I always get a little bummed when August comes to a close and the minor league seasons end. It snakes up on me and reminds me that, in a couple of days, there will be a couple thousand professional baseball players not playing baseball until next spring.
And there are always a couple of signifying end-of-season stories that happen too. The decision for someone to finally have that surgery they’ve been putting off is one. Another: some random prospect being converted into a pitcher, or vice-versa:The Orioles placed Delmarva shortstop Mychal Givens on the inactive list Wednesday for an unspecified reason. Givens, who has also been dealing with some elbow soreness, could be back before the Shorebirds’ season ends Sept. 3 in West Virginia.
But it’s possible the second-round pick in the 2009 draft has played his last game as an infielder in the Orioles’ organization.Don’t be surprised if he ends up as a pitcher next year. That’s the plan for now.I know nothing about this guy I didn’t read in the article (short version: he’s a shorstop who can’t hit or field but who threw 96 m.p.h. in high school). But I always get some twinge of ... something when I read this kind of thing. The stuff about the season ending like I said. Also some weird feelings I always get when I hear about people making big life changes. A combination of excitement, trepidation and some sadness over plans going awry.