Baltimore Orioles: Spring Training Information

By Neal Shaffer
Location: Fort Lauderdale Stadium
Pitchers and Catchers Report: February 14th
First Game: February 28th
Schedule

Projected Opening Day Lineup

1. Brian Roberts (2B)
2. Melvin Mora (3B)
3. Nick Markakis (RF)
4. Kevin Millar (1B/DH)
5. Luke Scott (LF)
6. Aubrey Huff (DH/1B)
7. Ramon Hernandez (C)
8. Adam Jones (CF)
9. Luis Hernandez (SS)

Projected Rotation:

1. Jeremy Guthrie
2. Adam Loewen
3. Daniel Cabrera
4. Steve Trachsel
5. Garrett Olson

Projected Bullpen:

Long: Brian Burres
Situational: Jamie Walker, Chad Bradford, Greg Aquino, Rocky Cherry
8th: Dennis Sarfate
Closer: George Sherrill
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Key Battles:2008 represents the first year of a full-scale rebuilding process in Baltimore, and there are more questions than answers. Offseason trades of star shortstop Miguel Tejada and ace lefty Erik Bedard netted the Orioles ten new players, most of whom are prospects. Baltimore is finally going young in a big way.

Assuming Brian Roberts isn’t traded, the starting nine appears set. The bench, however, is another matter.

Jay Payton figures to take the fourth outfielder spot, and the infield utility spot will likely go to either Freddie Bynum or Brandon Fahey. Backup catcher is a total mystery, but former Ranger Guillermo Quiroz seems to have the edge.

Jay Gibbons remains under contract but will start the season on a 15-game suspension for violating MLB’s banned substance policy. Most O’s fans would love to see him either traded or released, but there’s a good chance he’ll end up taking a spot as a backup DH/outfielder.

Other players in the mix include outfielder Tike Redman, third baseman Scott Moore, and a host of question marks.

The top three in the rotation appear to be locks, and Trachsel will likely get the fourth spot. After that it’s up to Olson, Troy Patton, Matt Albers, Jon Leicester, and a handful of others to earn the fifth spot.

The bullpen is likewise competitive after Sherrill, Bradford, and Walker. Sherrill is slotted for the closer role and will have to screw up in a big way to lose it. Bradford and Walker are both soldiers who will serve as anchors for the rest of the relief staff.

Sarfate throws hard and is out of options, and Cherry should have an edge based on showing enough last year. Burres was a pitcher without a spot in ‘07, but he looks well positioned to take the long man/spot starter role this year.

All that said, the O’s will have a lot of pitchers in camp, including Rule 5 pick Randor Bierd. A lot can – and will – change between February and April.

Basically, we don’t have any idea what’s going to happen. A lot of players will head to Fort Lauderdale with a legitimate chance to play their way onto the roster. This figures to be an extremely eventful and exciting spring for the O’s, something we haven’t had here in a long time.

What to Expect:

Lots of action and surprises. The Orioles are looking to establish a foundation that will lead them to contending status in the next two to three years. That starts with taking long, hard looks at every player, every position. Since nobody believes the team will contend right away, a prospect who dominates in the spring might very well come out of nowhere to steal a roster spot. There might also be trades, and some players might get released outright. We just don’t know for sure, but this much seems clear: the Orioles are finally headed in the right direction.

Neal follows the Orioles on his blog, The Loss Column.

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