The Baltimore Orioles have long-term answers in RF, CF, C, and 2nd base.
With Nolan Reimold / Felix Pie, and Luke Scott the O’s have potential long-term answers in LF, and at DH.
The biggest questions existing for the O’s 2010 team, revolves around with what happens in the INF.
Melvin Mora’s contract expires at the end of 2009… but the team holds an option for 2010.
Aubrey Huff’s contract expires at the end of 2009….
Izturis will be back in 2010… but with 3,200+ Major League at-bats and a career on-base% under .300, obviously he is not an answer.
Wigginton will be back for the 2010 season…
Clearly the Orioles will be looking to address 1st, SS, and 3rd…
Thoughts on 1st Base
Aubrey Huff said during ST that he was open to resigning with the O’s; do the Orioles want him back?
Huff turns 33 on December 20th… in 2006 Huff had an OPS of .815, in 2007 his OPS was .778, in 2008 his OPS was .912…. In 2009, it is currently .747.
Huff is always a slow-starter, so his production so far in 2009 is pretty solid and figures to improve… still if you look at 2006-09, which year is not like the other?
The O’s did not actively try and move Huff last year at the trade-deadline when he was having a career year… so I find it unlikely they will try and move him this year. On the other-hand, with an expiring contract and playing 1st on a regular basis maybe he will capture additional interest.
I could see the O’s being willing to extend him for 2 years… but nothing beyond that. More likely, I believe Baltimore will offer Huff salary arbitration at the end of 2009.
If he turns down salary arbitration, the O’s could receive some strong supplemental draft picks… if he agrees, you have him for an additional year, with a livable contract.
If the free-agent market is like it was this past-offseason, salary arbitration might be the best deal he is offered.
If Huff turns the offer of salary arbitration… where would that leave the O’s?
The internal answer could be AA Bowie 1st-baseman Brandon Snyder. Snyder was the Orioles 2005 1st round pick… Snyder, who turns 23 in November, has been on a run the last 18months… performing in the Hawaiian Winter League, the Carolina League (Frederick) and the Arizona Fall League.
In his first 75 AA at-bats, Snyder has a .945 OPS, with a .347 avg, 2 homers, 8 doubles, 13 rbi, 9 walks, with 15 k’s.
If Huff returns, Snyder likely goes to AAA Norfolk… if Huff is gone, Snyder could start 2010 in the O’s everyday line-up batting 7th or 8th.
What are some other options? What if Pie comes on in LF during the next month, and the O’s do not move Scott at the trading deadline? Baltimore would still be wanting to get Reimold into the everyday line-up… Pie would stay in LF because he would provide the best defense… and the O’s could convert either Scott or Reimold to 1st, with the other as the DH.
This is not just wild speculation…. During the last Spring Training game this year, Luke Scott played 1st-base. With a full-offseason of dedicated work-outs… I believe that both Scott, and Reimold have the athleticism to be converted to 1st.
Thoughts on 3rd Base
Mora turned 37 in February… in 2006 Mora had an OPS of .733, in 2007 his OPS was .759… in 2008, Mora turned-back Father-time and had an OPS of .826.
In 2009, Mora has only 43 at-bats after missing time due to the hamstring-pull. I am sure Mora will get hot at some point and provide overall numbers similar to his 2006 and 2007 seasons… but I do not think that will be enough for the O’s to exercise his 2010 option, nor do I think the O’s will offer arbitration.
I do not see Mora being traded during the 2009 season… the only way that would become an option, is if the O’s went to Mora and told him that they had no intention of bringing him back for 2010, and asked if Mora was willing to waive his No Trade Clause.
If a team was interested in Mora, and willing to pick-up the 2010 option… Mora would have to consider that.
So what are the options for 3rd base in 2010? Despite his horrible start to his 2009 year, I could see the O’s taking a look at Free Agent to be Adrian Beltre.
Beltre turned 30 in April… is known as a strong-defensive 3rd baseman, and there is the belief that his power numbers have been dramatically effected playing at Safeco Field for Seattle.
If Beltre was not signed, I think the most likely option would be the O’s turning to Ty Wigginton as the everyday 3rd-baseman on a stop-gap basis for 2010.
Or maybe, the O’s do not pick Mora’s 2010 option, nor offer him Arbitration… but sign him to a far cheaper contract for the 2010 season alone.
Brandon Snyder has said that 3rd base is his most comfortable position, and where he would like to play…. He played 3rd with some regularity in the Hawaiian Winter League in late 2007. I would have liked to have seen him been handed the 3rd base job in Bowie for 2009…. But the O’s have shown no inclination of moving him there.
Billy Rowell is starting to produce in the Carolina League for Frederick… you could argue that the reason for that, is because the O’s decision to move him off 3rd has allowed him to settle in… my opinion is that it because it is Rowell’s 2nd year in the league, and his natural talent is going to show at some-point.
Rowell is only 20 years old (21 in September)… if they get his bat going consistently, I wonder if there is anyway they consider moving him back to 3rd? If Rowell produced over 500+ at bats this year, the AFL this fall… and 350+ at-bats at Bowie next year… to me he would have been an option to take over 3rd for the O’s in late 2010.
Thoughts on SS
I have never been excited about the Izturis signing… I recognize that he is an upgrade over the non-options that existed during the 2008 season… but that is partly just because how inept the 2008 SS’s were. The O’s have never said that Izturis is a long-term option, so I am not pinning that on them… but it is time to be finding someone that is, or at least has the potential to be one.
At this point, it would be surprising if Izturis was not the 2010 everyday SS. His defense, while not as good as advertised, is pretty solid… range is good (not excellent) and he has a strong-arm. You expect him to make the routine play, and that goes a long way.
The first college SS drafted in the 2008 draft was Gordon Beckham. Beckham has already progressed to AA Birmingham, and could be in the Majors prior to season-end 2009.
If the O’s project USC SS Grant Green as a viable option for their 5th pick in the draft… I hope they pull the trigger. In all drafts, but particularly in baseball, you can not draft based on need…. Meaning if Green is the top SS on your draft-board, and you have him 15th overall… you can not take him with the 5th pick. However, if you have him 7th overall on your board… you really have to like the 5th and 6th players on your board that much more to take them.
I am not really sure exactly what Robert Andino is, but I would like to see more of him. He just turned 25 in April…
In 2007 in the AAA PCL, he had 598 at-bats, with a .750 OPS, .278 batting avg, 25 doubles, 13 triples, 13 homers, 50 rbi, 21 steals, 40 walks, and 129 k’s.
In 2008 in the PCL, he had 181 at-bats, with a .853 OPS, .287 batting avg, 14 doubles, 3 triples, 6 homers, 26 rbi, 9 steals, 18 walks, and 31 k’s.
Izturis has raised his average over .240.. But his OPS is still just .602… how much of a better fielder is Izturis vs. Andino?
Owner
Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.