January 19, 200521 yr From http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/bal/news/bal...r_bal&fext=.jsp : The Orioles today announced that they have signed LHP Tony Saunders to a minor league contract and have invited him to their major league spring training camp. Saunders, 30, is attempting a comeback after breaking his arm twice in a 15-month span more than four years ago. A 1992 graduate of Glen Burnie (MD) High School, he announced his retirement on August 26, 2000, after compiling a 13-24 record and 4.56 ERA in three major league seasons with Florida and Tampa Bay. After working in the Devil Rays front office and in private business the last four years, Saunders began throwing batting practice last summer for a Tampa AAU team and experienced no pain. Orioles scout Ty Brown, who originally signed Saunders for the Marlins as a non-drafted free agent in 1992, watched him pitch this winter and recommended signing him to a minor league contract. Saunders started the 1997 season with the Marlins and went 4-6 with a 4.61 ERA. He pitched in the NLCS and World Series and earned a ring as Florida won its first world championship. Following the World Series, the Devil Rays made Saunders the first overall pick in the Expansion Draft. He went 6-15 in 31 starts in 1998 and was 3-3 in 9 starts in 1999, including coming within 4 outs of pitching a no-hitter against the Orioles on April 22 (he finished with a combined one-hitter and a 1-0 win). A month later, however, on May 26, 1999, he broke the humerus bone in his left arm while throwing a pitch in a game at Tampa Bay. Saunders underwent surgery and began a rehab program, but 15 months later in a rehab start for the St. Petersburg Devil Rays of the Gulf Coast League, he broke the left humerus bone again. Two days later, he announced his retirement. He served as an assistant in scouting and player development with Tampa Bay for two seasons, and the Devil Rays established the Tony Saunders Courage Award, a scholarship given annually to a student-athlete from the Tampa Bay area "who best exemplifies Tony's courage, character, competitive desire and fighting spirit." Saunders was reinstated by the Devil Rays and became a free agent in December. _________________________________________________________ Nice to see him try again.
January 20, 200521 yr I wish him all the best. I remember seeing a video of when he originally broke it. Horrific to say the least.
January 20, 200521 yr And the O's still haven't signed a player that can have a major impact next year. :banghead
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.