[外電] Orioles tap New Zealand for 17-year-ol
Orioles tap New Zealand for 17-year-old prospect
January 18, 2012|By Eduardo A. Encina | The Baltimore Sun
There's never been a major league baseball player to come out of New Zealand.
And despite reports from the country that 17-year-old first baseman Pita Rona
has signed a seven-year "major league" contract with the Orioles, it's
actually far from that.
The Orioles have signed the 6-foot-5, 175-pound Rona to a minor-league deal
and he will report to Major League Baseball's developmental academy in
Australia. Rona, who has played for the New Zealand men's national softball
team (commonly referred to as the Black Sox), shifted his focus to baseball
last year. His father, Brad, is also a prominent softball player in New
Zealand and together they were the first father-son duo to play for the
nationall team at the same time.
The fact that Rona is reporting to the Australian academy indicates he's a
raw player. Usually players will play there for one to two years and then
those deemed as real prospects come to the states at the lowest level of
minor league baseball.
So maybe you see him in the Gulf Coast League in 2013 at the earliest.
Needless to say, he's a long way from the majors -- both literally and
figuratively. But it is another sign that the Orioles are willing to span the
globe for international talent.
One other note, former Orioles catcher Craig Tatum was designated for
assignment by the Astros on Wednesday in order to create a roster spot for
the newly-acquired Jack Cust. Houston claimed Tatum, who hit .195 in 87 major
league at bats last season, off waivers from the Orioles in October.
http://0rz.tw/RRSvu
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