The ex-Oriole report: Gonzalez, Wieters and others off to strong starts in 2017

During the Orioles’ five-game homestand that starts Friday, they’ll come face-to-face with two former teammates who are off to hot starts in 2017.

Tonight, right-hander Miguel Gonzalez is scheduled to start for the White Sox against the Orioles’ Wade Miley. Gonzalez, of course, broke into the majors with the Orioles in 2012 and was a key member of their rotation for four seasons. But after Gonzalez’s shaky and injury-plagued 2015 season and poor performance in 2016 spring training, and the club’s desire to cut payroll, the Orioles elected to release Gonzalez at the end of camp to save about $4 million on his contract.

If the Orioles could do it over again, they’d probably make a different choice. Gonzalez landed with the White Sox last year and posted a 3.73 ERA in 24 games (23 starts), a solid performance that would’ve helped an Orioles’ rotation that struggled for much of 2016. This year, Gonzalez has been even better. In five starts, he’s 3-1 with a 3.27 ERA, including two outings in which he pitched eight or more innings and allowed one or no runs.

After Gonzalez and the White Sox leave town this weekend, the regional rival Nationals will come to Baltimore on Monday, where the Orioles will be reunited with their longtime catcher, Matt Wieters.

Wieters, who ended his eight-year Orioles career by signing a one-year, $10.5 million contract (with a 2018 player option) in Washington, has been pounding the ball so far. Wieters has a .303 average, .924 OPS, four home runs and 12 RBIs in 22 games. He’ll be playing his first game at Camden Yards as a visitor.

Yes, there are plenty of recent ex-Orioles who are struggling or are completely out of the pro game. We’ll get to them in another installment. Today, prompted by the pending returns of Gonzalez and Wieters, here’s a look at eight other ex-Orioles — or at least guys that were in the organization recently — who are off to hot starts this season.

Nelson Cruz, Mariners

On paper, the Orioles’ decision to let Cruz leave in free agency after the 2014 season made sense. Even though he’d cranked a league-leading 40 home runs, driven in 108 runs and won Most Valuable Oriole honors that year, Cruz had red flags. He was 34, and one season removed from serving a 50-game suspension for violating MLB’s drug program. Outbidding the Mariners’ four-year, $57 contract for Cruz would’ve been a risk.

In hindsight, though, it’s a risk the Orioles should’ve taken. Cruz has gotten even better since leaving the club, setting a new career high with 44 homers in 2015 and adding another 43 in 2016 while posting an OPS of .915 or better each year. Cruz is off to another scorching start this season, batting .330 with a 1.012 OPS, seven home runs and 27 RBIs in 28 games. And he’s accomplished all this while playing his home games at spacious Safeco Field, one of the most pitcher-friendly ballparks in the majors.

Nick Markakis, Braves

Cruz wasn’t the only Orioles outfielder to ink a four-year free agent contract elsewhere during the winter of 2014. So, too, did a longtime fan favorite, Markakis, who signed with the Braves after spending the first nine years of his major league career in Baltimore. Again, the Orioles had valid reasons for parting ways with Markakis. He was coming off two unremarkable offensive seasons and had a neck injury that worried the club.

Since then, Markakis has had two solid but not spectacular seasons for Atlanta, while the Orioles have cycled through several right fielders trying to replace him. Markakis is hitting well so far in 2017, posting a .290 average and .773 OPS in 26 games. His .363 on-base percentage and seven doubles would lead all Orioles’ regulars.

Andrew Miller, Indians

Are you noticing a theme? Miller is yet another ex-Oriole who left the club in free agency after the club’s pennant-winning 2014 season. His four-year, $36 million deal with the Yankees was too rich for the Orioles’ blood, at least for a relief pitcher, despite his 20 dominant, regular-season innings and playoff performance for the club.

The Orioles’ bullpen hasn’t exactly been chopped liver since Miller left. Still, he’s more than lived up to the value of his contract so far. He had an excellent season and a half for the Yankees, who then shipped him to the Indians for prospects in 2016. Miller was a postseason sensation for Cleveland, allowing three runs and striking out 30 in 10 games. In 2017, he’s picked up where he left off. Miller has yet to allow a run this season, racking up 20 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings.

Bud Norris, Angels

Unlike the first three players mentioned, Norris wasn’t quite beloved by the Baltimore faithful when his Orioles’ tenure ended. He was carrying an unsightly 7.06 ERA and toiling in long relief when the club released him in 2015. He kicked around with three more teams by the end of 2016 and his career appeared to be on its last legs.

In 2017, though, Norris has found new life in an unexpected role. After cracking the Angels’ Opening Day bullpen, Norris soon found himself in the closer’s role after the club’s other ninth-inning options suffered injuries. Since taking the job, Norris has converted five of his six save opportunities, surrendering just one run in six innings.

Mark Reynolds, Rockies

Five years and five organizations after the Orioles non-tendered Reynolds, he’s rejuvenated his career with the help of Coors Field. Reynolds, who spent 2016 with Colorado and re-joined the Rockies on a minor league deal this February, was thrown into the starting first base job when Ian Desmond fractured his hand.

Thanks to Reynolds, the Rockies barely missed Desmond, their five-year, $70 million free agent prize. Reynolds has erupted for a .307 average, .960 OPS, eight homers and 23 RBIs in 28 games. Even with Desmond now back from the DL, the Rockies will look for ways to keep Reynolds’ bat in the lineup.

Eric Thames, Brewers

Thames has been the breakout story of the 2017 MLB season so far, blasting 11 home runs and a 1.184 OPS in 27 games for Milwaukee following a three-year stint in the Korean Baseball Organization.

You might be saying, “Wait, he was an Oriole?” Well, Thames never played a game in an Oriole uniform, but he was briefly in the organization in 2013. The club acquired him on June 30 from the Mariners for minor league infielder Ty Kelly (who is also still hanging around the majors, currently on the Phillies’ bench).

Thames played 36 games for Triple-A Norfolk, but didn’t earn a big league callup. It’s not as if his numbers screamed for a promotion; he had just a .671 OPS and three homers in 36 games for the Tides. The Orioles lost him on waivers to the Houston Astros in September, shortly before Thames washed out of MLB and ended up in Korea. The rest is history.

Andrew Triggs, Athletics

Every offseason, the Orioles play musical chairs with their roster, shuffling fringe players on and off the 40-man as space-fillers while they plan their other moves. Sometimes those players are barely around long enough for fans to learn their names (Adam Brett Walker, anyone?), and, more often than not, they don’t make an impact anywhere after the Orioles let them go.

Triggs could be an exception. Like Thames, he didn’t appear in a major league game with the Orioles, but he was the closer at Double-A Bowie in 2015. He put up such impressive numbers there — 17 saves, a 1.03 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 61 innings — that the O’s added him to their 40-man roster after the season. Triggs made three appearances in 2016 spring training (with a 13.50 ERA) before the Orioles waived him to make room for Pedro Alvarez.

The 28-year-old right-hander landed with Oakland, and this year he’s been a revelation in the A’s rotation, going 4-1 with a 1.84 ERA in five starts. In four of those five outings, he hasn’t allowed any earned runs.

Justin Turner, Dodgers

Turner is the most distant ex-Oriole on this list; you have to go back seven years to find the last time he was in the organization, pre-dating the Buck Showalter era. It wasn’t a memorable stint, either. The club acquired Turner in the Ramon Hernandez trade with the Reds in December 2008, and he played just 17 games — going 3-for-27 — before the Mets claimed him on waivers.

Over the years, Turner has gradually evolved from a capable utility infielder into a superb all-around player. He exploded for a career season in 2016 for the Dodgers that earned him a new four-year, $64 contract with the club. He’s off to a blistering start as the Dodgers’ starting third baseman in 2017, hitting .374 with a .953 OPS and a league-leading 11 doubles.