Key Additions:
Kevin Millwood (SP)
Garrett Atkins (1B/3B)
Miguel Tejada (3B/SS)
Key Departures:
Gregg Zaun (C)
Adam Eaton (SP)
Melvin Mora (OF/INF)
If one has ever watched an Orioles game on MASN in the Baltimore/Washington area, one would think that the Orioles had all of the young talent to take over Major League Baseball for the next decade. And yet this is, obviously, not the case. I used to think that Buck Martinez was decent until I heard him say that Adam Jones would be the next Frank Robinson. Nothing against Jones but he is no Frank Robinson.
The O's do have some interesting young talent on offer. I am excited to see what former Seattle Mariners prospect Chris Tillman can do in his first full Major League season and Nolan Reimold impressed as a rookie last season. Brad Bergesen also pitched beyond his age last season with a 3.43 ERA in 123.1 IP. The major test for their young pitching staff is whether or not they can maintain their numbers through 200 innings. And that is where my doubts about this team in 2010 creep in.
The Orioles did make some interesting additions to their club over the offseason by adding Garrett Atkins from the Colorado Rockies, Kevin Millwood from the Texas Rangers, and bringing back Miguel Tejada from the Houston Astros. These moves clearly reflect the Orioles GM Andy MacPhail's desire to balance out the youth on his squad with some experienced players. In any one season one does not know what he's going to get from any single player, but it would be fair to say that all of those players with the exception of Millwood are "educated" bets made by the Orioles brass.
I do expect Adam Jones to continue to develop into the player the Orioles traded for in 2007, but his play will not be enough to turn the tide for the boys in orange and black, especially considering how competitive the AL East will be this season. The Orioles will be cellar dwellers once more.
Projected Starting Nine:
1. Brian Roberts (2B)
2. Adam Jones (CF)
3. Nick Markakis (RF)
4. Luke Scott (DH)
5. Miguel Tejada (3B)
6. Garrett Atkins (1B)
7. Nolan Reimold (LF)
8. Matt Wieters (C)
9. Cesar Izturis (SS)
Projected Starting Rotation:
1. Kevin Millwood
2. Jeremy Guthrie
3. Brad Bergesen
4. Chris Tillman
5. Brian Matusz
Predicted Finish: 5th in the AL East
No comments:
Post a Comment