Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Grab Bag
- Interesting tidbits in this piece. We'll have to wait until inter-league play to see if he can hit the Warehouse again.
- I also found this nugget in Buster Olney's blog: Talked to some evaluators this spring who agree that Lopez at first will turn into Mike Piazza II: He just doesn't have the feet to play the position. We'll see.
- Will Carroll's Spring Training Updates are always a source of discussion-- just ask Jim Hendry and the Chi-town media. From Orioles camp, he reports: Brian Roberts is making good progress, but is still a question mark for Opening Day. He should begin hitting soon which is the big test... Early word from Orioles insiders is that Leo Mazzone is seeing who’s willing to listen, learn, and survive. His early workouts have been, according to one source, “harder than anything I’ve seen here. The pitchers are buckling under it.” Watch to see who comes out better and if any break under the “throw more” plan of Mazzone.
- The local scribes love Melvin Mora. And who wouldn't love a guy with 14 kids? I found this quote from Melmo over at AaronGleeman.com: "[Tony Batista] is a guy you want to have on your team," Orioles All-Star third baseman Melvin Mora said in a telephone interview. "This is a guy who is always talking about Jesus. All of the people are going to love him in Minnesota." And all this time I assumed Batista's ridiculous batting stance was an effort to face Mecca. At least we finally get an explanation for this feud (scroll down to Another BP Scuffle)-- apparently Ron Villone hates Jesus.
- Spencer Fordin had a nice little mailbag over at the official Orioles website. The only nitpicking I have to do is over this quote: "...Lopez and Benson. Neither is a classic ace, but both have proven to be league-average pitchers over the past few years, and Benson gives the impression that he hasn't even scratched the surface yet" If Kris Benson has a breakout season at age 31, after posting a career-low 4.9 K/9, I will eat my hat. Still, a solid MLB.com writer- not all teams have them.
- Most sportsbooks have the O's at about 74.5 wins on the over/under. That total seems about right to me- for Vegas, anyhow. The Orioles will play 57 games against the competitive Yankees, Red Sox, and Blue Jays. Still, I would have no problem betting that over. I'm going to post specific predictions later, but I think there is a decent chance that the O's snap their losing seasons streak this year. And yes, I will be picking them for fourth place.
- Ted Cook has an article up about line-up optimization over at Orioles Hangout. It's a good read and makes a nice companion piece to this fine piece of literature.
- This whole Zack Greinke situation must be leaving conspiracy theorists in need of a new pair of pants. I know I can't get enough of it. As to what is actually going on at this point, your guess is as good as mine. Personally, I'm just hoping everything works out. Greinke is one of the most fun-to-watch pitchers to come along in a long time and I'd hate to lose my last reason to ever watch the Royals.
- If you haven't gotten a chance to check out the Baseball America top 100 prospect list yet, do so now. Nick Markakis comes in at #21, Adam Loewen at #45, Hayden Penn at #81, and Nolan Reimold at #99. Only five organizations have more than four prospects on that list, and I have to imagine that Chris Ray (who was eligible for it), Brandon Snyder, and Garrett Olson garnered some consideration.
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ha, I was wondering what that Mora-Villone feud was all about!
# posted by 
: Thu Mar 02, 01:12:00 AM EST
: Thu Mar 02, 01:12:00 AM EST
I think they're another year away. They have the best CF prospect in baseball (C.Young) and two of the best SS prospects (Upton and Drew). Carlos Gonzalez (OF), Conor Jackson, and Carlos Quentin all have a chance to be special as well. Their position player depth is unparalleled. They just need pitching.
I love the Hudson pick-up. They shaved payroll by losing Glaus and pick up a two-win defensive player to play behind baseball's most extreme groundball starter (Brandon Webb).
They're going to be a fun team to watch.
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I love the Hudson pick-up. They shaved payroll by losing Glaus and pick up a two-win defensive player to play behind baseball's most extreme groundball starter (Brandon Webb).
They're going to be a fun team to watch.
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