AL East: Baltimore Orioles
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Jan 21, 2010 
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The Yankees haven’t been making much news lately, so why not look at the rest of the American League East? We’ll start at the bottom of last year’s standings.
Baltimore Orioles
2009: Fifth place, 64-98
Key additions: 3B Garrett Atkins, RHP Kevin Millwood, LHP Mike Gonzalez
Key losses: RHP Chris Ray, 3B Melvin Mora, RHP Danys Baez (1B Aubrey Huff and LHP George Sherrill were traded late last season)
• Atkins might be an upgrade over the aging Mora at third, Gonzalez might be an upgrade over Sherrill/Ray at the back of the bullpen and Millwood is certainly an upgrade — in terms of experience – over anyone in the Baltimore rotation.
Youth on the way: The Orioles first-round pick in 2008 was a starting pitcher named Brian Matusz who jumped to the big leagues from Double-A last season. Another starter, Jake Arrieta, pitched well in Triple-A last season, 24-year-old Brad Bergesen had a 3.43 ERA as a big league rookie and Chris Tilman got to Baltimore after 18 terrific starts with Triple-A Norfolk. Reliever Kam Mickolio and 1B Brandon Snyder are also knocking on the door.
Experience on the slide: Truthfully, there aren’t many declining players on the roster, at least not in significant roles. Millwood’s not young, but he’s coming off a strong season with Texas.
Possible upgrades: The Orioles have been linked to some third basemen who would bump Atkins to first. Joe Crede and Miguel Tejeda are two of the names that have been mentioned.
• The theme with the Orioles is youth, youth, youth. Even their “old guys” are in their early 30s, guys like Luke Scott (who brings good, fairly cheap power) and Brian Roberts (who brings speed to the lead-off spot). It’s actually not a terrible lineup, as long as guys like Jones and Nolan Reimold don’t suffer a setback. Adding a corner infielder would be a nice upgrade.
Better than the Yankees: There’s a lot to like about the Orioles young outfield, especially Adam Jones in center and Nick Markakis in right. Matt Wieters was solid as a rookie and could become one of the better catchers in the game.
Worse than the Yankees: Aside from Markakis and possibly Jones, it’s hard to imagine any of the Orioles outperforming the Yankees at any individual position. The pitching staff is young and seems talented, but the Orioles rotation is probably too inexperienced to cause any real worries at this point.
Yankees connections: C Chad Moeller is back in the mix to compete for a bench job, so is former Yankees minor leaguer Michel Hernandez.
• No surprise here. There’s some young talent that’s worth outside envy, but the Orioles seem to be a long way from competing with the Yankees for the AL East.
Prediction: Fourth place. I’ll take the Orioles over the Blue Jays in 2010, but this team doesn’t seem ready to compete unless the young starters really make some strides and adjust quickly at the big league level.
Fourth place sounds about right.
lets go yankees
“Rich,
I never said he was that good. I simply said he could play the position, while Cano could not.”
So he’s good enough to play the position in theory?
I have heard people say that Cano could play SS, if he had to. He has more range than Jeter at this point.
Cano played 53 more innings than Peds last year at 2B. Cano had 53 more putouts, 20 more assists, 10 more DPs and 6 more errors (12). Now given all that, Cano’s UZR/150 was a -5.2 yet Peds was +10.6. Something doesn’t smell right.
Clint Barnes played 250 les innings than Cano, had same number of errors (12), 67 less Putouts, 11 les assists, and 9 less DPs but had a UZR/150 rating of +7.5. That is crazy!
Baltimore?
Next team please.
BTW, Cano won a spot as the 2002 South Atlantic League All-Star SS. But the NYY had some other guy playing SS!!!
“So he’s good enough to play the position in theory?
I have heard people say that Cano could play SS, if he had to. He has more range than Jeter at this point.”
———————-
It is not a theory. Pedroia could probably be an average SS given his range. Cano does not have the range to be an average SS or even a below average one. Honestly, there is no point of continuing this argument, so I am not going to comment on it anymore.
“It is not a theory. Pedroia could probably be an average SS given his range. Cano does not have the range to be an average SS or even a below average one. Honestly, there is no point of continuing this argument, so I am not going to comment on it anymore.”
Until Pedroia actually plays there and proves that he could be an average SS, by definition it’s a theory.
Cano has terrific range. His problem is that he messes up easy plays.
Cool.
Lets Go,
I think Cano would play SS about the same that Pedroia would…adequate but not big league level.
So we agree to disagree?
Yes.
I believe Cano could play SS. But I also think he’d be the 3rd best SS on the Yankees. DJ, AR then RC.
“It is not a theory. Pedroia could probably…”
“Could probably” suggests it’s a theory.
Until his surgery, I thought A-Rod should have been the SS.
Baltimore strikes me as a team that is becoming serious about trying to compete better. I like their young players. And, frankly, I hope that this once-proud franchise can get back to being competitive. As it stands right now, they are that pesky team that’s not good enough to win consistently, but just good enough to be a pain in the you know what!
You know it really wasn’t all that long ago when it was the Orioles and the Yankees fighting it out for 1st in the AL EAst.
yeesh yall get seriously off-topic here. I like the post, Chad. In spite of my yankee fanhood, i have some excitement for the Orioles, much like i did for the Rays in ’07. I don’t think they’ll make that big of a jump, especially given how good the top 3 are right now, but it’s not at all out of the question to think that we’re 2-3 years away from a perennial 4-team race in the east. Tillman, Matusz, Bergeson, Millwood, more on the way, with a solid offensive core. They won’t beat us for the division championship this year, but they’ll give us a lot of frustrating losses, you can bet on that.
Speaking of AL-East, anybody else seriously scared about the Rays next year? Their rotation has about 8 quality options for next year – Shields/Garza/Price/Neimann/Davis/Hellickson/McGee/Sonnanstine. No real true ace (though Price or Garza could certainly change that as early as next year), but that’s about as injury-proof a rotation as you’ll find anywhere. IMO, the rays are better than any team in baseball this year when it comes to rotation depth, outfield depth, and defense. If they get some bounceback years without any serious regression (unlikely), they could have a pretty damn good offense, too. Jennings/Crawford/Longoria/Zobrist/Pena/Burrell/Upton/Bartlett. Not a lot of sure things, there, but the Rays have as much upside in ’10 as anyone.
What a cute little team.
Seriously, they have their moments. They can hit us at times.
Luke Scott (who?) is not a happy camper. Says he wants to play defense and is taking one for the team by DH’ing. Apparently, it’ll affect his value. Don’t you love it when players share things like this?
Who was the last pitcher developed by the O’s to become an All-Star?
Was it Moose?
Since this is a thread about the O’s, I just have one thing to say….
I want Nick Markakis…………….to be a Yankee. Yeah, that’s it. I want him to be a Yankee.
Davidoff:
-The Yankees have about $2 million to spend on one more outfielder. If Johnny Damon is willing to come back for $2 million, then the job is his. But the Yankees don’t anticipate that occurring. Rather, they’re looking at righty-hitting outfielders like Xavier Nady and Rocco Baldelli.
I also still think there’s a chance that Brett Gardner winds up as the Yankees’ centerfielder, and Curtis Granderson as the leftfielder. I might write about that more over the weekend. Please don’t tell the competition.
Nice report, Chad.
The once proud Oriole franchise has fallen in bad times due in no small part to their stubborm owner, Peter Angelos.
It appears that Andy MacPhail is trying to steer the team in the right direction but they have work to do.
Somehow in recent years, the Orioles have managed to be pests to both the Yankees and Boston.
Markakis, Roberts, Jones, Scott and a few others need to be taken seriously for every series with the Yankees.
http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.c.....p?c_id=bal
pat mentioned in the last thread that Girardi wasn’t quite sure about Gardner as the LF.
I knew we weren’t going to make it through this thread without somebody mentioning how hot Markakis is.
At least it was funny . Good job Laura.
I seriously don’t think that Damon would play here for $2M. I also don’t think they’d eschew Damon for rock bottom price ($3-5M).
They can’t possibly think he’d play for $2M. Talk about an offer he has to refuse.
If it’s really $2m, that’s why I have said they could trade Gaudin, who is a waste of $2.9m.
Taken together that’s almost $5m…or something…
Sorry Laura but Nick Markakis is locked up for a long time with the O’s. Better set your sights on Frankie Cervelli.
Nick Markakis of
6 years/$66.1M (2009-14), plus 2015 option
6 years/$66M (2009-14)
signed extension with Baltimore 1/21/09 (avoided arbitration, $5M-$2.9M)
$2.1M signing bonus ($1M paid on approval, $1.1M paid 4/2010)
09:$3M, 10:$6.75M, 11:$10.25M, 12:$12M, 13:$15M, 14:$15M, 15:$17.5M club option ($2M buyout)
if club exercises 2015 option, Markakis may void, forfeit buyout
2010-14 salaries may increase by $0.5M with 1) All Star or 2) 1st-10th finish in MVP vote in each previous season
limited no-trade clause (may block deals to 8 clubs)
award bonuses: $0.2M each for MVP, WS MVP; $0.1M for LCS MVP; $75,000 each for Silver Slugger, Gold Glove
1 year/$0.455M (2008)
renewed by Baltimore 3/4/08
1 year/$0.4M (2007)
re-signed by Baltimore 1/07
1 year/$0.327M (2006)
contract purchased 11/05
re-signed by Baltimore 2/06
drafted by Baltimore 2003 (1-7) (Young Harris College)
$1.85M signing bonus
agent: Jamie Murphy
ML service: 4.000
I don’t think its wise to pay gigantic injury risks Nady or Baldelli 2m if you can have Damon back for 5m.
Sure they are 3M cheaper but you may get nothing for your 2M bucks.
Nady makes some sense. Damon makes more sense.
I don’t want Baldelli.
Thanks didnt need all that…I can also Google.
Doreen- I found you on facebook!!!
The only good things to say about the Orioles in 2010 – they still play in a great downtown ballpark and they shouldn’t go hungry with the tremendous crab cakes and Boog’s Barbecue.
The O’s will be tested early – after the first 9 games of the season (against TB and Tor), they go on a 7 game west coast road trip and then immediately play 12 straight against Boston and the Yankees.
They must be nuts in Philly ……..
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c.....?eref=sihp
“Worse than the Yankees: Aside from Markakis and possibly Jones, it’s hard to imagine any of the Orioles outperforming the Yankees at any individual position”
Wouldn’t be shocking to see Weiters outperform Posada.
Sometimes there is more to it than meets the eye. Take the Abreu situation last year. Could Abreu have been brought back for the 5 million or so that he ultimately signed with the Angels for? Most probably…would his ego have gotten in the way….maybe. Why didn’t the Yankees try? Simply put, and for whatever reason, they didn’t want to. I could speculate as to the reasons but it would be simply that and without any definitive evidence in support it, I would rather not. Suffice it to say that they simply did not want him back.
So too with the self-proclaimed “Idiot” who was last seen slurping up the Boras Kool-Aid. Did Cashman Not want to bring him back, or, if he did, would his role have been different from last year? The latter, I suspect….as a DH only. With Hideki not to be signed, that was the role Cashman apparently contemplated for Damon. I further suspect that Cashman and Girardi simply did not want Damon in the field on a regular basis. Damon’s defensive follies which reminded me of a Little Leaguer, at best, should be obvious to anyone who has played the game. But our former resident Idiot dis-enabled himself from claiming the one position available to him, with his ludicrous demands and exalted sense of self-worth, perhaps egged on by Boras. In pushing the envelope much too far, Damon caused Cashman to fill “his spot on the roster” him with Nick Johnson. As a result, the Idiot may well find himself basking in the Florida sun year round.
Just as was the case with Abreu as to “why” the Yankees passed from the getgo, as it is not Cashman or Girardi’s way to trash an ex-player (most unlike the “Saint” who had no such compunction) we will never know if the real reason was the refusal to again deal with the rather obvious subpar performance (and that is an understatement) in the field.
Abreu wasn’t coming back because he was being replaced with Nady.
For 5 mil, I think the Yanks would have jumped if they had a need.
Erica -
Yay!
That works.
I spent about 3 hours playing around with GTLU today.
Did Abreu ever call Cash to say he wanted to come back even if it was for $5m?
“Did Abreu ever call Cash to say he wanted to come back even if it was for $5m?”
Somehow, I doubt it. I think it’s easier for guys to go to a new team for less money. To go back to the old clubhouse taking more than a 50% pay cut? That has to be hard.
Laura
My question was rhetorical, but if player can’t swallow his pride, I think you’re right. If, however, I’m Damon, I do it because there is no other situation (talent on the team, park effects) that will enable him to get a better contract in 2011.
The Baltimore Orioles will be a .500 plus club in 2010 vs. non AL East ballclubs….They are on the rise, and they’re pitching rich……By 2012, they can be a factor in the AL East….
“My question was rhetorical, but if player can’t swallow his pride, I think you’re right. If, however, I’m Damon, I do it because there is no other situation (talent on the team, park effects) that will enable him to get a better contract in 2011.”
If I’m Damon, I come back to us as well. Of course, the Yankees have to want him back. I have seen several people here claim that Cash said that they don’t want Damon. I don’t know how true that is. I think that they want Damon at their price. If their price is $2M, Damon is out of luck. If their price is closer to $5-6M, then I think he needs to suck it up and take the deal. He can play with us for one year and then try the FA market again in 2011.
m
Girardi was asked about going with the OF as is and he said there is still potential for moves to be made.
How he said it sounded a step short of a vote of confidence to me. That’s why I asked if anyone else heard it.
pat,
Thanks for that. Seems consistent with what Cash has been saying.
I am of the completely uninformed view that if Damon called Cash and offered himself up for 1/$5mm Cash would bite, indications of having only $2mm left to play with notwithstanding.
prediction: in the next days, Jose Molina will be signed to a 1-year contract by the Yankees
you heard it here
great post
vinny-b (NJ and Granderson – thank you Cashman!)
January 21st, 2010 at 10:15 pm
prediction: in the next days, Jose Molina will be signed to a 1-year contract by the Yankees
you heard it here
————————————————————
If Molina is willing to accept sub $1MM, then he’s a possibility. But Cervelli is only going to cost $400K, runs better, hits better, and calls a good game as well as being active defensively. Cervelli’s probably the choice if you’ve got to watch every dollar of your budget.
I’ll take Nady over Baldelli presuming Nady can demonstrate that he throws better than Damon, like the rest of us.
I would say the orioles will be a little under .500 this upcoming season, but when 2011 rolls around it will be a much much different story.