Thursday Thoughts: Rickard’s Chances Improve, Flaherty Could be Key

This is a weekly column that dives into eight random thoughts about the Orioles/MLB. Why eight? It’s a nod to Cal Ripken Jr. of course. That, and doing 2,632 of these would be a little overboard. – A.S.

1. Last week in this very space, I wrote about the fact that there is no need to fret over losing spring training games. If you took that advice, I applaud you, because you’re likely calm at this point. The Orioles haven’t won a game at the time of his posting. By the time you read it, maybe they’ve grabbed one or two victories, but the point stands. Spring training is like preseason football in that it’s just going through the motions. No one is really going all out. Some of the players on the field won’t be seen in a major league game all year. You’re also going to see plenty of regulars struggle, especially on the pitching staff.

It’s just not anything I get worked up about. Once they roll the baseballs out on the field in April and start playing, that’s when it matters. Getting worked up now is a waste of time and energy.

2. The Orioles surprised me a bit this week when they agreed to terms with Pedro Alvarez. The left-hander is expected to have his deal finalized today, perhaps tomorrow. My honest first reaction to the deal was a simple “eye roll.” I wasn’t really interested in Alvarez’s services because he adds nothing in the field.

The biggest issues on the Orioles roster are the same issues that stood last November. There is a fairly weak rotation and no reliable corner outfielders. More on that in a minute.

Alvarez doesn’t help either issue because he won’t see the field. He’s a designated hitter who really will likely only play about half the time. He’s essentially a platoon player, who may hit is way into an every-day role as the designated hitter. The Orioles needed another left-handed bat, and that’s what they got, but they may have created more problems by acquiring yet another DH.

Alvarez and Mark Trumbo should both have their gloves hidden, but this move creates a scenario where the latter will likely see more time in the field. Alvarez will likely hit some home runs, just like the rest of the team. That’s not really where they were lacking. They are without a true leadoff hitter and their lineup just doesn’t seem to fit together nicely.

3. As I mentioned, the Orioles had two major issues coming into this offseason (aside from the fact that there were multiple free-agents pending). In terms of the roster, the rotation was weak and there were no reliable corner outfielders. That’s still true, and it’s now mid-March.

The addition of Hyun-Soo Kim is one that the O’s hope will help in left field, but that’s just hope. More on Kim in a moment, as well.

The fact that Mark Trumbo is getting the first crack at being the starting right fielder is alarming. No one wants Chris Davis trotting around back there either. He’s a first baseman, and the team would rather him stay there.

The Nolan Reimold experiment has gone on for quite some time now, and I don’t call him a “reliable” option. Rule 5 selection Joey Rickard (again, more on him later) has some upside, but reliable isn’t the word we’d use. Perhaps bringing back Steve Pearce would’ve been a good idea, just because he gives you someone reliable that you can stick in the corner outfield. It’s going to be a revolving door out in front of the out of town scoreboard this year. I wouldn’t get used to any one player plugging that spot on a regular basis.

In terms of the rotation, which was simply not good last year, there wasn’t improvement made. Subbing Yovani Gallardo for Wei-Yin Chen doesn’t count as an upgrade. Granted, Chris Tillman can’t be as bad as he was last season, but then again, could he? Everyone expects Kevin Gausman to take a leap forward, but is that a sure thing? Until he fully develops his breaking ball as a go-to third pitch, he’s nothing more than a 3rd or 4th starter. Miguel Gonzalez and Ubaldo Jimenez are in the “are what they are” category. This rotation could actually be worse than it was last year.

GulfBird Sports/Craig Landefeld

4. MASN’s Roch Kubatko made an interesting point in his “School of Roch” blog this week that Hyun-Soo Kim may not break camp as the starter in left field. Reading that didn’t shock me, but it did seem like a bit of an overreaction to his spring start. Kim is without a hit in more than 20 plate appearances and simply hasn’t looked great at the dish. The positive is that his strikeout numbers are low, which would be expected with a guy who comes to the U.S. with a resume for getting on base.

The Orioles paid Kim to play, but there’s no doubt he will take time adjusting to playing in the States. This speaks to the lack of work done in the offseason to add players in the corner outfield spots. Dexter Fowler fell through, sure, but that’s just one reliable player. Kim could be reliable down the line, but as Roch notes, down the line may not mean April.

5. One player I have my eye on this spring is Joey Rickard, because like Kim, there’s so little known about him. When it comes to the corner outfield spots, we basically know how everyone else can perform. We know what Trumbo would look like out there (cover your eyes). We know what Davis would look like as well. We also know what Reimold would be, but Rickard is a mystery.

The signing of Alvarez, in my mind, gives Rickard an even better chance to make the team. The O’s need insurance in the outfield if Trumbo is going to be the starter. The Birds have history with Rule 5 players being a burden on the roster. Ryan Flaherty was tough to keep around a few years ago, but they made it work. T.J. McFarland and Jason Garcia were almost impossible to hide in the bullpen, but they made it work. Something tells me Rickard will be easier, not easy, but easier to keep around. He might be an important part of the team.

GulfBird Sports/Craig Landefeld

6. Another player who I think will be very important to this roster this year might surprise you. As things shake out and Opening Day approaches, something tells me Ryan Flaherty’s role will be crucial. Flaherty has been a big part of the team for a few years now, even though he barely hits his weight. He is a large part of the bench and a constant “Swiss army knife” in terms of the way he can play virtually any position on the field. He does so admirably too.

What Flaherty lacks in his bat, he makes up for in his ability to fill in for a few days if someone is injured, or just provide someone with a day off. With the way the corner outfield has been so epically botched by the front office, don’t be surprised if you see Mr. F in right field from time to time either. As long as he can provide the stat line of a #9 hitter, I’d trust him basically anywhere in the field.

7. There’d be no argument that this has been one of the more interesting winters in Orioles history. They entered with many free agents and were surprisingly able to bring most of them back. There was the odd trade for Trumbo, who seemed redundant once they re-signed Davis. There was also the addition of Kim, a player no one really knows anything about. And then there was the Fowler fiasco, which we don’t really need to re-visit.

No one really had any clue what was going on with the Orioles this offseason, and that’s why I really have no clue what’s going to happen with them during the regular season. This season, more than almost any other, is a huge mystery to me. Many of the so-called pundits don’t see things going well for the Orioles, picking them anywhere from 3rd to last in the division. I tend to agree, but I also see a scenario in which they could win the division. It’s all very much up in the air this year, unlike in years past. Truthfully, I could see any five of the AL East teams finishing in any of the five positions and it would not surprise me. Toss the names in a hat.

GulfBird Sports/Craig Landefeld

8. Jimmy Paredes was a nice story last year, especially in the first half. It would appear though, after this week’s events, that his run with the Orioles is nearing the end. While Paredes got good news Wednesday after finding out that his injured wrist did not have a fracture, the signing of Alvarez should all but doom his chances of making the club. The Orioles are already planning to carry two designated hitters on the team, so carrying a third seems unlikely. Paredes has simply never figured out a position in the field. His bat isn’t electric – or consistent – enough to justify carrying.