Pasadena's Spoone ready for new baseball season

Last season could not have gone better for Chorye Spoone, a native of Pasadena and a graduate of Northeast High School. A right-handed pitcher in the farm system of the Baltimore Orioles, Spoone bounced back from shoulder surgery that limited him to 10 appearances in 2009.

Last year, with Class AA Bowie of the Eastern League, Spoone made 24 starts for the Baysox and was 7-6 with a respectable ERA of 4.02. He pitched 132 innings and allowed 132 hits (12 homers) with 79 walks and 88 strikeoouts. On top of that Spoone said he had family members in attendance at every one of his home starts at Prince George's County Stadium in Bowie.

"I was happy I pitched so many innings," said Spoone, standing by his locker at the Orioles' spring training clubhouse prior to workouts in Sarasota, Fla. on Monday. "At the beginning of the season it was hard to find my arm slot and I was walking a lot of guys. But there were 10 starts in a row there where I felt I was all the way back. I got a little tired at the end of the season. I had not thrown that many innings in three years, since 2007."

Spoone, 25, was drafted by the Orioles in the eighth round in 2005 after pitching at Catonsville Community College. He became one of the top prospects in the farm system with that 2007 performance, when he was 10-9 with an ERA of 3.26 with the Class A Frederick Keys of the Carolina League.

Spoone started on Sunday in an intrasquad game and faced many of the Orioles slated to be on the major league club this year, including Luke Scott, Nick Markakis and J.J. Hardy. He fell behind in the count on several hitters in the first inning and gave up a few runs. But in his second inning he retired all three batters he faced after getting ahead of the count. Spoone is not sure where he will begin this season, but a promotion from Bowie would mean playing for the Class AAA Norfolk Tides of the International League. A former baseball and basketball player at Northeast, he has never pitched in the Major Leagues.

"The off-season went really well. I had no limitations. I shed 12 pounds, compared to coming in here last year," he said. "Hopefully I will get my opportunity." Spoone throws a fastball, curve, slider and change up. "I try to live with my sinker and get groundballs. I try to make the inning go as quickly as possible," he said.