REALITY: Matt Wieters said a target date for his return could be May 1st, but that is not set in stone.
PERCEPTION: I think it’s more realistic to say that Wieters will not return in a full-time role before the All-Star break. This is not an easy injury to return from, and for a guy playing one of the most demanding positions he will need a lot of rehab to get back to a place of playing a three-hour game each night.
We know that Caleb Joseph is fully capable of playing a full-season as a defensive catcher. Frankly, he might be better than Wieters at this point in their careers. However, offensively is where the difference is. Wieters has always been a real threat in the Orioles line-up. If Joseph can hit consistently, there is no reason to rush Wieters back. Joseph has shown periods of being a good hitter, but can he keep it going every night? That remains to be seen.
REALITY: Manny Machado has recovered from his second knee surgery and is playing baseball again.
PERCEPTION: He seems to be at or near 100%. Manny is one of the best 3rd baseman in baseball. Defensively, there is no question about it. He makes plays that other guys struggle to make look effortless, and he makes amazing plays almost daily. Offensively, he needs to get back into his groove. In the opening series of the season, he went 0-for-9 with one walk. As long as he stays healthy, you’ll see that change as he gets more and more comfortable at the plate. I have no doubt he’ll be back to being a doubles machine in no time.
REALITY: Adam Jones, Chris Davis, Delmon Young, and Machado are a combined 1-for-30.
PERCEPTION: You read that correctly. Jones has the only hit of the bunch. Davis looks like a guy trying to prove something by swinging for the fences on every pitch. I’ve seen some tweets saying Young needs to stick to pinch hitting. But let’s remain patient. The Orioles won’t keep winning 2-out-of-3 games with those four hitters not hitting the ball. But I also don’t expect those guys to struggle all season. I truly expect Davis to have a good season at the plate. Machado will have an all-star season, and Jones will get some votes for MVP. So let’s give it time… it’s a long season.
REALITY: Travis Snider went 4-for-9 with 3 RBIs, 3 walks and a couple of really nice defensive plays in his first series with the Orioles.
PERCEPTION: I’m not sure Snider could have had a better start. As much as fans were ticked the Orioles let Markakis go, they got a younger player for much cheaper. If Snider continues playing this well offensively and defensively, there will be a whole lot of fans who owe Dan Duquette an apology. Many fans who take things personally don’t understand the business side of the game, and until they realize that, fans will continue to make ridiculous remarks about the jobs of the GM and Manager. There haven’t been many examples of times DD was wrong, but there have been plenty of times fans have been proven wrong.
REALITY: Zach Britton is 1/1 in save opportunities in 2015.
PERCEPTION: Britton could be one of the top closers in the game again. Have you seen the two games he pitched? He has five strikeouts, and the movement on his pitches is just plain nasty. He looks so good so far. Whatever he worked on in the offseason, he looks ready to build on his strong 2014. He was real good last year, but – and it may just be me – I do not remember seeing this type of movement on his pitches.
