(Over the next 30 days, BERNing on Sports will be previewing every team in the Majors, yes, even the Royals. Only one a day, every day, so try not to get too hooked)
Where Former Cubs Prospects Go to Die
When Andy MacPhail took over as Orioles President of Baseball Operations, a post he held with the Cubs for more than a decade, apparently he decided if it wasn't bad enough that the Orioles were losing, he could make things worse by collecting failed former Cubs. It started when he traded Mike Fontenot and Jerry Hairston Jr. to Chicago's north side for an aging and decrepit Sammy Sosa in 2005. But it didn't end there. Then they picked up the miserable Corey Patterson who wasn't much for them in Center Field except for a base stealer for two seasons. Now, the Orioles opening day roster will likely feature three former Cubs, as Felix Pie (a.k.a. the Patterson reincarnate), failed lefty starter Rich Hill (Rick Ankiel in the pitcher form) and Cesar Izturis (good defense, can't field). Aren't you excited, O's fans? Didn't think so.
At Least This Team Can Field...
Because its line-up is questionable, to say the least. Sure, they've locked up Nick Markakis and Brian Roberts to long term contracts so they'll be mainstays at Camden for the next few years. But to expect Aubrey Huff to repeat last year's performance would really be asking a lot. He was a monster last year, hitting .304 with 32 homers and 108 RBI. But prior to last year he hadn't hit .300 or better since 2003, and hadn't eclipsed the 30 homer mark since that year either. Furthermore, he hadn't hit more than 15 homers in a season in either of the three years prior to last. So he's a question mark. Melvin Mora will need another great year for the O's to contend too. Although like Huff, Mora's numbers spiked last year after a couple of sub-par years prior. Don't expect much offense from Pie, Izturis or backstop Gregg Zaun, and while Adam Jones should eventually be a good hitter he's probably still a year or two away. Baltimore scored the eighth most runs in the AL last year. But unless their pitching is great, which it likely won't be (more on that shortly), in an extremely tough division they can't afford to lack contributions from anyone in the lineup.
Thankfully, the Nationals can deal with Daniel Cabrera now...
But the Orioles starting rotation still doesn't look good. And by doesn't look good, I mean, it stinks. Jeremy Guthrie is the best guy in this group, and while his record wouldn't show it he's a pretty good pitcher. Not a top of the rotation guy on a contending team, but a solid pitcher nonetheless. The Orioles have brought in Japanese import Koji Uehara to try to bolster the group, but as I've said before, you never know what these guys will do when they face major league hitters. Radhames Liz has a great name, but he's bad. And if you're banking on Rich Hill to bounce back from inexplicably dreadful pitching last year with the Cubs, he likely won't, because there's something between his ears that won't allow him to reach his potential. Finally, if major league baseball were going to start an NBA franchise Mark Hendrickson could be the team's starting center. But he's not much of a pitcher. With George Sherrill and Chris Ray returning from injury in the 'pen, the Orioles won't have too much problem closing games. The question is, can their starters get them there? Probably not.
At Least the Future Is Bright...
If you haven't heard of him yet, you will soon. Last year's 2nd overall pick Matt Wieters was recently named the top prospect in baseball by Baseball America, with Rays phenom David Price ranked number two. He's a switch-hitting catcher who can absolutely mash, and last year was named Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year, as he hit .355 with 27 home runs and 91 RBI and boasted a whopping .454 on base percentage and a .600 slugging percentage. He could be in the majors at some point this year, and could eventually along with Markakis be the face of the Orioles franchise for years to come. It'll be fun to watch the O's play once Wieters lands in bird land.Bold Prediction
If Matt Wieters is called up soon enough, he'll be the American League Rookie of the Year.
Up next...Friday, Mets.
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