Predicting the 25 Birds That Will Fly North to Baltimore

With Opening Day looming in one week, the Orioles are rounding out their roster as Spring Training comes to a close.

But what will that roster be?

Today, we take a look at the possible 25-man Opening Day roster. Keep in mind this is only a prediction and the roster is subject to change day-to-day and week-to-week.

With today’s trade of Alex Gonzalez for Steve Lombardozzi, it’s obvious that Dan Duquette isn’t anywhere near finished making moves.

With that in mind, here we go…

Pitchers

Chris Tillman-SP

Ubaldo Jimenez-SP

Wei-Yin Chen-SP

Miguel Gonzalez-SP

Bud Norris-SP

Zach Britton-RP

Tommy Hunter-RP

Brian Matusz-RP

T.J. McFarland-RP

Darren O’Day-RP

Josh Stinson-RP

Ryan Webb-RP

Buck has already announced Tillman for the home opener and Jimenez for opening night. The way the rotation is lining up, it would appear to be Chen, Gonzalez, and Norris to follow. The starting rotation is pretty much set.

The bullpen would appear to be a pleasant problem for the ball club as the Orioles find themselves with more quality arms than they have spots for. Josh Stinson (0 ER, 0.86 WHIP in 7 spring innings) and Zach Britton (1 ER, 1.03 WHIP in 9.2 spring innings) are out of options and pitching like men who know it’s make-or-break time. Both will break camp with the ball club. T.J. McFarland will make the Opening Day roster while Troy Patton—a mainstay in the bullpen—serves his 25 game suspension for a failed drug test (Aderol). Buck loves McFarland’s versatility and he is a serviceable southpaw to replace the left-handed throwing Patton.

Tommy Hunter will start the season as the team’s closer, but rest assured he will not have as long a leash as Jim Johnson had. Keep an eye on him.

*Side note* I think it would serve the Orioles well to give Britton a shot at closing. He is not prone to the long ball, throws in the upper 90s with sink, and gets a lot of groundballs. Don’t be surprised if Buck turns to Britton if Hunter falters.

Position Players

Steve Clevenger-C

Matt Wieters-C

Chris Davis-1B

Ryan Flaherty-IF

J.J. Hardy-SS

Steve Lombardozzi-IF

Jemile Weeks-2B

Nelson Cruz-OF/DH

Adam Jones-CF

David Lough-LF

Nick Markakis-RF

Nolan Reimold-OF/DH

Delmon Young – OF/DH

The position players are set as far as the everyday lineup as the Orioles return one of the best lineups in all of baseball. New additions such as David Lough and Nelson Cruz will aid the team both offensively and defensively. It’s the bench that provides the biggest guessing game to this point.

If you had asked me on Sunday who would be manning third base on Opening Day with Manny Machado starting the season on the DL, I would have guessed it would be Gonzalez, with Flaherty starting at second. However, today’s trade all but guarantees that Jonathan Schoop will start the season in the minors with Norfolk and Jemile Weeks will be manning second base on March 31^st.

As with the pitchers, this lineup is not set in stone. Manny will return sometime in April which will move Flaherty back over to second, and Weeks either back to the bench or down to Norfolk. Time will tell on that front.

*Side Note* Weeks and Lombardozzi both make the Opening Day roster because of their defense and experience, but Schoop is just a phone call away. If one or both of those guys struggle, expect Schoop to be called upon. Once he’s here, he’s here to stay.

Well there you have it folks, the projected Opening Day 25-man roster. Keep in mind this is just one journalist’s opinion and nothing here is set in stone. Feel free to comment and debate, and as always contact me on Twitter @PaulValleIII with your own predictions and thoughts.

photo: Craig Landefeld