If you haven't noticed, ex-O's farmhand Calvin Pickering has been destroying the Triple-A Pacific Coast League as a member of the Omaha Royals, with eleven homers in his first thirteen games. His batting line as of Thursday speaks for itself:
| G | AB | R | H | TB | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SH | SF | HP | BB | IB | SO | SB | CS | DP | AVG | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 43 | 13 | 19 | 54 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .442 | .537 | 1.256 |
(from BaseballAmerica.com)
That's a 1.793 OPS. Not too shabby.
Rob Neyer attempted to explain this otherworldly phenomenon in his Wednesday column. More coverage appears in this article on MLB.com.
Pickering (minor-league stats here) is about the same height (6'5") as the other ex-Oriole named Cal, but a good bit heavier—his weight has been reported variously between 260 and 300 pounds. He once was the finest power hitter in the Orioles' system and a fixture on the organization's top prospect lists in the late 1990s.
Unfortunately, injuries, weight problems, and a veteran-crowded Oriole roster stifled his opportunities to gain a foothold in the major leagues. After floating through various organizations—including a Mexican League team—he landed with Omaha this year, where thanks to improved health and a few small adjustments, he's been smacking them deep into the gloaming. Apparently, he's blocked at the big-league level by the Royals' 1B/DH trio of Mike Sweeney, Matt Stairs, and Ken Harvey, but if he keeps hitting like this, odds are that some offense-starved team out there will give him another chance in the majors.