Baltimore Orioles Icon Signs Deal With Marlins
For a while, it looked like the Baltimore Orioles had struck gold with their eighth round pick in the 2013 MLB Draft.
At the time, the franchise was still competitive, coming off a year in 2012 where they lost in the ALDS round of the playoffs. They were looking for pieces who could come in and contribute on a team who made their postseason breakthrough with manager Buck Showalter.
Trey Mancini might not have been the most recognizable player at the time out of who the Orioles drafted that year, but he certainly cemented himself as a household name.
He was called up in 2016, but only made five appearances. 2017 was his true rookie year where he slashed .293/.338/.488 with 24 home runs and 78 RBI across 147 games. This earned him a third-place finish in the AL Rookie of the Year voting.
The slugger continued to showcase his ability at the plate and put together his career best season in 2019 when he slashed .291/.364/.535 with 35 homers and 97 runs batted in. He also joined Alex Bregman and Anthony Rendon as the only MLB players with at least 35 doubles, 34 home runs and 100 runs that year.
Mancini’s future looked bright.
Then, it was revealed in 2020 that he had Stage 3 colon cancer and underwent a procedure to remove a malignant tumor from his colon. He began chemotherapy and missed the entire season.
Mancini announced he was cancer free in November 2020 and said he planned on returning to Baltimore to play baseball. He received a standing ovation in Spring Training the following year.
He did return and slashed .255/.326/.432 with 21 homers and 71 RBI, earning him 2021 AL Comeback Player of the Year honors.
However, his tenure with the Orioles ended ahead of the trade deadline in 2022 when he was sent to the Houston Astros. Mancini was able to win a World Series title that year and spent part of the 2023 season with the Chicago Cubs.
Now, according to Jon Heyman of The New York Post the former Baltimore slugger has signed a minor league deal with the Miami Marlins with an invite to Spring Training.
