After their recent moves, the Baltimore Orioles have
36 players left in Major League camp. They have until Sunday to weed it down to
the 25 who will be on the Opening Day roster.
Here’s how the roster seems to be shaking out:
Starting
Lineup:
1B
Chris Davis
2B
Steve Lombardozzi
SS J.J.
Hardy
3B Ryan
Flaherty (while Manny Machado is on the DL)
C Matt
Wieters
LF
David Lough/Nelson Cruz
CF Adam
Jones
RF Nick
Markakis
DH
Nelson Cruz/Delmon Young
Bench:
C Steve
Clevenger
OF/1B
Steve Pearce
INF/PR
Jemile Weeks
Starting
Rotation:
RHP Chris
Tillman
RHP Ubaldo
Jimenez
LHP Wei-Yin
Chen
RHP Miguel
Gonzalez
RHP Bud
Norris
Bullpen:
RHP Tommy
Hunter (Closer)
RHP Darren
O’Day
LHP Brian
Matusz
RHP Ryan
Webb
LHP Zach
Britton
RHP Josh
Stinson
RHP Evan
Meek
(LHP Troy
Patton is suspended for 25 games)
When Manny Machado returns from the DL and a
possible rehab assignment, he’ll take over at 3B, which means either Flaherty,
Weeks, or Lombardozzi will be headed to AAA Norfolk. Weeks would probably be
the odd man out, although he has value as a pinch runner, so it may be
Flaherty, although he is a favorite with management. All three are just placeholders
for youngsters Machado and Jonathan Schoop.
Top position player prospect, 2B Jonathan Schoop,
will most likely start the season in AAA Norfolk to gain more seasoning,
despite having a terrific spring. Spring Training stats are what they are,
facing pitchers who may not even see the major leagues. Regardless, Schoop
definitely needs to work on his defensive decisions. He won’t be used as a utility
INF, because he needs at bats, and those are at Norfolk right now. Look for
Schoop to show up in Baltimore by midseason at the latest.
Lefty Troy Patton is suspended for the first 25
games of the season for violating the league’s banned substances policy. He
will most likely need some game action in the minors before being up to speed.
Then the Orioles will have another roster decision to make, deciding if they
have a spot for him, since fellow lefty Zach Britton is out of options and had
a nice spring.
Expect to see pitchers Brock Huntzinger, Eddie
Gamboa, Steve Johnson, Brad Brach, and Kelvin De La Cruz, C Johnny Monell and
OF Henry Urrutia at some point in the season.
The Orioles will take time to see what South Korean
RHP Suk-min Yoon brings to the table, as he starts off the season at AAA
Norfolk, after being delayed in Spring Training by visa issues. He could be
used as a starter or reliever, but is coming off of a bad year pitching in
relief, after an injury kept him from starting. His contract stipulates that he
cannot be sent to the minors after the first year, so this is the window for
sorting it all out. He was a bargain though, so it’s a low-risk situation for
Baltimore.
The O’s are also eagerly waiting to see if two-time
Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana has anything left in the tank once he’s at
full-strength.
All in all, I think it’s a pretty solid team,
especially when Jonathan Schoop takes over 2B at some point in the season, and
3B Manny Machado gets back to full health.
©2014 Denim McDemus
