Three mornings a week, Orioles pitching prospect Richard Stahl joins a group of young players for a series of workouts at Camden Yards. Each time the left-hander throws a ball, he also hopes to finally catch a break.

He's about as overdue as a year-old rented video.

Make it three years. Three long, puzzling years that have made him frustrated, and the reluctant face of a failed minor-league system.

In a growing line of high draft choices felled by injuries, Stahl stands near the front. He was the 18th overall pick in 1999, a prized acquisition out of Covington, Ga., who went 11-0 as a high school senior. At least one National League contender rated him first on its draft board.

"I've never labeled any player as 'can't miss,' " said Orioles scout Lamar North, who signed Stahl, "but if there's such a thing, I think he's going to be it."

First, Stahl must shed another label: "Can't stay healthy."

The pain in his left shoulder is gone. His body, including the back that flared up in 2000, seems right for a change. Shut down at Single-A Delmarva last year after his second start, Stahl made a positive impression on pitching coordinators Dave Schmidt and Mo Drabowsky during the fall instructional league and expects to be ready to go next month at spring training.

"I feel a lot better, as far as my shoulder goes," said Stahl, who was diagnosed with tendinitis before beginning a rehabilitation program. "I think I'll be all right this year. I really do."

Stahl made 20 starts at Delmarva during his first professional season, but he underwent surgery the next summer to shave a hooked portion of bone that rubbed the rotator cuff, and to shrink the shoulder capsule. Renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews handled the procedure, which drew greater scrutiny from fans and the media because it involved a pitcher rated by Baseball America as the Orioles' top prospect.

"Nothing was torn. It was just really irritated, which I guess was good," Stahl said. "My first season, when I had back problems, I was like, 'Well, my shoulder never bugs me.' I probably shouldn't have said that."

Stahl, 21, remained in extended spring training last year until being added to Delmarva's roster on May 30. He allowed only one earned run in 5 2/3 innings in his first start, but gave up three home runs in his next appearance and didn't pitch again.

"After the second game, I couldn't close the shower curtain or take a drink. I thought I had torn something for sure this time," he said.

"I felt it in spring training, but I thought it would go away and it never did. It just continued to get worse. And by the middle of the season, I said, 'I can't do it anymore.' "

A magnetic resonance imaging didn't reveal anything more serious than tendinitis. After a period of rest, Stahl reported to the minor-league complex in Sarasota, Fla., to begin his rehabilitation.

"For the first half of the [fall] instructional league he really didn't feel good," Schmidt said. "He looked stiff, he looked like he still couldn't get any extension."

Schmidt and Drabowsky, former pitchers with the Orioles, made a significant discovery while monitoring Stahl. Watching videotape shot from the side, they noticed that his stride was much too short for a 6-foot-7 pitcher, which also was causing him to throw across his body.

"We actually went out and measured it," Schmidt said. "I'm not a guy who goes by inches, but if you measure most guys' stride lengths, they're about 90 percent of their height. What we found was he was striding for a guy who was 5-10 or 5-11.

"It's unusual because you rarely have a guy who under-strides. Ninety-nine percent of the time when I've got to make an adjustment, I've got to shorten it because the guy is jumping out there too far. For the next 10 days we worked on playing catch and also on trying to get out to a certain distance with his stride. He started looking better with his extension and arm action. Everything started to look more natural and he started to feel a lot better, too."

Still undecided among club officials is whether the flawed mechanics caused Stahl's shoulder pain, or if he was compensating for the injury.

"I don't know if it was the chicken or the egg," Schmidt said. "Sometimes guys who have extended rehabs fall into bad habits. When they start throwing again after surgeries they find a position that doesn't hurt, even though it might not be correct. Last year he looked like he didn't have the flexibility and looseness in his arm that he needed. He just wasn't ready yet."

With his mechanics straightened out, Stahl spent two extra weeks in Sarasota instead of returning home on Oct. 26. He threw all of his pitches, including breaking balls, changeups and mid-90s fastballs, during side sessions that lasted up to 12 minutes. "By the time he left, he was ready to start throwing to hitters," Schmidt said. "It's as good as he's looked in two years."

"I was going full-speed," Stahl said, "and it felt really good. I was on a regular progression, just like there was never anything wrong. That kind of gave me a boost."

The pitfalls that Stahl must avoid aren't just physical. "I was short-arming everything after the surgery, but I finally got over the hump and then I break down again," he said. "I worked through that hump again in Sarasota. That was the hardest part for me this time, just the mental thing, letting it go and knowing my shoulder was fixed."

When Baseball America published its top 10 prospects list for the Orioles last month, Stahl had dropped to seventh. There's still time to move up, but only if it's spent on the field.

"We've got our fingers crossed," Schmidt said. "Hopefully all these things are behind him now and he can enjoy a season of health."

Arm update

Status reports on some Orioles pitching prospects who returned, or are trying to return, from injuries:

Erik Bedard: Rated the club's top prospect by Baseball America, Bedard will miss the 2003 season after having ligament-transplant surgery in his left elbow in September. He didn't pitch after feeling pain in the elbow during a June 16 game after exceeding his mandated pitch count.

Josh Cenate: The 34th overall selection in the 1999 draft, Cenate has missed the past three seasons because of injuries to his left shoulder. He had surgery in 2000 and again in 2002 to repair a torn labrum, and currently is taking part in a throwing program. Without another setback, he could pitch later in the summer.

Beau Hale: The 14th overall selection in the 2000 draft, Hale was promoted to Double-A Bowie on Aug. 1 but made only two starts before being shut down because of a sore right shoulder. His 2001 season also was cut short because of a shoulder injury, with his last start coming on Aug. 8. Club officials expect him to be full strength for spring training.

John Parrish: Parrish didn't pitch last season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a spring training game. He began throwing in November and expects to compete for a roster spot in spring training.

Matt Riley: The one-time phenom led Double-A Bowie with 105 strikeouts after missing the 2001 season while recovering from ligament-transplant surgery. He was 4-10 with a 6.34 ERA in 109 1/3 innings. Riley could return to the Baysox this year while trying to regain his status as the Orioles' top pitching prospect.

Luis Rivera: The centerpiece of the B.J. Surhoff trade in 2000, Rivera has undergone two surgeries to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Both injuries were diagnosed in the past two spring trainings. He's worked with a physical therapist in Arizona and is involved in a throwing program. Rivera won't be full-go this spring, but the Orioles hope he can pitch in 2003.

Chris Smith: The seventh overall draft pick in 2001, Smith got a late start last year and made only four appearances at rookie-level Bluefield before going on the disabled list. He had surgery to repair a torn muscle in his left shoulder and isn't likely to pitch this season. He started a light throwing program in December.

Richard Stahl: Contrary to some reports, Stahl didn't undergo surgery in 2002. He had a procedure in 2001 to shave a bone that was pinching his left rotator cuff and causing tendinitis, and he also had the shoulder capsule tightened. The pain returned last season, and the Orioles shut him down after two starts with Single-A Delmarva. His health and mechanics improved in the fall instructional league, and he's expected to be ready for spring training.

- Roch Kubatko