Bring on Baseball; Attention turns to the O’s

With the Ravens playoff run now over, I will become even more anxious for the start of the baseball season.

I am eagerly anticipating this forthcoming Oriole season. There should be no-doubt among Baltimore fans that this 2010 edition of the O’s will A) Be the most talented Oriole team in years, and B) A year of extreme importance to the future of this franchise.

The reality is that this team does not have to be overly talented to be more-talented than the team the Orioles have regularly put on the field during this consecutive year losing streak of 1998 through 2009. That said, there will be legitimate talent wearing Orange & Black at a lot of positions this year.

As most of that talent is comprised of youth you are depending to be your core moving forward; it is imperative to see tangible results on the field this year.

Roughly one-month before Pitchers & Catchers arrive for the start of Spring Training, here are my questions regarding the team.

1) Will the O’s be willing to start Scott, or Snyder at 1st?

Or will the O’s sign a player like Joe Crede (rumored today by Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune) to play 3rd, with Atkins being moved across the diamond to 1st?

With Adam LaRoche deciding he would have a better chance of reestablishing his value with a 1 year deal in the National League West, as opposed to the American League East; and the O’s scouts having mixed opinions on what they are seeing out of Carlos Delgado in the Winter League – the options for first are becoming reduced for Baltimore.

If the O’s can get Delgado for one year, I would not be opposed to that, but it would not be my preference.

My opinion is that the O’s should commit to the idea of Scott taking over 1st to start 2010, with Snyder being sent back to Norfolk. With Scott at 1st, you can shift Reimold to DH, and allow Pie to play everyday in LF. It is win-win all around. You will get some production from 1st, you get Pie playing everyday, and Snyder gets regular at-bats in AAA. By the end of May you can reevaluate. If Snyder is tearing the cover off the ball, he can be promoted, and you can look to move Scott. Or perhaps if Pie struggles playing everyday, you can have Snyder take over 1st/DH, with Reimold moving back to LF.

2) Will Baltimore resign Bedard?

I tend to think they will. The Yahoo! Sports Mariners Team Report from January 16th says that it is possible Bedard could be healthy for Spring Training. MacPhail was recently quoted as saying that Oriole doctors were optimistic about Bedard being available before mid-season. That quote is obvious admission of the fact that O’s medical personnel have been reviewing the medical records of Bedard. There is no reason to review medical records, if you do not have a desire to obtain. MacPhail’s own words were that Bedard was always going to be a late January type of signing. Meaning that the O’s will get a final review of Bedard’s health, and if they are satisfied with the reports, sign him then.

Without Bedard, you are looking at a rotation of Millwood, Matusz, Tillman, Bergesen, Guthrie. With Bedard, you are talking about 6 options for 5 spots. Potentially that is a problem, and potentially it is not.

It is a problem if Matusz, Tillman, or Bergesen are sent back to the Minors. I am of the belief that there is nothing for those 3 to gain by not being in the bigs. I think they need to go through a full Major-League season, with the requisite ups/downs and adjustments.

On the other-hand, maybe the O’s equate Tillman to Tampa’s David Price. Price was regarded as good a prospect as there was, and pitched out of the Rays bullpen during the 2008 playoffs. Even after that experience, he returned to the Minors to start 2009, joining the Tampa rotation at the end of May. Sending Tillman back to the Minors makes little sense to me, but if it is only for a month or two, I guess that there could be worse things.

Having 6 starters for 5 spots might also prove to not be a problem, because injuries always have a way limiting the best-laid plans. If everyone proves to be healthy, there would always be the option of moving Guthrie. Having 6 legitimate options for 5 spots would have be seen as more of a luxury than a liability. Having further potential options in Arrieta, Hernandez, Berken, and Uehara is also a good thing.

3) Will another lefty be added to the bullpen?

As of today, I think we are looking at a bullpen that looks like:

Gonzalez
Johnson
Mickolio
Albers or Meredith
Uehara
Hernandez
Berken

I really like the potential of that group, but I am not seeing them get a chance to start the year together. If Gonzalez is your closer, that means you do not have a match-up lefty with your other 6 members of the pen. That leads me to believe the O’s will either resign Hendrickson, or look to add another lefty external to the organization. Some will say they could just promote Wilfrido Perez, but he is going to have to prove his health first. Others will say that the O’s could give Troy Patton a look. My guess is that they would rather see him start every 5th day, his 2nd year back after his injury. Patton was tearing up AA before tiring out at AAA. With another off-season of rest, and rehab; he might be poised to regain his prospect status at Norfolk. If he can do that as a starter in AAA, that has more value to the team, than him being available for Middle Relief to the O’s.

The bottom-line though is that if you add another lefty to the mix, one of the above mentioned pitchers does not make the team. Gonzalez, and Johnson are locks. Mickolio should be. I think adding the former starters Uehara / Berken / Hernandez to the back of the pen should be a priority. That means to me, that you are looking at adding a lefty to the pen that would replace Albers, or Meredith on the roster. I’ll be interested to see if the O’s agree, or if they anticipate sending Berken, or Hernandez back to AAA.

4) Who comprises the end of the bench?

If you sign a Crede for 3rd, and move Atkins to 1st, you are locking in Scott to DH, and Reimold to LF.

That means you start your bench with Pie, and Wigginton. The last-two spots would be filled with a back-up Catcher (likely Moeller), and the 25th man on the roster.

The likely candidates at that point would be Aubrey, Montanez, Andino, Turner, Moore, Hughes, and Blake Davis.

If Scott takes over 1st, with Reimold at DH, and Pie in Left, than you are looking at a bench of Wigginton, Moeller, and the 24th, and 25th men on the roster.

If Turner can show an ability to back-up SS, I would like to see him make the roster. As capable a defensive catcher as Moeller is, I would like to see the team attempt to upgrade the backup catcher with a somewhat capable bat. Perhaps Yorvit Torrealba? (.732 OPS in 2009, 14 xbh’s in 213 at-bats)