The Norfolk Tides had a roller coaster season in 2012, finishing with a 74-70 record and enough roster moves to mentally stress me by the end of the year. Manager Ron Johnson and company did a terrific job with the everyday activities of holding this club together, as it seemed like the rotation changed with each day.
Players like Chris Tillman began the season in AAA, only to finish the year in Baltimore. The Tides also had a slurry of veterans on the club, such as Jamie Moyer and Dontrelle Willis. On the positional side, players like Miguel Tejada and Bill Hall saw plenty of time
In the 2013 season, the Tides are once again going to be a veteran-heavy club on the both sides of the field. At the AAA level, this is fairly common and often makes for some lackluster games. I’m here to help you figure out who to be watching over the course of the season.
Projected Rotation
1. Zach Clark – RHP
I wrote an in-depth piece on Clark earlier in Spring Training HERE. He will be the Tides opening day starter.
2. Zach Britton – LHP
The 25 year old LHP is the main attraction in the Tides rotation. We’ve talked about him on the Bird Talk Podcast quite a bit the past week or so, and he is simply “not right” at the time being. The upright delivery is something new that we are seeing, and his command has wavered even more than in the past. Obviously, lets keep an eye on Britton and hope that he can turn the corner and regain the bright light that originally surrounded his career.
3. Jair Jurrjens – RHP
Jurrjens was the talk of the town this off-season in Baltimore, whether that is a good thing or not. Thankfully the Orioles were able to sign Jurrjens on a Minor league deal, as he could certainly use some seasoning in the minors after what I saw. They can stash him here until needed.
4. Freddy Garcia – RHP
Recently signed, the Orioles are giving him 5-6 starts for the Tides to see if he can possibly help at the MLB level. At the very least, he is a depth guy. I would not expect much out of Garcia at this point of his career, but it is still nice to have a veteran at the back end of the AAA rotation.
5. ???
For now, it remains a mystery. A number of players could jump in and fill this spot, but I am not sure who that is at the time.
Top Prospects
1. Jonathan Schoop – SS/2B/3B
I am currently working on a full scouting report of Schoop, so I do not want to touch on him that much here. However, I think Schoop is the clear #1 player to watch at Norfolk this season. There is room for Schoop in the next year or two at the MLB level if he can prove to be productive enough. The SS experiment has returned, so if anything that will be something to follow closely.
2. L.J. Hoes – OF
The Maryland native is still one of the premier players to watch at Norfolk heading into the 2013 season. It may not seem like an opening is there now, but the Orioles OF can change quickly over the course of a season. The health of Nolan Reimold is always a factor to consider, along with the performance of Nate McLouth. Hoes is a solid piece to have in the system, with thoughts on his value ranging from fourth OF to second division starter. I think he could be a second division starter and wrote more on him HERE.
3. Michael Belfiore – LHP
I have not hidden my likeness for Belfiore in the past. He has been a player that I have watched a lot since his beginning at Bowie last season. He looked good in Spring Training and needs to continue getting LHH out at Norfolk this season. The thing to watch this is really how well he does against RHH. If he can be productive enough against them, I could envision a Troy Patton role down the road with the Orioles. If not that, he still can be a productive LOOGY. I wrote an in-depth piece on Belfiore earlier in Spring Training. Find it HERE.
Sleeper Prospects
None.
At this stage of your career, you are either a known commodity, or are not considered a prospect anymore.
Conclusion
The Tides are going to be a veteran-heavy team with minimal prospects to start the year. They may even be near the top of the league when all is said and done. There is a chance that Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman find their way to Norfolk at some point this season, which obviously makes the Tides the team to watch. Overall, the club is not entirely exciting right now, but they do have some players to keep an eye on in Conor Jackson, Trayvon Robinson, Danny Valencia, Travis Ishikawa, Zach Braddock, Daniel Schlereth and Jairo Ascencio. Those are players whom I consider a possible option for the Orioles this season if necessary. Others will join the discussion as well, but for now that is my list. Who knows, maybe another Miguel Gonzalez pops up this season.
Roster
(Credit to MASN‘s Steve Melewski)
Pitchers:
Jairo Asencio
Mike Belfiore
Zach Britton
Zach Clark
Manny Delcarmen
Rob Delaney
Freddy Garcia
Mark Hendrickson
Jair Jurrjens
Daniel McCutchen
Scott Proctor
Adam Russell
Daniel SchlerethCatchers:
Luis Exposito
Chris RobinsonInfielders:
Russ Canzler
Travis Ishikawa
Yamaico Navarro
Nuiman Romero
Jonathan Schoop
Danny ValenciaOutfielders:
Chris Dickerson
L.J Hoes
Conor Jackson
Jason Pridie
Trayvon Robinson
Tucker Blair was born and raised in the Baltimore area and currently lives in Elkridge, Maryland. He graduated from York College of Pennsylvania with a B.S in Entrepreneurial Studies and is currently a Project Analyst for a Management Consulting Firm in Federal Hill, Baltimore. Tucker was previously the Managing Editor at Orioles Nation, where he worked on prospect lists, reports, and analysis on the Orioles minor league system. He also previously wrote his personal blog, The EntreprenOriole.