It’s no secret that the Orioles corner outfielders are not getting the job done. It feels like whomever Buck Showalter has trot out into left field and right field that night ends up struggling. Whether it’s Alejandro De Aza, David Lough, Delmon Young, or Travis Snider, each player has been wildly inconsistent. This, understandably, has the fan base frustrated.
To be fair, you can’t expect a great deal from any of these guys individually. Most of them haven’t been everyday players during their careers and all have been used in platoon systems before. They all have their faults and none of them seem to be able to put a complete game together. Snider and Young struggle defensively and De Aza and Lough just can’t give you all that much on offense.
It is time for the Orioles to make a change and the best option currently is calling up a player. The Orioles are somewhat limited when it comes to position players in the advanced minor leagues. But, there are some serviceable players currently on the Norfolk Tides. In fact, a lot of the Tides outfielders have major league experience and shown some flashes at the big league level.
The options down in Norfolk are Nolan Reimold, Chris Parmelee, Henry Urrutia, and Dariel Alvarez. Now, I’m sure some of those names caused a few eye rolls. But, why not bring them up? Could they really do any worse than the corner outfielders residing in Baltimore?
Reimold has been coming on strong these past few weeks and finally (hopefully) is healthy again (knock on wood). Over his past six games, Reimold is 11-for-20 with two RBIs and two walks. And he’s definitely an upgrade on defense over guys like Young or Snider. A big, athletic player Reimold isn’t doesn’t have the speed of Lough or De Aza. But, he at least has enough speed to cover significant ground in the outfield. He’s the type of player who can consistently score from first on a double.
Parmelee has been raking in the International League. On the season, he is batting .313 with three home runs and 26 RBIs. Parmelee has been getting a lot of playing time at first base this season in Norfolk, but he has experience at the major league level in right field. Parmelee would be a nice fit with the Orioles; he’s currently getting on base at a .384 clip for the Tides. Another positive of Parmelee moving up to the big league club is it would allow prized first base prospect Christian Walker to start at first base every day in AAA.
Urrutia is less likely to get the call up, but still a solid option. Urrutia hasn’t exactly dominated at the Triple-A level this year. He is batting a solid, yet unspectacular, .262 but has shown in previous seasons that he can hit for a higher average. The biggest knock on Urrutia is he doesn’t have enough power in his game (he only has one home run through 40 games this season). Well, none of the Orioles corner outfielders have shown much “pop” in their bats this season either. Delmon Young has played in 32 games and has not homered yet. Travis Snider has also played in 32 games and has hit just one home run.
Alvarez is the truest “prospect” out of the Tides players that have been mentioned. Alvarez has several impressive tools to work with, most notably his arm. He is the youngest of the bunch and has room for improvement. Alvarez impressed Orioles brass during Spring Training this year. It’s probably too early to call him up and expect him to contribute. Although Alvarez needs more seasoning at Norfolk, do not be surprised if Alvarez is part of the club at some point during the 2015 season.
