit .260 in 70 games with the Birds last season; .257 in 71 games with the Cubs in 2006. He had the proverbial cup of coffee with the A's in 2005, batting .286 in seven games.

A .259 lifetime batting average like Bynum's would have been more acceptable in the 1960s and '70s when shortstop was manned by light-hitting types like Maury Wills, Bud Harrelson and Larry Bowa. But Baltimore's Cal Ripken Jr. re-invented the position in the 1980s to one that can boast a productive bat, setting the stage for the offense-minded shortstops of the '90s — Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra.

Cintron, while not in the class of the aforementioned, is batting .275 with three doubles, a triple, and a home run in 26 games with the O's this season.

"I don't like the reason I'm up here," Bynum said in reference to Cintron's injury. "But, hey, I'll help the team as much as I can."

Dave Trembley expects nothing less. The O's no-nonsense skipper spoke of the need for players to "come to the forefront" when presented with an opportunity.

"We didn't get a whole lot of offense out of Freddie," admitted Trembley, who started Brandon Fahey at short in Tuesday's 7-5 win over the Royals. "I can probably get away with (limited production from shortstop) a little bit better now that we're back to the DH and it's not a National League-style game. Still, Cintron was giving us some offense."

The inference was clear. In a division as power-packed as the AL East, plate production up and down the lineup is a necessity, not a luxury.

"I tell every guy that comes here, 'It's not a tryout,'" Trembley said. "A lot of pressure these guys feel, they put on themselves. Freddie's been around for awhile, so he should come up here, enjoy it, and make the most of the opportunity."

In short, seize this second chance to make a first impression.

E-mail: egruver@lnpnews.com