Baltimore Releases 3B Costanzo

Third baseman Mike Costanzo was released by the Baltimore Orioles today after spending much of the past two years in Triple-A.

Costanzo is a career .256/.349/.423 hitter in the minors, with 66 homers. The 26-year-old was drafted by the Phillies in the second round of the 2005 draft.

Costanzo is best known for bashind 27 homers with Double-A Reading during the 2007 season; he was traded to the Orioles following that year.

Costanzo hit only 11 homers in Triple-A in 2008, and that total dropped to a measly three between Double-A and Triple-A last season.

If he wants to have much more of a career, even in the minors, it’s clear Costanzo will have to recapture his 2007 swing.