Well the reason for the yikes is that with only one week to go we can still ask questions about 3 of the 5 starters in the rotation. Lets just say Adam Eaton is number three, I guess Alfredo Simon could be number four, but number 5 is up in the air still. Either way its not going to be pretty after Guthrie and Koji.
As for the offense, I am very excited to see Felix Pie, I heard he has some skills, and just needs to get consistent at bats. All other tools of his are above average apparently. Adam Jones trained extremely hard on the off season and has been on a hot streak towards the end of camp, which is perfect to start the season. Luke Scott also has been crushing the ball as of late. Nick Markakis, Aubrey Huff, and Brian Roberts are hitting as expected. Matt Wieters, who was send to AAA on Sunday, is expected to be called up the the big leagues by early May, and let me tell you something, I can't wait, and will be the first in line to get that jersey.
I'm going to give a few predictions for this season.
Adam Jones - .285 average, 14 HRs, 70 RBI's
Nick Markakis - .300 average, 20 HRs, 100 RBI's
Matt Wieters - .290 average, 20 HRs, 85 RBI's
Brian Roberts - .300 average, 10 HRs, 40 SB
Aubrey Huff - .290 average, 25 HR's, 90 RBI's
Guthrie - 16-7, 3.70 ERA 140 SO
That's pretty high for all of those players, but its hard for me to think anybody is going to have a significant loss in any category.
I'll give one more update before the season begins, and then all you readers, me, will get an everyday update.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
12 Days
Thats right a dozen days until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training and we get to say "its official." It appears that the O's are on the verge of trading for the Cub's pitcher Rich Hill. The Baltimore Sun is reporting that we could hear an announcement as early as today. I hope he doesn't bring along a 100 year old curse with hime. But I think now is as good of a time as any to recap the offseason moves:
Felix Pie (through a trade for Garrett Olson)
Gregg Zaun (Free Agent singing)
Koji Uehara (Free Agent singing)
Chris Gomes (Minor League deal)
Mark Hendrickson (Free Agent singing)
Ryan Freel (through a trade for Ramon Hernandez)
Cesar Izturis (Free Agent singing)
Nick Markakis (Signed a 6-year contract extension)
To tell you my honest opinion, that is a good offseason. Lock down your franchise player, give some stability at the shortstop position, ad a few arms to the rotation, and make the outfeild one of the most athletic, young, explosive and defensive in the league. Add a cather to mentor Matt Wieters, who has been named the top prospect in all of baseball. Yea, maybe not this year, or maybe, but by 2010, look for the Orioles to pull out of the dark basement of the AL East and hopefully give some big money teams a run for their money. Sorta.
Felix Pie (through a trade for Garrett Olson)
Gregg Zaun (Free Agent singing)
Koji Uehara (Free Agent singing)
Chris Gomes (Minor League deal)
Mark Hendrickson (Free Agent singing)
Ryan Freel (through a trade for Ramon Hernandez)
Cesar Izturis (Free Agent singing)
Nick Markakis (Signed a 6-year contract extension)
To tell you my honest opinion, that is a good offseason. Lock down your franchise player, give some stability at the shortstop position, ad a few arms to the rotation, and make the outfeild one of the most athletic, young, explosive and defensive in the league. Add a cather to mentor Matt Wieters, who has been named the top prospect in all of baseball. Yea, maybe not this year, or maybe, but by 2010, look for the Orioles to pull out of the dark basement of the AL East and hopefully give some big money teams a run for their money. Sorta.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Chatting it Up
Love the chats by the Baseball America guys, and apparently they love to answer Oriole questions, so here are some from todays:
Matt, Norwalk CT: Best starter in 2011: Cahill, B Anderson, Matusz or Holland?
John Manuel: (2:56 PM ET ) If he uses his fastball more often, I'll say Matusz. His secondary stuff is so good, he missed a ton of bats in college by pitching off his curve, slider and changeup. My next pick would be Anderson, then Cahill and then Holland, who has the shortest track record of success among these guys. Four good guys to pick from.
Matusz, pronounced Mat-us, is the top pitching prospect for the O's.
matt (sacramento, ca): first off the love the chats! can i get a quick comparison between wieters and posey's skill sets? which one would you prefer to have? thanks a lot.
John Manuel: (2:37 PM ET ) I did a story on just this subject in September; I'd prefer Wieters, as while I believe in Posey's bat, I think he'll be an average big league hitter and very good defender while believing strongly in Wieters bat and his ability to catch, 6-foot-5 or not. http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/awards/player-of-the-year/2008/266817.html
Great article about the Orioles top feilding prospect.
Dave (Jax, FL): John-love the chats. Best part about the website. What are your projections for Nolan Reimold? How is he defensively compared to Luke Scott? Could he start in LF for the O's this year? If so, can Huff play 1B and Scott be the primary DH? Thanks.
John Manuel: (2:31 PM ET ) He's more well-rounded than Luke Scott, but Scott (who's getting a lot of references in this chat) has shown an ability to hit for power in the majors already that Reimold has not. I can see Reimold becoming a regular, and he's also a bit unconventional in his swing, which gives scouts some pause. To me, though, he is the future LF in Baltimore and a good 6-hole option; that would be the best scenario for the Orioles, who should have a solid lineup for '09, even more than solid if Mora and Huff maintain their 2008 level (which is iffy) and if Markakis and especially Adam Jones make improvements with the experience they have gained. Plus there's Wieters as an X-factor. If the O's had any pitching at all, they'd be a nice sleeper pick, but that division is too tough for a rotation with Jeremy Guthrie and a lot of filler.
Doug, Brooklyn, NY: C'mon, AL top 10 please! I won't even hold it against you for knocking the NFL Hall of Fame when the MLB one has turned into the Hall of Pretty Good lately.
John Manuel: (3:06 PM ET ) MLB's HOF has actually improved its standards compared to the guys it used to allow in, but I agree the Rice vote doesn't help the Hall. My AL top 10 went a little something like this; Wieters-Price-Feliz, then Travis Snider, Brett Anderson, fellow Greek-American Mike Moustakas, Chris Tillman, Trevor Cahill, Gordon Beckham and Brian Matusz.
For the O's that would be #'s 1,7,10. 3 in the top 10 of th AL!!!
Matt, Norwalk CT: Best starter in 2011: Cahill, B Anderson, Matusz or Holland?
John Manuel: (2:56 PM ET ) If he uses his fastball more often, I'll say Matusz. His secondary stuff is so good, he missed a ton of bats in college by pitching off his curve, slider and changeup. My next pick would be Anderson, then Cahill and then Holland, who has the shortest track record of success among these guys. Four good guys to pick from.
Matusz, pronounced Mat-us, is the top pitching prospect for the O's.
matt (sacramento, ca): first off the love the chats! can i get a quick comparison between wieters and posey's skill sets? which one would you prefer to have? thanks a lot.
John Manuel: (2:37 PM ET ) I did a story on just this subject in September; I'd prefer Wieters, as while I believe in Posey's bat, I think he'll be an average big league hitter and very good defender while believing strongly in Wieters bat and his ability to catch, 6-foot-5 or not. http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/awards/player-of-the-year/2008/266817.html
Great article about the Orioles top feilding prospect.
Dave (Jax, FL): John-love the chats. Best part about the website. What are your projections for Nolan Reimold? How is he defensively compared to Luke Scott? Could he start in LF for the O's this year? If so, can Huff play 1B and Scott be the primary DH? Thanks.
John Manuel: (2:31 PM ET ) He's more well-rounded than Luke Scott, but Scott (who's getting a lot of references in this chat) has shown an ability to hit for power in the majors already that Reimold has not. I can see Reimold becoming a regular, and he's also a bit unconventional in his swing, which gives scouts some pause. To me, though, he is the future LF in Baltimore and a good 6-hole option; that would be the best scenario for the Orioles, who should have a solid lineup for '09, even more than solid if Mora and Huff maintain their 2008 level (which is iffy) and if Markakis and especially Adam Jones make improvements with the experience they have gained. Plus there's Wieters as an X-factor. If the O's had any pitching at all, they'd be a nice sleeper pick, but that division is too tough for a rotation with Jeremy Guthrie and a lot of filler.
Doug, Brooklyn, NY: C'mon, AL top 10 please! I won't even hold it against you for knocking the NFL Hall of Fame when the MLB one has turned into the Hall of Pretty Good lately.
John Manuel: (3:06 PM ET ) MLB's HOF has actually improved its standards compared to the guys it used to allow in, but I agree the Rice vote doesn't help the Hall. My AL top 10 went a little something like this; Wieters-Price-Feliz, then Travis Snider, Brett Anderson, fellow Greek-American Mike Moustakas, Chris Tillman, Trevor Cahill, Gordon Beckham and Brian Matusz.
For the O's that would be #'s 1,7,10. 3 in the top 10 of th AL!!!
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