We have reached the mid-point of spring training and many of the questions heading into the month for the Orioles have not been answered as the start of the season quickly approaches. Let’s take a look at a few of them and see if we can figure out the direction the team may go.
Starting Second Baseman
Maybe I put too much stock into the signing of Everth Cabrera. When Dan Duquette decided to give the former All-Star over two million dollars to sign with the O’s, I thought that signaled the end of Jonathan Schoop or Ryan Flaherty. However, Cabrera has struggled offensively and transitioning to second base defensively. One of the reasons Cabrera was signed was because of his ability to steal bases, but he has even struggled doing that.
On Monday, he found himself playing center field, a position he hasn’t practiced at during spring training! Schoop is once again having a great spring and Buck Showalter continues to praise his defense. At this point, it is hard to see anyone starting at second on Opening Day other than Schoop.
The Rotation
Let’s cut right to it. Ubaldo Jimenez should have no part of the rotation when the season starts. Showalter has said that he will base the rotation early in the season off of match-ups, so we’re still not entirely sure how Showalter will set up his starters. However, after a terrible season in 2014, Jimenez needed to come to spring pitching in midseason form and he hasn’t done that. Or maybe he has, depending how you view the pitcher! There’s no way the O’s eat the contract, so if Jimenez doesn’t make the rotation, he will find himself in the bullpen. Which leads us to…
The Bullpen
We know the locks: Zach Britton, Darren O’Day, Brian Matusz, Tommy Hunter. I would consider free agent acquisition Wesley Wright a near lock as well, so that leaves two spots remaining with a lot of guys fighting for one spot. The other opening will go to the guy who doesn’t make the rotation. There were reports this morning that the New York Mets are scouting Matusz so a trade can certainly happen with any of the pitchers, but for our purposes here, let’s assume that no trade is forthcoming.
The last spot comes down to Brad Brach, T.J. McFarland, and Rule V picks Logan Verrett and Jason Garcia. McFarland can be sent to the minors so I will rule him out. Brach proved last year he can help the team and with no options remaining, the Orioles will have to keep him on the major league roster or he will certainly be picked up by another organization. He is probably the favorite to win the spot, but I hope Duquette can find a way to work out a trade to keep Verrett and Garcia in the organization. Garcia has the power arm to be effective in the bullpen, but he probably needs more time in the minors, which unfortunately, will not be with the O’s. Verrett has pitched well this spring, and his age and experience makes him ready to help out a big league team. However, it may be a numbers game, and unless a trade is worked out, it will be hard for him to stick.
This is not only a storyline to monitor the next couple weeks, but also throughout the season. Showalter LOVES his relievers to have options, especially with the starters not pitching deep into games. That isn’t the case this season, so it will be interesting to see how Showalter maneuvers the pitching staff to keep everyone fresh for, hopefully, another October run.
Who Starts in Right Field?
Travis Snider remains the favorite, but Steve Pearce has garnered a lot of playing time out there and…Chris Davis! This could just be a typical spring training move by Showalter and maybe I am looking too much into it, but Davis has played right field on enough occasions that I think there is more to it. This is something I will continue to look at for the next couple of weeks to see if Showalter continues to use Davis in right.
As I type this on Monday, of course, I see that he’s back at first base.
In the end, the replacement for Nick Markakis could be a rotation of guys early in the season depending on who the starting pitcher is.
