Post by DERRENMATTS on Jan 24, 2010 6:03:03 GMT -5
It won't be too long more before baseball starts making its way into the mix again, with spring training about a month and some change away.
I know you guys probably don't care much for the Orioles, but they are my team, and I just have to get some of this excitement off my chest.
In no way, shape or form, am I saying the Orioles will compete against the Yanks or Sox this year, but the reason I'm excited about this coming season is cause for the first time in a long while, there will be a lot to be encouraged by--particularly all the young guys who will start to emerge as good ~ great players.
The outfield for the Orioles could turn out to be one of the best trios in all of baseball.
Nick Markakis in right field is an All-Star caliber player. Hits anywhere between .285 to the low .300, and smacks around 20 - 25 homers, and drives in over 100 runs. Plus, he plays a solid right field and racks up lots of assists with his strong arm.
In center field is Adam Jones, who looks a lot like Eric Davis from years ago; slim and explosive. Won a gold glove last year, even though he did slip a bit from the previous year. His bat is starting to come alive, and if he gains consistency from last year, he should be a .280+ hitter with about 25 homers.
Right now, manager Dave Trembley is saying the 2nd year player, Nolan Reimold, will be the starting left fielder--but I think it could go to our current 4th outfielder, Felix Pie (who is a much better defensive outfielder). Reimold's calling card is his power, which could translate into the high 20's, or even possibly in the 30's if he hits well all year. His plate discipline has been a bonus, as you don't expect rookies to come to the plate with a solid hitting approach. He doesn't swing at many pitches and is willing to work deep in the counts. I'm going to take the conservative approach and say he hits around .275 with just 20 homers, and if he exceeds these humbers, I will be pleasantly surprised.
Next, we have Matt Wieters, the super talented young catcher. If you have followed minor league baseball the past 2 seasons, you would have heard the hype surrounding this kid. He's a mix between Mike PIazza and Joe Mauer. Should hit for average, for power, and drive in lots of runs. He struggled early in his rookie campaign last year, but finished the year really strong, and I think we'll be seeing more of the latter in this coming year. Cautiously optimistically, I'll say he hits .290 with 20 homers and 90 RBI.
At third, we re-acquired former Oriole shortstop, Miguel Tejada. This will be his first time playing 3B in his career, but I feel he'll be fine. What I like about Tejada is his offensive production--though he's starting to get old (will be 36 this year), his overall production hasn't tailed off yet. Last year, he hit .313 and drove in 86 runs. He doesn't hit a lot of homeruns like he used to, but he still led the NL with 46 doubles. All I care about is him driving in runs--if he can drive in 85 runs without hitting lots of homeruns, I'm fine with that.
At short, Ceasar Itzturis anchors the defense with his excellent glove. Not much impact with bat, but he helps our team with his solid defense.
At second, Brian Roberts mans the position with an average to slightly above average defense. He's still an exceptional leadoff guy, hitting 56 doubles last season and scoring 110 runs. That's all I care about from Roberts--get on base and score runs. He's probably good for .280, 45 doubles and over 100 runs again.
At first base is newly acquired Garret Atkins. He's really struggled with the bat the last 2 years (he really stunk last year), but O's hitting coach Terry Crowley sees something correctable in Atkins' swing, and thinks he can bring Atkins' power stroke back. We shall see.
At designated hitter is Luke Scott. He's a meat and potatoe guy who is good for a low average, 25 homers and around 75 RBI. I'll take that.
So around the diamond, what am I excited about? I'm excited about watching our young outfield turn into baseball's best trio. I'm excited about watching Matt Wieters continue to develop as the game's top catcher. And I'm excited about Roberts getting on base a lot, and with Miggy driving in lots of runs.
Offensively, the O's should be markedly better than they were last season (dead last in the AL in runs scored). I'm excited about seeing an improvement in this department.
But its not all about hitting. Pitching is key too, and this is where Orioles fans are also getting excited about. 3 young pitchers are looking to become exceptional starting rotation pitchers; Brian Matusz, Chris Tillman, and Brad Bergesen.
Brian Matusz is likened to Cole Hamels of the Phillies. A pitcher with excellent command and feel of 4 pitches, with his changeup being his best pitch. This is his second year in the big leagues, and he's looking to improve upon a promising rookie campaign.
Chris Tillman is younger than Matusz, but many are high on this kid as well. He's got a solid fastball and a wicked curveball. He pitches with poise for being such a youngster.
Brag Bergesen found the most success among the three young pitchers last season, but he utlimately will be a #4 or #5 pitcher once the dust settles. He's not a strikeout machine, but gets guys out using his good command of the strikezone. He looks like he's going to be a reliable pitcher at the end of the rotation.
Rather than put these 3 youngsters at the front of the rotation right away, General Manager of the team Andy McPhail went out and got Kevin Millwood from the Texas Rangers this offseason. Though Millwood is no longer an ace like he once was, on this team, he'll be asked to be the #1 pitcher and veteran presence for the young guys to learn under. Getting Millwood allows Matusz, Tillman, and Bergesen to slide down the order and not have to carry an unnecessary load right now.
In the bullpen, there's a mixture of young and veteran arms who should combine to be an effective supply of late inning arms. Closing games will be newly acquired Mike Gonzalez, who came over from the Braves. He was one of the relievers who many teams were going after this offseason, and I'm glad we were able to get him.
Setting him up will be Jim Johnson--a young pitcher who served off and on as the primary closer last year. He has been an effective pitcher, and should continue to do a good job as a set up man.
Flame thrower Kam McKolio might also work his way as a set up man. Kam is 6'9" and brings some serious heat. Opponents only batted .220 against him last year. He's also a young guy, and hopefully he'll continue to improve and become more consistent.
In long relief will be Koji Uehara. Koji served as a starter last year, his first season in the States after coming over from Japan. Koji was very effective against teams early in the game, but would tire out and get whacked. Thus a move to the bullpen.
Other candidates for the bullpen are Matt Albers (who had been effective in previous years, but was injured last year), Dennis Safarte (same predicament as Albers).
There are many other young arms in the minors who may start to trickle into the Orioles team in the near future (maybe as early as this season). Among them are Jake Arrieta (who is being groomed as a top of the rotation starter, but might be turned into a stud reliever), and Brandon Erbe (who also looks like a stud bullpen pitcher).
So what am I excited for about the pitching staff? I'm excited about seeing Matusz, Tillman, and Bergesen go out every 5 days and show their potential on the mound. I'm excited about seeing a steadier bullpen that can hold leads and win close games. I'm just excited to see improvement among the pitching staff.
Again, this is not the year the Orioles will compete with the Yankees and Red Sox for the AL crown, but the pieces are falling into place and there will be a lot to be excited for, as we watch the young Birds start to spread their own wings and start taking flight.
I know you guys probably don't care much for the Orioles, but they are my team, and I just have to get some of this excitement off my chest.
In no way, shape or form, am I saying the Orioles will compete against the Yanks or Sox this year, but the reason I'm excited about this coming season is cause for the first time in a long while, there will be a lot to be encouraged by--particularly all the young guys who will start to emerge as good ~ great players.
The outfield for the Orioles could turn out to be one of the best trios in all of baseball.
Nick Markakis in right field is an All-Star caliber player. Hits anywhere between .285 to the low .300, and smacks around 20 - 25 homers, and drives in over 100 runs. Plus, he plays a solid right field and racks up lots of assists with his strong arm.
In center field is Adam Jones, who looks a lot like Eric Davis from years ago; slim and explosive. Won a gold glove last year, even though he did slip a bit from the previous year. His bat is starting to come alive, and if he gains consistency from last year, he should be a .280+ hitter with about 25 homers.
Right now, manager Dave Trembley is saying the 2nd year player, Nolan Reimold, will be the starting left fielder--but I think it could go to our current 4th outfielder, Felix Pie (who is a much better defensive outfielder). Reimold's calling card is his power, which could translate into the high 20's, or even possibly in the 30's if he hits well all year. His plate discipline has been a bonus, as you don't expect rookies to come to the plate with a solid hitting approach. He doesn't swing at many pitches and is willing to work deep in the counts. I'm going to take the conservative approach and say he hits around .275 with just 20 homers, and if he exceeds these humbers, I will be pleasantly surprised.
Next, we have Matt Wieters, the super talented young catcher. If you have followed minor league baseball the past 2 seasons, you would have heard the hype surrounding this kid. He's a mix between Mike PIazza and Joe Mauer. Should hit for average, for power, and drive in lots of runs. He struggled early in his rookie campaign last year, but finished the year really strong, and I think we'll be seeing more of the latter in this coming year. Cautiously optimistically, I'll say he hits .290 with 20 homers and 90 RBI.
At third, we re-acquired former Oriole shortstop, Miguel Tejada. This will be his first time playing 3B in his career, but I feel he'll be fine. What I like about Tejada is his offensive production--though he's starting to get old (will be 36 this year), his overall production hasn't tailed off yet. Last year, he hit .313 and drove in 86 runs. He doesn't hit a lot of homeruns like he used to, but he still led the NL with 46 doubles. All I care about is him driving in runs--if he can drive in 85 runs without hitting lots of homeruns, I'm fine with that.
At short, Ceasar Itzturis anchors the defense with his excellent glove. Not much impact with bat, but he helps our team with his solid defense.
At second, Brian Roberts mans the position with an average to slightly above average defense. He's still an exceptional leadoff guy, hitting 56 doubles last season and scoring 110 runs. That's all I care about from Roberts--get on base and score runs. He's probably good for .280, 45 doubles and over 100 runs again.
At first base is newly acquired Garret Atkins. He's really struggled with the bat the last 2 years (he really stunk last year), but O's hitting coach Terry Crowley sees something correctable in Atkins' swing, and thinks he can bring Atkins' power stroke back. We shall see.
At designated hitter is Luke Scott. He's a meat and potatoe guy who is good for a low average, 25 homers and around 75 RBI. I'll take that.
So around the diamond, what am I excited about? I'm excited about watching our young outfield turn into baseball's best trio. I'm excited about watching Matt Wieters continue to develop as the game's top catcher. And I'm excited about Roberts getting on base a lot, and with Miggy driving in lots of runs.
Offensively, the O's should be markedly better than they were last season (dead last in the AL in runs scored). I'm excited about seeing an improvement in this department.
But its not all about hitting. Pitching is key too, and this is where Orioles fans are also getting excited about. 3 young pitchers are looking to become exceptional starting rotation pitchers; Brian Matusz, Chris Tillman, and Brad Bergesen.
Brian Matusz is likened to Cole Hamels of the Phillies. A pitcher with excellent command and feel of 4 pitches, with his changeup being his best pitch. This is his second year in the big leagues, and he's looking to improve upon a promising rookie campaign.
Chris Tillman is younger than Matusz, but many are high on this kid as well. He's got a solid fastball and a wicked curveball. He pitches with poise for being such a youngster.
Brag Bergesen found the most success among the three young pitchers last season, but he utlimately will be a #4 or #5 pitcher once the dust settles. He's not a strikeout machine, but gets guys out using his good command of the strikezone. He looks like he's going to be a reliable pitcher at the end of the rotation.
Rather than put these 3 youngsters at the front of the rotation right away, General Manager of the team Andy McPhail went out and got Kevin Millwood from the Texas Rangers this offseason. Though Millwood is no longer an ace like he once was, on this team, he'll be asked to be the #1 pitcher and veteran presence for the young guys to learn under. Getting Millwood allows Matusz, Tillman, and Bergesen to slide down the order and not have to carry an unnecessary load right now.
In the bullpen, there's a mixture of young and veteran arms who should combine to be an effective supply of late inning arms. Closing games will be newly acquired Mike Gonzalez, who came over from the Braves. He was one of the relievers who many teams were going after this offseason, and I'm glad we were able to get him.
Setting him up will be Jim Johnson--a young pitcher who served off and on as the primary closer last year. He has been an effective pitcher, and should continue to do a good job as a set up man.
Flame thrower Kam McKolio might also work his way as a set up man. Kam is 6'9" and brings some serious heat. Opponents only batted .220 against him last year. He's also a young guy, and hopefully he'll continue to improve and become more consistent.
In long relief will be Koji Uehara. Koji served as a starter last year, his first season in the States after coming over from Japan. Koji was very effective against teams early in the game, but would tire out and get whacked. Thus a move to the bullpen.
Other candidates for the bullpen are Matt Albers (who had been effective in previous years, but was injured last year), Dennis Safarte (same predicament as Albers).
There are many other young arms in the minors who may start to trickle into the Orioles team in the near future (maybe as early as this season). Among them are Jake Arrieta (who is being groomed as a top of the rotation starter, but might be turned into a stud reliever), and Brandon Erbe (who also looks like a stud bullpen pitcher).
So what am I excited for about the pitching staff? I'm excited about seeing Matusz, Tillman, and Bergesen go out every 5 days and show their potential on the mound. I'm excited about seeing a steadier bullpen that can hold leads and win close games. I'm just excited to see improvement among the pitching staff.
Again, this is not the year the Orioles will compete with the Yankees and Red Sox for the AL crown, but the pieces are falling into place and there will be a lot to be excited for, as we watch the young Birds start to spread their own wings and start taking flight.
