I had an epiphany while recording Birds On The Wire on Wednesday afternoon. Mike Miller of Orioles Hangout uttered six words that have stuck out in my mind for the past 48 hours, “Brian Matusz: Rookie of the Year.”

I’ve been on the Matusz bandwagon since I followed his success at Bowie and feel that I’ve been right about him ever since. This guy is the Orioles ace of the future, he’s got talent and brains and the sky is the limit for this 23 year old.

While recording our podcast Mike told fans that he didn’t think they knew how truly lucky they were to watch Matusz play. I couldn’t agree more. He’s got a great delivery, solid pitches, goes deep into games and most importantly, he made the necessary adjustments to stay a step ahead of Major League hitters.

I’m writing this post a day after Matusz had his worst outing of the Spring. Six innings, three runs, and nine hits. He admitted that he didn’t have his stuff,”Today was one of those days where I never really got in a good groove, and you’re going to have those days,” he told Roch Kubatko.

But he kept the O’s in the game and recorded a quality start. How much more can you ask for?

Matusz has pitched 20.1 innings this spring and recorded a solid 3.10 ERA with 19 strikeouts and just three walks. Matusz finished his 2009 season strongly when he pitched three straight seven inning outings and recorded a 2.57 ERA, striking out 15 and allowing opponents to hit just .189.

I’m excited to see what Matusz brings to the table in 2010 and hope that he continues to grow in the big leagues. If he stays on this path, then I think Mike Miller is right. Matusz for ROY, what do you think?