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Wigginton A Throwback To Another Era

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The Associated Press

Published: March 7, 2009

FORT LAUDERDALE - Ty Wigginton looks and plays as if he should be wearing a baggy, wool uniform.

His buzz haircut, hustle on the basepaths and overwhelming desire to win makes him a throwback to an era when most major leaguers played for the love of the game.

"Wigginton should have been playing in the '50s," Baltimore Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. "He's a dirt-bag. He just wants to play, he competes, nothing's ever been given to him. He's just a baseball guy."

A pretty good one, too. Baltimore signed Wigginton to a two-year contract last month after he batted .285 and his 23 home runs for the Houston Astros in a mere 111 games and 386 at-bats. He has hit at least 20 homers in three straight seasons and can play at least five different positions.

His value to the Orioles transcends mere numbers.

In a recent exhibition game against the Dominican Republic, Wigginton hit a three-run homer in the first inning to put Baltimore ahead. He made more of an impression in his next at-bat, when he hit a towering popup that landed 10 feet in front of home plate.

The Dominican team misplayed the ball, and by the time it dropped untouched to the ground, Wigginton was standing on second base.

"That exemplifies why we got him," Trembley said. "The home run, we expect that from him. But what he did in his second at-bat … that's what's been needed around here. More of that kind of stuff, that kind of approach to playing the game. You don't do it to get a pat on the back, but because that's how you play the game, and that's how you believe the game should be played."

Wigginton last year played left field, right field, first base, second and third. He stores four gloves in his locker and is ready to any one of them on any given day.

"It used to be five, but it might be down to four now," he said. "I think I've lost the catcher's mitt. But that won't be a problem if they need me to do that."

Wigginton probably won't be crouching behind the plate anytime soon, but he has been taking grounders at shortstop this spring just in case he's needed there. Because he has no set starting position, Wigginton shows up at the ballpark without a clue where his name will be on the lineup card. If he has his way, it won't be listed among the reserves.

"The way I look at it is, if I go out and swing the bat and do the things I need to do, then I'll be in that lineup," he said. "That ultimately, on a personal side, is the goal. To play everyday. That's what I've been doing. If it's not that role, then I'll help out the team any way I can. I just want to play baseball."

Wigginton's favorite position is second base, for reasons that fit perfectly with his affection for the game.

"Because you're in the middle of the diamond and you seem like you're in on every play," he said.

Wigginton, 31, broke into the majors with the Mets in 2002, four years after being selected in the 17th round of the amateur draft by New York.

"When I started out with the Mets, I thought I'd play my entire career there. Then a guy named David Wright comes along, and everyone knows how special he is. They needed room for him so I got shipped to Pittsburgh," Wigginton said.

Wigginton then went to Tampa Bay, then Houston, before coming to the Orioles.

"I guess it's good to be wanted. That's the way I look at it," he said. "I never looked at it as a negative thing. It's not like I played bad."

Wigginton won't have to an All-Star to fulfill expectations in Baltimore.

"We know what he's going to give us. But the intangibles he's going to bring here speak louder to everybody in that clubhouse, and the people that are watching at home or sitting in the stands," Trembley said. "That's what we're trying to get done here. That style of play, that type of guy. Those are the kind of people you want on your club."

Told of Trembley's assessment, Wigginton did not accept it as flattery.

"I don't believe anything like should be considered a compliment," he said. "That's the way you're supposed to play. So to me, it's just normal.

Wigginton smiled when asked if he would have enjoyed playing baseball in the 1950s.

"Absolutely," he said. "I would love to sharpen my spikes and go out and play."

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