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| Could Adam Jones have blown his last bubble in Baltimore? Photo: NBC Sports |
Perhaps the most unlikely of all these things, but
there have been whispers throughout the offseason of the team’s potential
desire to move Jones for the right pieces, specifically for Jair Jurrjens and Martin
Prado of the Braves. Jones is under the Orioles’ control for the next two
seasons and there is growing concern that he will not be interested in signing
an extension here/would the team really want to keep him longer than that?
Jones is one of the most desirable pieces that the O’s possess, so he could
conceivably fetch a nice haul. He will be 27 in August and really looked like
he was turning the corner with his approach at the plate last season. He’s won
a Gold Glove, but overall his defense draws mixed reviews, mainly because of
his mediocre zone rating. But there are concerns that his value in the middle
of the O’s lineup is overvalued and that he could be a good “sell high”
candidate, particularly if the team holds onto him and he has a good first
half. In fact, the more plausible of scenarios is that he plays well and then
is in high demand by a contender in July, which could bring a much nicer haul
than Miller and Jay.
Why Miller and Jay, though? Well the Cardinals are
a team that could look for some upgraded pop from the CF position, where Jay is
currently slated to start the season. He is the same age is Jones and is coming
off a season in which he hit .297 with 10 HRs and a .344 OBP. He plays solid
defense and was a good complementary piece on the World Series champion. He
could step right into Jones’ spot in Baltimore, maybe with a little less pop
overall, but not a huge difference. The gem here is definitely Miller, who
Keith Law recently ranked as the no. 5 prospect in the game.
He is a 21 year-old righty who is arguably the top right-handed prospect in the
minors. He has put up a robust 11.37 strikeout-to-walk ratio in just over two
years in the minors, a number that I look at as translating very well to the
major leagues. His mid-90’s fastball and sharp breaking ball could slot very
nicely with an experienced Zach Britton and Jake Arrieta, as well as an
up-and-coming Dylan Bundy, the O’s first round pick from a year ago. Those four
and a fifth starter from the Tommy Hunter/Brian Matusz/Chris Tillman/arbitrary pick-up
group in 2013 could form a dynamic young rotation that would rival what the
Rays have in Tampa Bay these days.
If there has been one thing that I have learned
(and trust me, there have been many things I have learned) seeing the Orioles
lose for 14 straight seasons, it is that no matter what type of lineup you
have, it is pitching that will keep in the playoff hunt. The Orioles have not
developed a true ace since Mike Mussina, and continuing to acquire high-upside
arms like Shelby Miller to build with the promising young nucleus of Britton,
Arrieta, and Bundy is where this thing needs to start. The old adage of “grow
the arms, buy the bats” could not be more true for the Orioles. If they can
stockpile enough young pitchers, some will become stars, and then they can
worry about buying a Prince Fielder or a Mark Teixeira to round out their
roster. So while this trade probably won’t happen in February, it could very
well happen 4 months from now. And then, when contending teams are willing to
overpay, the Orioles could very well persuade the Cardinals to include another
prospect, someone like 3B Zack Cox to sweeten the deal. Trading Adam Jones is
something that should be strongly considered right now, and if not now, then
certainly by this July.
2. Make a legitimate run at Cuban defector OF Yoenis
Cespedes
This is something that I also do not see
happening, but would like to see, especially if Adam Jones were to be traded
now or later in the season. Cespedes is the much-hyped 26 year old Cuban
defector who is said to be a 5-tool stud, but at the same time, not much is
known about him because of the closed nature of Cuban baseball. He played CF in
Cuba and could transition nicely into that same position for the Orioles. Even
if Jones is still around, Cespedes could play LF and Noland Reimold could fill
the currently vacant DH spot. The O’s have mentioned among his suitors, with
the team most interested being the Miami Marlins. He has been rumored to be
asking for nearly $40 million, a number I’m not sure Dan Duquette is ready to
dish out to an unproven commodity (a trait seemingly taken out of former GM
Andy MacPhail’s book). However, this is a move that I would like to see if only
to make it known that the Orioles will be serious players in the international
market, and not just for people like Tsuyoshi Wada and 17 year-old Koreans.
This is somewhat of a risky move, but a move that could pay great dividends in
his productivity and in the reputation of the Orioles internationally
(something that needs some repair now that they are banned from Korea).
3. Give Jim Johnson a
chance to start games, and Pedro Strop a
chance to close them
You may remember that making Jim Johnson a starter
was a topic of hot debate at the end of last season, as the Orioles faded into
irrelevance yet again. The argument was that they have nothing to lose, so why
not try it? I have been on the Johnson for starter train for about a year now.
He was drafted as a starter and came up through the system starting games,
making his MLB debut in a spot start in 2006. Since then, he has been strictly
a set up man (and a good one) with some closer duties sprinkled in between.
Going into 2012, he is slated to be the closer, with former closers Kevin Gregg
and Matt Lindstrom, as well as youngster Pedro Strop, setting him up. The point
here is not that I think Johnson will translate his pretty good success in the
bullpen into being a frontline starter (cough, CJ Wilson, cough), but that you
won’t know unless you try. There is no one on the team who has secured a
rotation spot outside of Britton, so anything is up for grabs. There is no
reason to believe that Jim Johnson can’t be more successful than say, Jason
Hammel or Dana Eveland in the majors, so give him a shot. In conjunction with giving Jim Johnson a shot to start, Pedro Strop should be given the same opportunity to be the closer. Gregg and Lindstrom are not the future, Strop could be. Strop had a very impressive Orioles debut over the final stretch of the 2011 season, pitching to high strikeout totals and a low WHIP. He is only 26 and should be given every opportunity to be the closer of the future.
4. Have a true competition for the 2nd base job between Robert
Andino, Ryan Adams,
Matt Antonelli,
and others
Buck Showalter loves Robert Andino. That much is
clear. Maybe it’s his hustle or his tilted cap or his game winning hit in the
season finale…we will never know. What I do know is that Ryan Adams was never
given a fair chance to play 2nd base last season with the injury to
Brian Roberts. That belonged solely to Andino and for some reason, Blake Davis.
Sure, Andino put up respectable numbers for a career backup and even showed
rangy defense and some pop, but a .263 BA and 36 RBI over 457 ABs isn’t exactly
lighting up the place. Adams hit .281 in 89 ABs in the majors and showed
consistent pop in the minors,
hitting .308 with Delmarva in 2008 and 15 HRs with Bowie in 2010. His main
fault, people said, was that his defense was mediocre at best. From what I saw
last year, I’d say he was mediocre, at worst. Andino may be a good role player
on a good team, but I don’t think he is a starter. Guys like Adams and former
top prospect Matt Antonelli need to be given a real chance by Showalter to show
what they have to offer.
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| Ryan Adams is better defensively than people give him credit for, but should he start? Photo: Zimbio |
5. Tell Nolan Reimold
and Chris Davis that they have the entire season to show that they are major leaguers
Nolan Reimold put up an impressive rookie season
in 2009, hitting .279 with 15 HRs in over 350 ABs. 2010 was a wash as he
struggled off the bat, suffered injuries and barely made his way back to
Baltimore for the end of the season. 2011 saw Reimold start the season in
Norfolk, before heading back to Baltimore and getting the bulk of the starts in
LF the remainder of the season. Reimold’s problem over three years has been
inconsistency – both in terms of playing time and performance. Here is my
solution: give him consistent playing time and maybe he will start performing
consistently. There is no denying the raw power and athleticism that Reimold
possesses. He can turn on a fastball as good as anyone, but will go into slumps
where even the flattest of breaking balls will fool him. This year, there are
no legitimate threats outside of journeyman Endy Chavez to Reimold’s playing
time. He should be given every opportunity to play at least 150 games and prove
that he can hit .270 and 20-25 HRs like I think he is capable of doing. The
same goes for Chris Davis, the 1B/3B acquired in the Koji Uehara trade last
summer. Davis was labeled as a future 40 homer stud as a Ranger prospect,
putting up gaudy numbers in AAA, but he has failed to duplicate those numbers
in the majors, instead posting high strikeout totals and inconsistent power. Davis
and Mark Reynolds should be the full time starters at either 1B or 3B, and
Davis, like Reimold, should be given every opportunity to get consistent
playing time and show that 30-40 homer potential that is waiting to emerge.
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