Local Blogs Discuss The Orioles

There are numerous quality local blogs. Baltimore Sports and Life (BSL) has reached out to some of them for their thoughts on the Baltimore Orioles forthcoming season.

BSL suggests you check out each of their sites, and thanks them for taking the time to respond.

Those who participated in this Q&A were:
Derek Arnold, Eutaw Street Report
Mark Brown, Camden Chat
Matt Kremnitzer, Camden Depot
Josh Michael, Orioles 101
Domenic Vadala, Birds Watcher
Zach Wilt, Baltimore Sports Report

(You can discuss this Q&A on the BSL Board here.)

BSL: I’ve always been a Reimold fan. When right, plus power with an ability to walk. Good athlete. Hustles. One of the lone disappointments of the 2012 season, was Nolan going down to injury after his strong start. ’13 and ’14 ruined when the first procedure did not work and he had to again have surgery. Back healthy, he has performed this Spring. Would he be on your OD roster (easier with Lough moved to the DL as currently expected)? Would you make him go to AAA and produce?

If he is on your ML roster, would he be your starting LF? (De Aza miserable vs. LHP in ’14, Reimold a higher OPS vs. RHP for their careers.)

Arnold: I’ve been a huge Nolan Reimold fan for years, so I’m absolutely biased here. He’d be my opening day LF/leadoff hitter.

Brown:  I’ve been one of the world’s biggest Reimold fans ever since I was at one of his first games in 2009 and he hit a walkoff home run in extra innings against the Blue Jays. I’d like to see a healthy Reimold on the roster and playing, especially since the Lough injury has cleared up a roster space that’s almost tailor-made for Reimold.

Kremnitzer: The problem with Reimold isn’t his ability to hit. It’s that he can’t stay healthy. So I don’t think you can just hand him a starting role anywhere and expect him to play every day, because he’s never shown that he can stay healthy over an extended period of time. The Orioles have a bunch of outfield/designated hitter types on the roster already, so I’m not sure he’ll be able to break camp with the team (even with the recent injuries). But if he stays healthy and hits, he’ll be back in the majors on some team’s roster.

Michael: Yes, Reimold would be on my Opening Day roster, and I could see him starting vs lefties for De Aza. In addition, he could also get  some time at DH in spots when Buck (Showalter) wants to give Davis a day off and has Pearce playing first.When healthy, Reimold brings a key component to the lineup, he gets on base and not many of the Orioles’ have that as a forte.

Vadala: I’d say that he’d be on the OD roster by default. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Lough start the season on the DL, and I think Reimold would be a good addition in the interim.

Wilt: I expect to see Alejandro De Aza in left and Travis Snider in right field on Opening Day. David Lough’s injury opens up a spot for Reimold when the O’s start the season in Tampa Bay, but I think Buck Showalter will lean on De Aza as his leadoff hitter (.271/.334/.405 career in that spot) with Nick Markakis in Tampa Bay.As far as Reimold goes, I’m glad to see him have success in the spring, but he’ll have to prove he can stay healthy before I get too excited. Since 2009, he’s played more than 87 games just once.

BSL: There has been recent discussion about the O’s and Tillman working on an extension. Are you for that? What terms seem realistic to you?

Arnold: I’d love for the O’s to lock up Tillman. I don’t understand the “he’s not a #1” narrative. Is he Kershaw or Sale? No, but I’m comfortable sending him out there in Game 1 of a playoff series, and that makes him a #1 to me. His numbers compare favorably to many guys who get more love as “#1s.” Chris Tillman is the Joe Flacco of starting pitchers – no respect. Would 5 and $70M get it done? If so, I say go for it.

Brown: In general I am on board with extending Tillman. Hopefully they can find a deal that’s agreeable for both sides. I think that the Orioles could use some stability at the top of the rotation so they don’t constantly have to worry about having prospects coming up to fill spots. Tillman now has two and a half good seasons under his belt and I think we’ve seen who he is. Back-to-back 200-inning seasons? That’s been missing from this team.

Kremnitzer: Most likely, that would be fine. Matt Perez recently covered that topic for Camden Depot: “If history is any guide, I would expect an extension for Tillman to range for anywhere between three years and $20 million to four years and $32.5 million with a club option for $13.5 million.”

Michael: Absolutely, I am for it. I will say that if the Orioles do not get at least two FA years out of the extension, then it may not be worth it. Tillman continues to produce and although he is not the flashy ace that others like Kershaw is, Tillman is as close to a true ace as the Orioles have had in quite some time. Realistically, if my GM hat is on, I could see giving Tillman a five-year, $60 million deal.

Vadala: I’m not going to speculate on the terms, although I’d like to see them offer him five years. However I think that keeping Tillman would be the smartest thing they could do. With so much uncertainty in terms of Davis, Wieters, etc, one thing that they can control appears to be Tillman – in the sense that he seems willing to work out a deal. If several players leave after this year, that won’t affect Tillman’s ability to throw a curveball.

Wilt: Investing in Chris Tillman for the next 3-4 years would be a smart move by the Orioles front office. There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Orioles after this season with guys like Chris Davis, Matt Wieters, Wei-Yin Chen and Bud Norris hitting the open market.We’ve heard guys like J.J. Hardy and Adam Jones express concerns about the future of the franchise after this season. I think seeing Markakis leave was a bit of a shock to his teammates. Not only do I think Tillman is worth the investment, but I believe it would send the right message to the rest of the club. I would like to see something along the lines of four-years, $40 million, but would be okay with the Orioles extending a five-year, $55 million offer if he continues where he left off last season.

BSL: Gausman beginning the year in AAA would be a disappointment to me, but at-least he would be starting. I don’t understand the argument for using him out of the bullpen (even temporarily) to limit his 2015 workload. He had 166.2 combined innings last year. Should be good for nearly 200 this season. If he is in the ‘pen to start the year to limit his innings, then logically he won’t be accumulating a lot of work, and there has to be some question of how long it would take to build him back as a starter. (Probably not long, but it would take some fraction of time.) You could also argue that out of the ‘pen, he won’t be able to be working on his slider. 

To me, he’s clearly the most talented starter, and needs to be handed the ball every 5th day as soon as possible. How do you see this?

Arnold: While having “too much pitching,” is an enviable problem to have, I think it can quickly become a detriment when you let it hamper the development of your potential budding ace. Gausman should be starting at the MLB level every time it’s his turn – no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Whether that means trading Bud Norris, moving Miguel Gonzalez to the bullpen, or going with a 6-man rotation, make it happen. My inclination is to always say “Buck knows better than I do.” I just worry that he sometimes shows to much deference to his veterans, so he wouldn’t push one of them aside for Gausman, even if it’s in everyone’s best interest moving forward. I hope I’m wrong.

Brown: It’s a source of great frustration for me that Gausman isn’t an automatic for the rotation. Dan Duquette and company have yet to give fans a big reason to doubt that they know what they’re doing, so maybe they have some plan that I can’t divine. From what we know, though, he’s one of their five best starting pitchers and they won’t be using him as a starter, at least initially. We can only hope that choice doesn’t come around to hurt the team in the long run.

Kremnitzer: He should be in the starting rotation. I honestly thought they’d have him start the year in Norfolk, so if he’s in the bullpen, it would be somewhat surprising. I also don’t fully buy the innings limit reasoning, either. Depending on injuries and poor performance (e.g., by Ubaldo Jimenez), Gausman could quickly find himself back in the rotation again. The Orioles sort of painted themselves into a corner by not freeing up a spot for a starter; depending on your viewpoint, it’s a good problem to have. (I think it’s a positive, though it’s frustrating at the moment.) If I had to rank the three options for Gausman, I’d say 1) rotation, 2) Norfolk, and 3) bullpen; I’m not sure why’d they keep him around as a one- or two-inning reliever at this point in his career, especially since it’ll be early in the season (and not in a stretch run or in the playoffs, like last postseason).

Michael: I completely agree with the notion that he needs to start, whether in the big leagues or AAA to begin the year. To me, moving him to the bullpen would just put him at risk to some sort of injury if and when he returned to starting. It is much easier to shorten a guy than extend him, thus starting him in the bullpen would be a mistake in my opinion. I am also of the notion that Gausman should be in the big league rotation from day 1. He showed what he could do in 2014, and I am with you Chris, I do not see the need to limit his workload after he pitched 166+ innings last year, his arm should be good to go.

Unlike some people, I do understand why the O’s would send him to AAA to begin the season. He has minor league options, and moving him to the bullpen would just take up another spot in an already crowded situation.

Vadala: My personal opinion is that Gausman needs to be starting at the big league level. He has nothing left to prove in the minors, and putting him in the bullpen might do more harm than good.

Wilt: I go back and forth about this. I would hate for the Orioles to waste his innings in Triple-A when he could be contributing to the big league club, even if it is the bullpen, but I worry about hindering his development as a starter. This feels way too similar to Joba Chamberlain’s story with the Yankees, and we know how that ended.The thing I keep telling myself is that the Orioles make more roster moves than just about any team in baseball. Just because Gausman starts the year in the pen doesn’t mean he won’t be starting in May. The Birds seem to want to give Ubaldo Jimenez every chance to make the rotation.

BSL: After a strong 2nd half in 2013, Jimenez was a mess in his first year with the O’s. (BB% of 13.9% vs. his 10.8% career rate.) Maybe he was impacted last year by signing late, and starting his preparation later. His FB% velocity dropped again, which I think can be at-least partly attributed to his poor mechanics. If his control improves to career norms, do you see him rebounding into a competent starter?

Arnold: I hope so; that’s all I can really say. I know that Melewski tweeted that his average against was second-lowest to only Tillman of starters last year (or something like that). The opposition has trouble hitting it, but Ubaldo has no idea where it’s going – that’s what makes him so damn frustrating. I really want him to contribute – his contract isn’t going anywhere, so all we can do is cross our fingers and hope we don’t have to find him another parking lot pothole to step in.

Brown: Watching last night’s MASN broadcast, there was a commercial that asked, “Will Ubaldo pitch well this season?” I thought, yes, that’s what we all want to know. “Spring will tell,” the commercial continued. Of course, we’ve seen Good and Bad Ubaldo this spring, so that doesn’t tell us very much either. I’m sure he has it in him to be a competent starter. Whether the Orioles will see that this year… well, that’s a different story.

Kremnitzer: If Jimenez is left alone for an entire season, he’d almost have to post better numbers just by default. I don’t know how he could walk opposing batters that often again. But what if he starts the year off with a few bad starts in a row? Many fans have already soured on him and are throwing around the term “sunk cost” — which isn’t entirely unfair. Having a sixth starter waiting in the wings could make keeping Jimenez in the rotation even more difficult. He needs to have a solid start to the season, arguably more than any other player.

Michael: I do, I actually have a small wager with a buddy of mine for a six-pack of Boh that Jimenez’s ERA in 2015 will be under 4.00. I really like what I have seen adjustment wise in his delivery and
mechanics. Dave Wallace spoke to me and other reporters at FanFest about Jimenez and you could tell he really believes that they found something there late last year. I look for Jimenez to rebound, but be warned that there are still going to be a couple of really poor starts from him simply due to his
wild command at times.

Vadala: I think he’ll have a better first half this year, so yes overall I think he’ll be better. His mechanics seem to have improved as we’ve moved along in spring, and he’s turned into a strong starter if recent results are any indication.

Wilt: I don’t see why not, but that seems like a lot to ask. How many pitchers could be competent if they improved their mechanics? I’ve been impressed with the command I’ve seen in Sarasota and Jimenez said that signing late did play a role in his disastrous season in 2014. We’ve seen how nasty he can be when he finds the strike zone. In the second half of 2013 he was the best pitcher in baseball (1.82 ERA in 84 IP).

BSL: Lots of previews and projections to be found across the net as Opening Day nears. Among them – CBS Sports. FOX Sports. NBC Sports / HBT. Grantland. Sports Illustrated. Baseball Prospectus. FanGraphs. BP’s PECOTA projection feels low in my opinion (which I mostly attribute to being a team projection via the sum of the individuals – to me this misses how teams fit together. Ex. Baltimore’s pitchers may out-perform their FIP due to the defense.) That said, most of the reviews seem pretty fair to me. Any National write-ups that you’ve seen which interest you?

Brown: The national baseball media hasn’t had any idea what to make of the Showalter/Duquette era of the Orioles. I don’t see why they’d start to know anything now.

Kremnitzer: Most of them seem pretty fair and well done. A majority focus on the need for healthy and improved seasons from Chris Davis, Matt Wieters, and Manny Machado to make up for the losses of Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis. That’s not necessarily wrong or anything, but that does seem to be the most popular storyline.

Michael: At this point, I am never surprised by any National write-up regarding the Orioles. It’s understandable why so many “experts” are always down on the O’s and it’s because none of them believe in the Orioles starting rotation because it lacks star power.

To be honest, when you read a National write-up that actually favors the Orioles, it’s more surprising. One thing is for certain, the Orioles, Buck Showalter and the players could care less and love
proving people wrong anyway.

Vadala: While this isn’t a write-up per se, but ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian picked the Orioles to win the AL East last week during a nationally televised game on ESPN. A lot of people are high on Toronto and Boston, however Kurkjian’s point was that while those teams have improved and the O’s have gone back towards the mean, the O’s are still better (on paper) than the rest of the field.

Wilt: I always pay attention to PECOTA, but agree with your thoughts on it undervaluing the team as a whole. In general I feel that the projections undervalue the Orioles defensive value and the impact it plays on the pitching staff. I’m curious to see how Statcast changes that this year.Adam Jones has been viewed as one of the games best defenders in centerfield (4-time Gold Glover), but the defensive metrics view him as below average. What will Statcast say and how will that impact projections?

BSL: Earlier this Winter, we polled some members of the Media on their thoughts about the O’s. What stands out to you? Anything you particularly agree with / disagree with?

Arnold: The majority seems a bit bearish on Schoop. Odd – I look for him to improve this year and take another step toward becoming an All-Star.

Brown: It’s interesting to me that 86% of the respondents said that Snider would be an adequate replacement for Markakis. It seemed like Markakis signing with the Braves was an excuse for some to fire up their “Angelos is cheap!” machines. On the other side of the coin, I’m puzzled that 68% want the Orioles to sign Wieters. The next Wieters contract seems like a bad decision waiting to happen to some team and I hope it’s not the Orioles.

Kremnitzer: I do find it interesting that one person picked Dan Duquette as the Orioles’ best advantage. I’m also surprised that 68% favor an extension for Wieters. I’m not sure how anyone could be confident on his future health at catcher right now. His bat also isn’t good enough for him to be a great or even good option at either first base or designated hitter. Any kind of long-term deal for Wieters would include substantial risk.

Michael: Two things stood out to me the most. First off, it shows just how good of hands the Orioles are in when that high of a number chose Buck Showalter as being such an advantage for the O’s. Showalter is easily the best manager this team has had since Davey Johnson and his style fits perfectly in the clubhouse and more importantly, the mentality of the city.

Secondly, only four of the media people selected that the Orioles starting options were less than adequate, which is interesting because most of the National media are always down on the Orioles’ rotation.

Vadala: I find it interesting that so many folks said they shouldn’t pursue an extension for Matt Wieters. While there are now injury concerns, When healthy Wieters is the best of the best.

Wilt: I’m surprised to see how many think that the Orioles should pursue an extension with Matt Wieters. I think he’s incredibly valuable and without Nelson Cruz, the O’s will be depending on his bat this season, but he played in just 26 games last season and the Birds still managed to win 96 games.

BSL: What story-line is not receiving enough attention going into the season?

Arnold: That this is likely the final year for 13-game season ticket plans. That’s some BS.

Brown: Every storyline is getting entirely too much attention. That’s spring training in a nutshell.

Kremnitzer: I think most of the storylines surrounding this team have been covered sufficiently. I do think it’s interesting that on top of the starting rotation crunch and the bullpen inflexibility that the Orioles are still talking about the (nearly impossible) option of keeping two Rule 5 pitchers. It’ll be difficult to keep just one Rule 5 guy on the roster this year, whether it’s Logan Verrett or Jason Garcia.

Michael: I believe the story-line not receiving enough attention going into the season isn’t the fact that the Orioles will have so many free agents at the end of the year, but the fact that they could be looking
at three and maybe even four compensatory picks due to the pending free agents. Davis and Wieters are locks there, and with good seasons, both Chen and Norris could also be possible. If the O’s were to get four comp picks next offseason, the 2016 MLB Draft will be one of the most important in O’s history.

Vadala: The Orioles bullpen, without a doubt. This is a ‘pen that’s going to be very similar if not the same year-over-year. They were solid before Andrew Miller came to town, and thus there’s no reason to believe that they won’t be so again.

Wilt: Maybe it’s just a Spring Training anomaly, but I’m really impressed with Brian Matusz. It’s a contract year for him, he wants to start and has under-performed since coming into the league in 2009. His importance to the club without Andrew Miller or value on the trade market is big in my opinion.

BSL: What are a couple of things you believe needs to happen, for the O’s to repeat as AL East Champs?

Arnold: Manny needs to play 150+ games and thrust his name back amongst the game’s young stars. The competition is fierce, but he needs to post the highest WAR of AL East third basemen. Adam Jones needs to stay healthy. The pitching staff needs to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke.

Brown: The Orioles need to find a way to have a starting rotation as good as last year’s and a back end of the bullpen as good as last year’s. This seems unlikely to me because relievers just aren’t as good as Zach Britton and Darren O’Day for two years running. I’d like to be wrong about that.

Kremnitzer: The O’s defense again needs to be very good. That, in turn, will help the rotation, which again needs to exceed expectations. Davis needs to rebound to at least the 2012 version of himself, and Machado just needs to stay on the field. And since we’re talking about the Orioles under Showalter and Duquette, they will probably need at least one or two other random, useful years out of overlooked players.

Michael: Both Matt Wieters and JJ Hardy need to return by early May first off, more so for their bats’ importance to the lineup. Defensively, although both are Gold Glovers, I think their replacements (Flaherty and Joseph) are fine defensive players, but the dip at the plate is much more substantial.

Secondly, the starting rotation as a whole will have to go deeper into games. The bullpen will need more rest than last season, especially someone like Darren O’Day who is getting up there in age a little bit.

Vadala: They need to stay healthy in terms of their big time players. They also need their supporting cast guys such as Steve Pearce to contribute as they did last year. Jonathan Schoop is going to also need to hit with a bit more power, so as to offset the loss of Nelson Cruz. And it goes without saying that the pitching can’t fall off the map – but that’s true of all teams.

Wilt: There’s no question that Chris Davis is the most important player on the Orioles roster. He doesn’t need to hit 53 homers, but he can’t hit .196 either. If the guy from 2012 returns, I think the Orioles will be in good shape. Last season the O’s were incredibly dependent on a breakout season from Steve Pearce (4.9 WAR, 2nd on the team). I don’t necessarily think he needs to repeat that, or will for that matter, but that production at the plate specifically will have to be matched.

BSL: If you were blogging about the O’s prior to 2012, how has your writing changed covering the Birds as a winner? Would the coverage your site provides differ, if you had full Media credentials? Plug your work, tell O’s fans about yourself and your site.

Arnold: ESR didn’t start until 2013, but I was blogging about the O’s at my old site as far back as 2007. It’s much, much more fun now, that’s for damn sure. It used to be just a way to kill time until football season, even though I was raised in an O’s family and as a baseball lover – the dark years nearly beat the love of the game out of me. Now, I find myself getting romantic about baseball again. It’s nice when the “hope springs eternal” phrase actually applies to your team. 

I don’t think full media credentials are a huge deal in today’s media landscape. Fans want to hear the opinions of other passionate, educated fans, not necessarily of impartial beat writers (borrrringggg) and players/managers giving the same old answers. We’re lucky enough in Baltimore that our manager actually says interesting things though, so it’s nice to hear from Buck. Still, we fans can get our fill of that from the beat writers. That said, it’s awesome that the O’s have a blogger seat in the press box at games, and they should continue to do more for the little guys.

Brown: I’ve been doing Orioles blogging since 2010 now. That’s a lot of time where I’ve been able to work on my own writing ability independent of anything that’s happened on the field. I don’t know whether others would feel my writing has changed. Hopefully they think it’s getting better all the time. For my part at least, it is a lot more fun to write about a winning team, though sometimes it takes pain and suffering to bring out the best of a writer.  In the dark days of the Orioles franchise, the unofficial slogan of Camden Chat was, “It’s like group therapy, only with the F word.” These days things are a good bit sunnier. You can come on our site every day and talk to hundreds of fellow Orioles fans who are there because they love the Orioles just as much as you. We scour the Internet to find links worth reading to start your day, bring opinions and analysis through the day, and when game time rolls around, it’s like being in a big bar full of people, only without that guy who wants the channel to be changed to a basketball game when it’s May.

Kremnitzer: I’ve been writing about the Orioles since 2007 (and at Camden Depot since 2013). The Depot has also been around since 2007. So obviously the O’s were still stuck in a stretch of truly awful baseball then. But I’m not sure it’s changed the way I approach writing about them. Certainly it’s more enjoyable to watch them; who wouldn’t rather watch a winning team? But Camden Depot is built on critical thinking skills and analysis. Things are more interesting when the Orioles are actually winning games, but that type of site approach would exist no matter what the team’s record is. I also don’t think full media credentials would change our focus much.

Michael: My writing style has changed a little bit in that I am finding myself writing more about standout performers and things the O’s are doing well, as opposed to pointing out the numerous flaws and holes in the team. As a whole though, I still continue to write passionately about the team and try to bring fans all of the news and notes that they need to be an informed fan, but with interesting and insightful
analysis and opinions.

I am fortunate enough to get credentials at times, and the coverage is different due to the simple fact that you get to talk to the players, coaches, etc. However, I would say that other than speaking to the
players and coaches, my coverage would remain the same because I, and Orioles101 are always trying to obsess over the team like the fans that we are.

Vadala: I started doing this at the tail end of the 2009 season. Now the Senior Editor of Birds Watcher (since the end of the 2011 season), I’m at my third site. I think that my writing has become more professional over the course of time, as I’ve made the switch between “fan” and “writer.” Mind you I’m still a fan in my heart first and foremost, but I don’t let that come out in my writing. I’ve always seen storytelling as one of my core strengths, and I try my best to tell a story with each column (often under the guise of a game recap). I buy into the early romanticism of baseball, so I try to paint imagery through the game when covering the team. I post at least one column per day at birdswatcher.com (often a game recap), and fans can also find me penning a guest column this season on masnsports.com every Wednesday.

Wilt: Ah it’s so much more fun. Credentials wouldn’t change much of what we do. We’re fans. I like the bleachers more than the press box. I’m a lifelong Orioles fan, season ticket holder and blogger/podcaster. You can check out my work on BaltimoreSportsReport.com, the BSR Podcast and our daily podcast, Baltimore Sports Today.

BSL: Go against the grain. Based on the comments you see at your site, on Social Media, or elsewhere; is there anything you perceive most O’s fans as believing that you disagree with?

Arnold: That Peter Angelos is “cheap,” or is somehow hindering this team in some way. The O’s payroll increased from last year, and they’re in the top 10 again. I’m not sure what more folks want. It’s understandable, in a way – you see other teams “winning the offseason,” and get a bit jealous – I get it. But the “Greedy Petey is ruining us” days are over – I am confident that if Buck wasn’t fully convinced that the organization, from the top down, was committed to winning, he’d jump ship.

Brown: I think everybody including the man himself is feeling way more confident about a Chris Davis bounce-back than I am. Maybe it really was a lingering oblique injury that caused so much of his problems last year, and maybe that’s better now. I’m not going to expect it until I start to see it happening.

Kremnitzer: A lot of fans like Jonathan Schoop. I like him too! But he was also terrible offensively last year. Lots of fans think that just because he’s still young and has a full season under his belt that he’ll take a big step forward next season. It doesn’t always work that way. If I had to bet, I’d say he’ll perform a little worse defensively and a little better offensively, but that’s probably not what the Orioles are hoping for. And that’s likely one of the reasons they signed Everth Cabrera.

Michael: There are a couple of things, the first of which is the concept that making a trade is as easy as it is in a video game. There are so many things that go into making a deal that I, nor fans would
ever understand.Secondly, as you could tell from my response to a previous question, I do not believe Jimenez is dead money for the next three years. I believe he is going to rebound and be an adequate member of the rotation. Is he going to pitch up to the contract? That’s a different question, but he’s not dead money either.

Vadala: I think that many of the folks who read my column are probably apt to believe that Peter Angelos is to blame for pretty much everything. I see that a lot on social media as well. Heck, occasionally I still get comments on how he “obviously bribed the doctors” in the Grant Balfour situation. But while Angelos isn’t perfect, I’m not sure that he should be blamed for every going on.

Wilt: Can I go back and recycle my comments about Nolan Reimold? Given the injury history and his age (31), I don’t think he’ll make much of an impact this season.

BSL: Final Predictions. Give a record prediction if you like, and/or name something else O’s related you believe will happen in 2015.

Arnold: 92-70, AL East winners by 3.0 games. Reimold really is “this year’s Steve Pearce.”

Brown: I’m on the record at 89-73 for this year, although I dread picking a win total so high because I feel I can only be disappointed. I think they’ll end up playing on the road in the wild card game.

Kremnitzer: In late February, I said the O’s would finish 84-78 and third in the AL East. A few weeks later, Marcus Stroman tore his ACL. Considering how competitive the East is likely to be, that could be an enormous loss. So I’d probably bump the Orioles up a few wins and into second place. And here’s a maybe, sorta surprising prediction: I think Travis Snider will hit better than Steve Pearce in 2015.

Michael: I believe the O’s will go 94-68 and repeat as AL East champs. I believe that the other team’s in the division have bigger issues facing them than the Orioles do. Boston’s entire pitching staff is a question mark, Toronto has no Bullpen and New York is very old with a lot of question marks. Tampa Bay is set up to return to the days of the Devil Rays.I believe that this will be the year that Adam Jones gets closest to an AL MVP nod. I think he is set up to set some career highs this season. In addition, I look for Kevin Gausman to really emerge as a top of the rotation guy to the point that it could be a debate between he and Tillman on Opening Day in 2016.

Vadala: Normally I don’t give my season prediction until I do my season preview, which this year will come on April 5th. However my prediction is that the Orioles will be competitive until the end to say the least. I also think that they’ll be in the post season – in some form. Here’s a wild card pick for something O’s related to happen…Chris Tillman will throw a no-hitter in 2015. That’s a crazy thing to predict, but it’s just something I felt in my gut when I read the question. So you heard it here first!

Wilt: 90-72, Wild Card berth. I think Brad Brach will be the Orioles best reliever this season.