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. Travis Snider’s first impression on the Orioles has been a good one, but I didn’t have to tell you that if you watch the first few games. Every time you looked up he was on base or playing solid defense. O’s fans were in an uproar when Nick Markakis wasn’t re-signed this offseason, but I have a feeling Snider is going to make that transition much easier this year.
I’m not saying Snider is going to lead the league in any of the crucial categories or even earn an All-Star nod. He’s going to fill in admirably, that’s all.
Speaking of Markakis, it’s nice to see him off to a good start with the Braves as well. I think all Orioles fans are rooting for him, aside from July 27-29.
Back to Snider – some don’t realize he’s a former first-round pick of the Blue Jays who has been highly thought of and just never panned out. He’s younger than Markakis, and worlds cheaper as well. These are the kinds of moves Dan Duquette makes that typically work out. Even if Snider’s production isn’t up to Markakis’ level, it’s still not going to be enough of a drop to make that big of a difference.
2. While we’re reflecting on the first three games of the season, boy do the Rays stink. I looked at their roster before the season, and didn’t really see all that much to be afraid of, and my thoughts were confirmed during the first series. Yes, yes, I realize it’s just three games. That’s a really small sample size to make a sweeping remark about a team that will play 159 more contests over the next few months. I would be absolutely shocked if they won 77 games at this point.
They have a few nice players. Kevin Kiermaier and Steven Souza are some nice pieces in the outfield, but those guys aren’t superstars. They still have Evan Longoria, who is always a threat. The pitching staff leaves a lot to be desired, and I realize this is mostly because of injury. Chris Archer seems like a player that will impress at times, but ultimately always underachieve.
I just don’t see it happening for the Rays this season. Losing GM Andrew Friedman to the Dodgers and manager Joe Maddon to the Cubs means new leadership will need time to settle in and establish a new culture. Kevin Cash will have his hands full.
3. Prior to the season, I was content with having Ubaldo Jimenez take the fifth starter’s role as the season begins. He had a very strong spring and deserves the chance to prove himself. While many are skeptical, many are also rooting for him. Think about what the Orioles did last year, and just how much better they can be with a productive Jimenez in the rotation.
This leaves Kevin Gausman as the odd man out, in a way. Just like I was fine with Jimenez in the rotation, I was initially alright with Gausman starting out as the long-man in the bullpen. I think that after one appearance, that thought is shifting. I would rather see Gausman go down to Norfolk and learn to be a dominant starting pitcher for the Tides. It appears that the Orioles aren’t requiring Gausman to live up to his full potential as what could be a top-of-the-line, perennial All-Star pitcher.
Maybe his ceiling isn’t that high, but they deserve the chance to see if it is. I understand that Gausman’s clock is ticking, and that having been a college draft pick, he’s not as young as some of the other youthful arms in the organization. I want to see Gausman starting games. Putting him through an innings limit and failing to keep him on a regular schedule by having him placed in different game situations isn’t productive.
Everyone praised Gausman’s outing on Tuesday after he threw a few 100 MPH pitches, but he also gave up a pair of runs in just over two innings. Opportunity for Gausman to start in the majors could be right around the corner, but until then, I’d like to see him learning to dominate as a starter for the Tides.
4. J.J. Hardy appears to be ahead of schedule while recovering from a shoulder injury, which is all well and good, but the Orioles had better take caution. There’s no reason to rush Hardy back, no matter how minor the injury. We’ve seen this story before. Remember back to Chris Davis last season with the oblique? He was never the same after that injury.
The bottom line is that the O’s don’t need Hardy to rush back. That’s part of the beauty of this roster. The depth is there to carry the shortstop position. Ryan Flaherty and Everth Cabrera can take the reins for now. I’m not saying it won’t be nice to have Hardy back, but with his slight injury history, it’s going to be important to be careful. I’d rather him miss 20 games now and be healthy rather than create a situation where he’s missing two or three games every ten days.
Again, the depth created by the front office makes this situation much more comfortable to deal with.
5. We got our first official look at Rule 5 pick Jason Garcia last night, as he tossed a scoreless seventh inning. I’ve heard a lot of chatter about how it might be tough to keep a guy like Garcia on the roster for the entire year, especially as the team looks to compete for another division title.
I say not so fast on that one. Do people realize that players Ryan Flaherty and T.J. McFarland play pretty key roles in this organization? They aren’t the names you really hear about that often, but they both provide some really strong depth. Both were also able to be kept as Rule 5 guys in years that the Orioles were competing. The O’s always seem to find a way.
Now I’m not saying it’s a guarantee that Garcia stands on his own two feet the entire season. He might get pushed out of town in a roster crunch and offered back to the Red Sox. There’s always room for a player that can help immediately, rather than trying to hide a project on the 25-man roster. Though as Buck Showalter always likes to say, in the AL East, you can’t hide a player in the bullpen. Garcia will have to pitch and perform well if he wants to keep his spot.
6. There’s a common narrative that I’ve heard repeated over the last week, or really the last month surrounding the Orioles. All of the so-called “talking heads” around town seem to want to talk about the 2016 Orioles. Everyone wants to know what will happen with Chris Davis and Matt Wieters. There are questions about the pitching staff going forward with the likes of Bud Norris and Wei-Yin Chen set to be free agents as well.
I understand that this will be a common theme, but it’s honestly already getting old. Three games into the season, there has been more speculation about the make-up of the roster next year than I really care for. I’d love for everyone to take a step back, and at least allow the first month of the season to play out before we start talking about next year and how worried we all are that the team might look different next season.
The one good thing about baseball is that it never goes anywhere. Even if the Orioles look a little different next season, they are still going to be the Orioles. I can bet you they’ll still be pretty good too, no matter what happens.
7. The Blue Jays are up next for the O’s. After getting the job done at The Trop and taking two of three from the Rays, there’s another challenge on tap. It never lets up in the AL East. The Blue Jays present a number of different problems, but one that I point to more than most is team speed. Caleb Joseph and Ryan Lavarnway will be tested with Blue Jays on base. That goes for the pitching staff as well, which is especially scary with Ubaldo Jimenez slated to pitch Saturday. Holding runners close and controlling the speed game will be a key to stopping the Jays this season.
The O’s will also have the advantage of having the off day today. Toronto has to play in New York tonight before a day game tomorrow. Next time you see a slight disadvantage for the O’s in the schedule (and it will happen), remember this moment. It’s early in the season and the wear and tear of a long season has yet to come into play, but it still counts. To this point, a series like this one against the Blue Jays is all about momentum. Getting some and keeping it. If the O’s can do that, they’ll be just fine as they plug through April.
8. Even though the O’s already have three games under their belts, tomorrow marks the real start of the season for many. The home opener is always a treat. It brings with it all the pageantry that makes baseball great. It’s been many years since I’ve been to an Opening Day at Camden Yards, and I get jealous of everyone that goes each year. The first chance of the year you get to smell the grass, hear the crack of the bat, and bite into a Boog’s Barbecue sandwich are all as stimulating to the mind as they are to the senses.
If you’ve never had the chance to attend an Opening Day at Oriole Park, I highly recommend you do so. It might cost you a little more than a ticket to a Tuesday night game in June, but seeing the players march down the orange carpet and hearing the first “O” during the national anthem is something every Baltimore baseball fan should experience at least once.
There’s nothing like the first game, even though there are at least 80 more during the year.
