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Fahey an unlikely big leaguer for
Orioles “The first pitch you get to hit, hit it!” According to the Baltimore Sun, that’s the advice Terry Crowley gave to Brandon Fahey last night in Baltimore before he drove in the Orioles winning run in the bottom of the eighth to propel the wavering Orioles over the Kansas City Royals at Camden Yards. Fans of the Arizona Fall League may recall Fahey from last season when he played shortstop and second base for the Peoria Javelinas. Up to that point, Fahey was the invisible man in baseball circles. Thin as a reed and looking much younger than his 25 years, Fahey used the opportunity given to him last fall and forced his way onto the Orioles 40 man roster over the winter. He finished the season with a very respectable .288 batting average though he hit over .300 most of the season. During the week I was there, I felt that he was playing better than his more highly valued shortstop brethren also playing in the league --- fellows like Stephen Drew and Brandon Wood! You could tell he came to Arizona to play the game. Without fail, he was the first player on the field before the game, and usually left with the dirtiest uniform. The son of former major league player and San Francisco Giants coach, Bill Fahey, young Brandon was the Orioles 32nd round pick in the 2000 draft, taken out of the University of Texas. Players taken that low are usually long shots to make the Majors. Rarely do they show any sustained success at any level. Fahey has toiled obscurely and steadily in the Orioles system, batting .265 in three minor league seasons. He has been described as a steady player who consistently makes the routine plays and does not create any attention grabbing errors. Scouts say he has a strong throwing arm and a dependable glove. In fact, when anyone in the Baltimore area mentioned his name, it was usually met with a resounding, “Who is that?” Those who did follow the Orioles minor league teams and were knowledgeable of Fahey, spoke of him as a utility player, no more no less. If he even made it to the majors at all. In fact, if he had not played so well in the fall, in front of loads of scouts, I doubt if he would have been added to the 40 man roster this off season. With all of the visibility he received, the Birds couldn’t keep him under wraps any longer. Now, opportunity has once again knocked for Brandon Fahey and he is making the most of his chance. Recalled from AAA Ottawa when Brian Roberts went down with a groin injury, Fahey is hitting .297 in 37 at bats with the big club. Since being recalled on April 30th, Fahey has filled in not only for, but when Miguel Tejada came down with leg problems and had to DH, he backfilled at shortstop as well. Batting in the lead off spot last night, he went 2-5 and drove in one run. After failing to push a runner in to score in the fourth inning when he struck out on four Andy Sisco pitches, Fahey rose to the occasion and smacked Elmer Dessens' first offering into right field, scoring Corey Patterson. Fahey is the type of player you love to see make it. Vastly underrated because of his size (the Orioles list him as 6-0 and a very generous 180 lbs.), build and demeanor, the young middle infielder has made his presence known by just doing his job as well as he can. He does no one thing extremely well but does all things consistently. In a season when the Orioles can give young players lots of opportunity to show what they can do at the big league level (see Nick Markakis and Chris Ray) I for one, am hoping Fahey continues to make the most of his shot at the bigs. --- John
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