From http://0rz.tw/a43CR
Hernandez looking to bounce back from injury-plagued 2007
The Orioles may have their starting catcher returning in 2008, but they have to
believe they'll get better production out of their backstops. Ramon Hernandez
suffered through one of the least productive years of his career last season,
and Baltimore has switched out punchless backup Paul Bako for former Blue Jays
prospect Guillermo Quiroz.
Hernandez, who's played half of the four-year contract he signed before the
2006 season, started last season hurt and never really hit his stride. The
veteran wound up with the fewest homers (nine), lowest batting average (.258)
and lowest slugging percentage (.382) he's logged since 2002, which was without
question his worst offensive season.
Surprisingly, last year came on the heels of one of his best seasons, a year in
which Hernandez was a finalist for the last spot on the American League
All-Star team. Hernandez played in a career-high 144 games in 2006 and
subsequently broke down in '07, when he suffered through a strained oblique and
a groin contusion.
"If you're hurt, you're hurt -- all you can do is rehab," Hernandez said last
season. "I know myself, and I know I tried everything I could to come back as
soon as I could. I like to play every day, but when you get hurt, there's
nothing you can do. No matter what you do, you've got to go through the days
you need to recover."
Things started adversely immediately for the former All-Star, who was held out
of Opening Day because of a strained left oblique. The Orioles tried to avoid
stashing him on the disabled list but eventually had no other recourse, and the
veteran didn't return until the end of April. Despite hitting in his first few
games back, he settled into an offensive funk.
And just when you might have expected him to turn things around, Hernandez was
struck by a foul tip that caused a groin contusion. He missed most of June and
hit well in July before flailing to a .182 average in August. Hernandez
finished strong in September but was lifted from the lineup toward year's end
for a perceived lack of hustle.
"He looked tired to me," said Baltimore manager Dave Trembley about the
late-season hook. "It looked to me that he needed a break and to kind of step
back somewhat. I think we had to share some things. I like Ramon. I think we'll
get it all straightened out. Obviously, there are some things that he could do
better or be better about."
By all accounts, Hernandez heard the message loud and clear. He said in
September that he planned on skipping winter ball in order to get in better
shape for next season, an effort that could restore him to health and a power
slot in Baltimore's lineup. And with the dearth of power options around him,
that's a highly probable scenario.
Hernandez, who has a strong defensive reputation among his peers, has hit at
least 15 home runs in four of his eight full seasons. He's also well known for
being a good catcher to pair with young pitchers, as evidenced by his prior
work with staffs in Oakland and San Diego and his tutelage of Adam Loewen and
Jeremy Guthrie last season.
If he's healthy, Baltimore expects Hernandez to carry a heavy load next season.
If he's not, the Orioles will likely turn to Quiroz, a former bonus baby.
Assorted ailments -- including two cases of a collapsed lung -- have kept
Quiroz from reaching his potential, but he's still only 26 years old.
Quiroz, who signed a Major League deal with the Orioles at the Winter Meetings,
is regarded as a massive offensive upgrade over Bako. Last year's backup
catcher hit a three-run home run in April and only drove in five runs for the
rest of the year, but he did contribute a steady game-calling environment for
each of Baltimore's young pitchers.
There may be some pressure on Quiroz -- who has played in a grand total of 39
big league games -- but that should be alleviated by the presence of Hernandez,
his fellow Venezuelan native. Quiroz was highly regarded in the Toronto
organization before being lost on a waiver claim, and he bounced from Seattle
to Texas after that.
Now he's out of options and will be forced to stick in the big leagues or be
exposed to waivers once again. Quiroz, a career .241 hitter in the Minor
Leagues, had his best season in 2003, when he hit .282 with 20 home runs for
Double-A New Haven in Toronto's organization. He hasn't hit more than eight
homers in any stop since that outburst.
However Hernandez and Quiroz perform, there will be even more attention placed
on a catcher further down in Baltimore's organizational chain. Matt Wieters,
last year's first-round Draft pick, will likely start the season at Class A
Frederick or Double-A Bowie, an elevated perch for a player who's yet to play
in an organized full-season league.
Wieters signed too late last year to make his official professional debut, but
he did garner some experience in Hawaii Winter Baseball. The switch-hitting
backstop is regarded as one of the best prospects in baseball and is expected
to progress quickly, perhaps making his Major League debut as early as the 2009
season.
Wieters gives the Orioles hope for the future, but the current catchers will
play a big role in deciding how the 2008 season turns out. Baltimore continues
to build its hopes for the future around young pitching, which means that a
stable veteran catcher like Hernandez is extraordinarily important in terms of
stabilizing the learning curve.
For his part, Hernandez just wants to be a healthy and productive member of the
team again.
"It's always hard -- even when they're winning -- because you want to play," he
said of his time on the pine last season. "You want to be a part of everything.
Me, as a player, I don't just want to be part of the winning season. I want to
be a part of the losing season. I like to be there and contribute [and] do
whatever I can to help this team win.
"And if we lose, [I'll] come out with my head high because I know I did my
best."
--
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作者: baseball () 看板: Orioles
標題: [新聞] Around the Horn: Corner infielders
時間: Wed Feb 6 15:13:23 2008
From http://0rz.tw/653Db
Veterans expected to man corners in Baltimore for 2008
Change will come slowly to the Orioles' infield corners, an area of the team
stuck in a time warp. While Baltimore got younger and less expensive elsewhere
around the diamond, it will continue to trot out veteran placeholders Kevin
Millar, Aubrey Huff and Melvin Mora to sop up at-bats at first base and third
base.
Millar, Huff and Mora all struggled last season and will go into 2008 with
additional pressure mounted on their performance. Baltimore doesn't have a
marquee power hitter and isn't expected to add one before Spring Training.
Huff, Millar and Mora will all bat in the meat of the order, underlining their
importance in scoring runs.
Mora, the longest-tenured member of the team, is also one of the most critical.
The veteran received a blanket no-trade clause as part of his last contract
extension, limiting the places the Orioles can send him. Mora, who's suffered
through modest declines in both power and infield range, has two seasons
remaining on his contract.
Mora, who played in just 126 games and logged only 467 at-bats last year, fell
to his lowest totals in home runs (14) and RBIs (58) since 2003, the last of
his seasons as a utility man. His batting average (.274), on-base percentage
(.341) and slugging mark (.418) all dropped below his career norms for the
second straight season.
In fact, his performance level dipped so far last year that Baltimore
considered turning him back into a multi-positional rover, but that plan
appears to have been scrapped by the acquisition of full-time left fielder Luke
Scott. Mora will likely see most of his playing time at third base, which could
keep the Orioles from evaluating Scott Moore at that position.
Moore, who came over from the Cubs last year in exchange for Steve Trachsel, is
expected to serve in reserve duty at both infield corners and in left field.
The Orioles like his power but just don't have the at-bats to play him every
day. Moore, the eighth overall pick in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, will
bide his time and wait for his chance.
Starting off as a bench player may actually be the best fit for Moore, who only
has one season of experience at both Double-A and Triple-A. Last year, he
drilled 19 home runs and drove in 69 runs for Triple-A Iowa. Moore is slightly
ahead of Mike Costanzo, who will likely start the season at Triple-A Norfolk
and compete for playing time in 2008.
The Orioles signed Huff before the '07 season in the hope that he could help
support Miguel Tejada and give them another experienced slugger. The veteran
had another down year, though, and didn't really heat up until after the
All-Star break. Huff finished with just 15 homers, marking the first time since
2001 that he didn't hit 20 or more.
Huff, who plays at both first and third base in addition to designated hitter,
provided some semblance of hope for a bounce-back year by hitting .363 in
August and .330 in September. He said he found a more comfortable batting
stance by standing upright, a posture that allowed him to drive the ball better
to all fields.
Baltimore needs him to make that adjustment pay dividends all season, which
would allow the Orioles to place him fifth or sixth in the batting order. Huff,
just 31 years old, still has time to reverse the effects of the past few
seasons.
Millar, the team's first baseman, was streaky for most of the season. The
veteran was Baltimore's most patient hitter in the first half, when he logged a
.395 on-base percentage. That mark dropped to .338 in the second half, and
Millar hit just .234 after the All-Star break. He hit 10 home runs in the
second half, finishing with 17 for the season.
The Orioles haven't had a power-hitting first baseman since Rafael Palmeiro,
and Millar has hit more than 20 home runs just once in his career. He likely
won't repeat that effort in 2008, when he could be forced to split time with
Huff and Moore. Millar is in the running for the cleanup slot, which would
further underline the club's lack of power.
One dark-horse possibility for playing time at first base is former oufielder
and DH Jay Gibbons, who's coming off shoulder surgery that will limit his
ability to play defense next season. Gibbons could see time at first base if
everything breaks right, and if his shoulder has healed, he could be part of
the antidote toward the team's lack of power.
--
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作者: baseball () 看板: Orioles
標題: [新聞] Around the Horn: Middle infielders
時間: Wed Feb 6 21:57:23 2008
From http://0rz.tw/b03E4
After trading Tejada to Astros, O's hearing offers for Roberts
Perhaps no other area of Baltimore's ballclub reflects the changing times
better than the middle infield, where the Orioles have already traded one
lineup stalwart and seemed poised to deal another.
Shortstop Miguel Tejada is already an ex-Oriole, and second baseman Brian
Roberts has been involved in several trade rumors this winter.
Roberts and Tejada were two of the most visible Orioles in recent seasons,
which may explain the team's willingness to shift gears and rebuild.
Baltimore has played through 10 straight seasons of losing records and has
finally decided to start from scratch, an endeavor that puts Roberts -- one of
the longest-serving members of the team -- in jeopardy of getting dealt.
For now, though, Roberts is still the resident leadoff man. The switch-hitter
set a career high with 50 stolen bases last season, en route to his second
All-Star berth. Roberts delivered 59 extra-base hits from his perch at the top
of the lineup and played in 156 games, the second-highest total in his career
and the largest since 2004.
Perhaps most importantly -- to the Orioles and to his future -- Roberts
demonstrated that he's fully over the gruesome elbow injury that prematurely
ended his 2005 season. While it's true that he played without pain in 2006, the
extra-base power that made him such a prominent player in '05 didn't really
return until last season.
Now, following that triumph, Roberts is dealing with quite a turbulent winter.
He was named in the Mitchell Report and subsequently admitted to using
performance-enhancing drugs once in his career, and he's heard his name bandied
about in trade rumors ever since the season ended. And, if he sticks around, it
won't get much easier.
As things stand, the Orioles seem set to start an all-defense option at
shortstop. Luis Hernandez, who played well last year in Tejada's absence,
appears to be the front-runner to nail down the full-time job.
There's only one problem: Hernandez, an adequate fielder, has hit for a
sub-standard average (.250) and on-base percentage (.299) in his Minor League
career.
Baltimore manager Dave Trembley, an old-school fundamental type, isn't
concerned about offense at shortstop. He just wants a solid glove there, and
he's confident that you can play that way in the American League East.
"The club's going to be built around pitching and defense," he said after the
Tejada trade. "I wouldn't have a problem with a guy like Hernandez playing
shortstop, a guy that's a solid defender and could do some things situationally
with the bat."
Hernandez did exactly that in his big league trial, batting .290 in 30 games.
He hit just .242 at Double-A Bowie earlier in the year, though, and has only
had 106 at-bats at the Triple-A level. Hernandez may be hard-pressed to produce
more than reserves Brandon Fahey and Freddie Bynum, either of whom could press
him for playing time.
Bynum stuck with the Orioles virtually all year and only got 96 at-bats, which
is an indicator of how seldom Baltimore elected to start him. Trembley prefers
to use Bynum as a rover who can play all over the field and pinch-run late in
games, and he likes Fahey as an end-of-the-bench insurance policy in case a
middle infielder gets hurt.
"I like Freddie Bynum as a utility guy because of his versatility," Trembley
said earlier this winter. "He can play all three spots in the outfield, and he
can play second and short. I think Fahey's in the same position."
There are no other attractive alternatives in the high levels of Baltimore's
organization, but there's always the chance that the Orioles will land a
shortstop in a trade sometime before they convene for Spring Training.
There are still a few question marks, but one thing is certain: Baltimore is
moving away from star power in the middle infield and inching towards enacting
a new blueprint for building a competitive team.
--
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作者: baseball () 看板: Orioles
標題: [新聞] Around the Horn: Outfielders
時間: Wed Feb 6 22:06:57 2008
From http://0rz.tw/1f3Fv
O's look solid at the corners, but concerns remain in center
One spot remains wide open in Baltimore's outfield, but the Orioles will go
into Spring Training with a comfortable arrangement in both corner slots. Luke
Scott, acquired in the Miguel Tejada trade, is the likely starter in left field
and emerging force Nick Markakis will reprise his role as right fielder and
Baltimore's most selective hitter.
Center field, as it stands, may well be a melange between Jay Payton, Tike
Redman and Chris Roberson. Last year's incumbent, Corey Patterson, is still
unsigned and may be a darkhorse candidate to return and reprise his old job. If
not, the Orioles will likely let the starting job sort itself out through
performance during the early part of the season.
There's no such positional jockeying in right field. Markakis has shown steady
growth in his first two big league seasons, both of which showed a significant
spike in performance after the All-Star break. The former first-round pick
batted .279 before the break and .325 after it last season, breaking through
the tape with 14 second-half home runs.
Perhaps most importantly, Markakis settled into the No. 3 slot in the batting
order, a role perfectly suited to his blend of offensive talents. Markakis
walked 61 times and drilled 69 extra-base hits last season, and he managed to
lead the team in batting average (.300), slugging percentage (.485), hits
(191), homers (23), RBIs (112) and doubles (43).
Markakis also stole 18 bases and notched 13 outfield assists and was voted the
team's Most Valuable Player by the local media at the end of the season. That
was an impressive sophomore season by any estimation, and at 24 years old,
Markakis can expect to hit for more power and to make a case for the All-Star
team sooner rather than later.
Enter Scott, who appears to be a perfect bookend fit in the other corner. The
29-year-old has also proven to be patient and powerful in his brief big league
career, but he'll have to switch leagues and maintain his production. Scott, a
part-time player for the Astros the last few season, will look to make a splash
in his first shot at a full-time job.
If the statistical record is any indication, he appears to be perfectly capable
of bigger things. There's an eerie similarity in Scott's numbers at the Minor
League level (.280 batting average, .366 on-base percentage and .534 slugging
mark) and in his first few seasons as a big-leaguer (.273 average, .366 on-base
and a .516 slugging percentage.)
Scott drilled 51 extra-base hits in 369 at-bats last season and is expected to
provide some mid-lineup protection for Markakis in Baltimore. He may even move
into Tejada's vacant cleanup slot and will be a distinct threat to lead the
team in home runs. Scott, a left-handed hitter, also will help balance out the
middle of the batting order.
Unlike Markakis, Scott's age suggests that he may be about as good as he's ever
going to get, but he's champing at the bit to prove that he's a full-time
player and that his late start in the Majors is merely a matter of
circumstance.
"My personal wishes and desires aren't really important," Scott said earlier
this winter of earning a regular job. "Unfortunately, the opportunities just
haven't presented themselves. I would've liked to be a full-time guy. I've been
an everyday player coming through the Minor Leagues. This is something I've
expected to happen and I've been working hard."
Scott and Markakis both have experience in center field but seem to fit more
comfortably in a corner slot. That opens up a derby between Payton, Redman and
Roberson that has no clear favorite and limited upside in any configuration.
Payton started in left field and cratered last season, and Roberson was brought
in this winter to push Redman for at-bats.
Payton, an eight-year veteran, was Baltimore's least productive regular last
season. He notched a .256 batting average, a .292 on-base percentage and a .376
slugging mark, arguably his worst offensive season since 2001. Payton may not
have the range to play center field every day anymore, but the Orioles may test
him early to see if he bounces back.
Redman did exactly that last season, when he authored an improbable comeback
story. The former Pirate was cut by the Red Sox in Spring Training and began
his season playing Independent League baseball, but he hit his way out of that
league and batted .300 for Triple-A Norfolk before earning a late-season callup
to the Orioles.
Redman kept hitting above .300 as a member of the Orioles and put himself in
the mix for a reserve job -- or perhaps more -- this season. The former starter
learned all about resiliency last season and hopes to put those lessons into
effect in 2008.
"It's been a journey, but I made it out," Redman said when he was promoted last
August. "I feel like a rookie, just excited and nervous at the same time. I've
been in the big leagues before. I'll still be nervous, no matter what."
Roberson, who came over from the Phillies this winter, is likely the best
defensive player in the bunch. He's struck out (486) more than twice as many
times as he's walked (224) in his Minor League career, though, and has scored
more than 70 runs just once in seven seasons. Roberson, 28 years old, is a .278
career hitter in the Minors.
Roberson hasn't had much success in the big leagues, but he hasn't had much of
a chance to play every day. The jury's still out on whether he'll get that
opportunity in Baltimore. Roberson, much like Payton and Redman, has to hope he
can make a good impression in Spring Training and get off to a good start
whenever the Orioles call his number.
--
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作者: baseball () 看板: Orioles
標題: [新聞] Around the Horn: Starting rotation
時間: Wed Feb 6 22:15:14 2008
From http://0rz.tw/373ET
Bedard's future with Orioles murky as Spring Training nears
Now you see an ace, but tomorrow he may be gone. Southpaw Erik Bedard has
endured an offseason mired with trade rumors that reached a crescendo earlier
in the week, and he has the capacity to completely determine the character of
the Orioles' rotation by sheer virtue of his presence or absence.
If he remains, the Orioles have a top-shelf arm capable of matching up with any
team in the league. If he's traded to Seattle, as many reports indicate he will
be, Baltimore's starting staff will be turned into a proving ground for
prospects. After Bedard, the team's next three most experienced starters have
combined for 55 career wins.
Bedard moving on will help swing the O's rebuilding process into full bloom.
Even manager Dave Trembley, while refusing to name anybody specific, said as
recently as last week that any offseason plans regarding his rotation could
change quickly and irrevocably.
"I still think there's the likelihood that between now and the next time I talk
to you there could be changes, additions and deletions," he said Jan. 24. "We
want to sit down with the guys early in camp and tell them the slots that are
basically open, try to clarify as best we can what the roles are they'd be
competing for."
Bedard, who went deep into the season as a contender for the American League's
Cy Young Award, has been one of the most highly sought-after players on the
trade market this winter. All the negotiations apparently bore fruit on Sunday,
when various reports leaked out that the Orioles had traded him to the Mariners
for a five-player package.
That deal hasn't been consummated just yet, but sources close to the
negotiations say it could happen by the end of the week. Bedard, who's still
under contractual control for two seasons, has won 13 games and thrown at least
180 innings in each of the past two seasons. More importantly, he's performed
despite rapidly escalating expectations.
Bedard had a 15-strikeout game last July and went 13 starts without a loss
toward the end of the season. He wound up missing all of September with an
oblique injury, but his slot on the bench was precautionary more than anything
else. The Orioles didn't want to risk hurting him worse down the stretch, so
they let him heal up and start his offseason early.
After Bedard, questions start to crop up regarding the rest of the rotation.
Homegrown arms Daniel Cabrera and Adam Loewen are all but guaranteed rotation
slots, as is Jeremy Guthrie, who performed impressively after arriving last
winter as a waiver claim. None of them have ace credentials, and individual
concerns swirl around each of them.
Take Guthrie, a former first-round pick who had never earned a big league
decision prior to last season. The right-hander ran out of chances in the
Cleveland organization and had to prove himself to the Orioles, and he
dramatically exceeded virtually everyone's expectations by seizing a rotation
slot and thriving for most of the season.
Now, the question becomes whether he can repeat the process. Guthrie hit a
little bit of a wall late in the season, and his ERA rose by nearly a full run
(from 2.89 to 3.70) in his final nine starts. Still, there's nothing fluky
about his stuff or the way he got outs, and the Orioles expect him to produce a
largely similar season in 2008.
Cabrera, meanwhile, had another erratic year. The right-hander led the league
in walks for the second straight season and lost a league-high 18 games, but he
also set career highs in starts (34) and innings pitched (204 1/3). Cabrera's
power arsenal has few matches around the league, but he's yet to bridge the gap
between potential and production.
Perhaps no pitcher on the team has more to gain from new pitching coach Rick
Kranitz, who has spent the winter analyzing videotape on all of his new
charges. Cabrera has gotten four chances to stick in the rotation and may be
running out of opportunities, but first the Orioles will see if Kranitz can
help him break through to the next level.
Loewen, unlike Cabrera or Guthrie, has question marks related to health. The
former first-round Draft pick was shut down last season after just six starts
due to a stress fracture in his pitching elbow. Loewen tried to rehab the
injury at first, but eventually elected to undergo a season-ending surgery that
corrected the ailment.
Now, he's back and appears to be completely healthy. The southpaw has had
trouble with command at virtually every level he's competed against but can
iron out his weaknesses with more experience. Loewen is out of options and has
to learn at the big league level, and the Orioles are committed to seeing the
process through.
"My understanding is that there's no restrictions on him," Trembley said last
week. "We're looking forward to him just coming into camp. I'm not going to
hold him back. ... I know he's probably as excited as anybody after missing so
much time, but I think he's smart enough to know that he doesn't have to
audition in Spring Training."
After Loewen, the list devolves into a chart of lightly tested but highly
regarded prospects. Garrett Olson and Hayden Penn will both be competing for a
back-end rotation slot in Spring Training, and they'll be pushed by offseason
trade acquisitions Troy Patton and Matt Albers. The job is wide open, but
Patton and Olson likely have the best chance of taking it.
Of course, if Bedard is traded, there's room for more than one of them. Penn,
who has missed much of the past two seasons due to a surgery to remove a bone
spur from his right elbow and a fluke case of appendicitis, probably needs to
both prove he's healthy and pitch his way back into the good graces of the
organization.
Olson and Patton are similar in that they're both command-and-control lefties
who have zoomed through the lower levels of their respective organizations.
Another arm that may have a case for a rotation job is southpaw swingman Brian
Burres, who performed admirably last season despite a constantly changing role.
It's a group long on talent and short on experience, a staff that yields more
confidence when fronted by a talent like Bedard. The Orioles are due for some
tough decisions, though, and one of them may mean banking on their host of
pitching prospects. For now, all that's sure is that nobody knows what will
happen next.
--
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作者: baseball () 看板: Orioles
標題: [新聞] Around the Horn: Bullpen
時間: Thu Feb 7 13:18:45 2008
From http://0rz.tw/553EH
Questions abound about relief corps heading into spring
Perhaps no unit of the Orioles' team reflects the changing times better than
the bullpen, where the club has undergone a change of heart as much of a change
in personnel.
Last year at this time, Baltimore was touting the efficiency of the free-agent
market and money well spent, but a $40 million investment in four relievers
couldn't save the team from the highest relief ERA in franchise history. Now,
the Orioles are hoping to build an improved bullpen around frugality and a host
of young arms with something to prove.
Part of the new strategy is due to injury, which claimed two power arms from
Baltimore's late-inning arsenal. Both Chris Ray and Danys Baez needed elbow
surgery and are expected to miss most or all of the season, which leaves
veterans Chad Bradford and Jamie Walker as the only substantial investments
left in the Baltimore bullpen.
Bradford and Walker, who were two of the prize additions last year, are
expected to return to situational chores in 2008. That leaves manager Dave
Trembley without an experienced closer, a fact that he lamented recently.
Trembley is determined not to stretch the situational pair from their intended
roles, which means he has to fashion a closer from scratch.
"I'd still like to get a guy who's closed and has some experience as a closer.
If that doesn't happen, we'll make do with what we have," he said recently.
"Somebody's going to emerge. When you carry a 12-man pitching staff, you have
five starters, three relievers for late in the game and four guys that can
pitch in different situations."
Those roles will mostly be settled by a vigorous sorting job in Spring
Training, and the Orioles may have as many as four relief slots open for
competition. Bradford and Walker are virtually the only sure things in the
bullpen, which may also carry lightly tested arms like Dennis Sarfate, Rule 5
Draft pick Randor Bierd and Minor League closer Bob McCrory.
Sarfate, who came over from Houston in the Miguel Tejada trade, is considered
by many to be the favorite to log innings as Baltimore's closer. The
right-hander struck out 26 batters in 15 big league games last season, his
first as a full-time reliever. Sarfate also logged 23 saves for Triple-A
Nashville before a late-season waiver claim landed him in Houston.
The most experienced competition could come from Greg Aquino, who came to the
Orioles this offseason as a waiver claim. The right-hander saved 16 games as a
rookie for Arizona in 2004, but has never repeated his success. Aquino has the
experience Trembley seeks, but he may not have the pure stuff to retire
American League hitters on a nightly basis.
The stuff complaint doesn't apply to McCrory or fellow homegrown closer Jim
Hoey, who has gotten two brief chances to stick in Baltimore's bullpen in the
last two seasons. Both McCrory and Hoey have posted big Minor League numbers
and would give Trembley a pair of hard-throwing and lightly tested options to
use in the late innings next season.
McCrory may be a little further away, but he recorded 14 saves at Class A
Frederick and 13 for Double-A Bowie before an impressive stint in the Arizona
Fall League. Hoey saved 14 games for Bowie and logged a 1.33 ERA in 27 innings
at Triple-A Norfolk before coming to the big leagues and getting hit hard down
the stretch for the second straight year.
Baltimore is reportedly close to landing Seattle reliever George Sherrill in
the long-rumored Erik Bedard trade, and Sherrill would help frame the rest of
the bullpen with his experience. Trembley may also consider veteran reliever
Lance Cormier -- who signed a Minor League deal after starting with the Braves
last season -- for a similar role.
"I think he's a guy that is a multiple innings type guy," Trembley said of
Cormier, a non-roster invite to Spring Training. "He can throw back-to-back
days out of the bullpen. He could be basically a guy that starts if there's a
rain delay or as a spot starter. I've talked to him, and he's of the
understanding that he's coming to camp to earn a job out of the bullpen."
The stakes are a little higher for Bierd, who must stick in the bullpen or be
offered back to Detroit. The 23-year-old notched a 3-2 record and a 3.35 ERA
for Double-A Erie last season in his first experience against upper-level
batters. Bierd struck out more batters (52) than he allowed baserunners (41)
last year, attracting several teams in the process.
The Orioles will also look at Brian Burres and Matt Albers for a long relief
role, and both of them have their own selling points. Albers has a higher
ceiling and a stronger arm, but Burres has the luxury of knowing his manager.
Trembley used Burres as a starter and long man last season and recently ticked
off the southpaw's wide variety of marketable skills.
"He's kind of the forgotten man," he said. "Is he the fifth starter or is he a
long guy? Is he a one-inning guy? He can do a lot of things, and I've got a
good idea of what Burres can do. ... It probably would be easier for him if his
role was a whole lot more defined, but he is a swing guy. That's what he is,
but there's a place on the club for guys like that."
The Orioles will also evalute Fernando Cabrera and Rocky Cherry in a Spring
camp that could go several ways. Trembley won't show his cards just yet, but he
has several options and few big contracts coloring his vision. Baltimore's
bullpen will be flexible next season, even if it doesn't have the kind of
surefire answers the Orioles would like to see.
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