Orioles Quotes

I just felt like starting a new segment called Orioles Quotes where i display quotes by prominent O's players and staff. The first one comes from a man some of you might know as Earl Weaver and it is one of his most memorable.

"The key to winning baseball games is pitching, fundamentals, and three run homers."

This is always true and it should be how the Orioles are built from now on and it is how they will find their way back to prominence.

My 2009 Orioles Lineup

Here is my 2009 Orioles Lineup:

1.2B Brian Robers-Hopefuly McPhail can sign him long term and give stability at the leadoff spot. Hopefully they do not trade him

2.CF Adam Jones-Should hit for a higher average with more homeruns in his second full season

3.RF Nick Markakis-I am also hopefull that he will get signed to a very long-term deal say 7 years 70+million he is well worth it and besides it is better to give the money to him then some injury prone pitcher(Ben Sheets, A.J. Burnett)

4.1B Mark Teixera-The O's should open their wallet and bring Mark home

5.DH Aubrey Huff-Now with a silver slugger in his pocket, I do not expect him to have the same stellar year as last year but should be good for a .280 average, at least 20 home runs, and 80+ RBI's giving protection to Mark Teixera.

6.LF Luke Scott-Might have to compete for playing time with Nolan Reimold and AA Triple Crown winner Lou Montanez.

7.3B Melvin Mora-After putting up some fantastic numbers in the second half of last season to prove that he still belongs in the big leagues he should still remain the teams every day Third Baseman.

8.C Matt Weiters-Now way he is not going to make the club with his talent the question is will he be better than Ramon Hernandez. If he is then he will surely be the everyday catcher if he is not then he will probably go to Norfolk to get playing time.

9.SS ?????-I do not think anyone has a clue who will be the shortstop next season. The internal prospects look bleak, so start looking at those free agents

Top Ten Prospects

Here is the Orioles top ten prospects according to Baseball America.

The Orioles must feel like they're running to stand still.

There are signs of hope. Catcher Matt Wieters was Baseball America's Minor League Player of the Year and may be the best prospect in baseball. The trade of Erik Bedard to the Mariners was a steal, giving Baltimore not only its closer (George Sherrill) and center fielder (Adam Jones) but also its best pitching prospect (Chris Tillman) and a couple of other young prospects who could contribute. Aubrey Huff had a bounceback year, and Nick Markakis looks like he'll occupy right field in Camden Yards for years.

But there was at least as much bad news. The young pitchers the Orioles were counting on either weren't ready for prime time or got hurt. Radhames Liz (6.72 ERA in 17 starts) and Garrett Olson (6.65 ERA in 26 starts) took their lumps in Baltimore. Troy Patton, a key part of the Miguel Tejada trade with the Astros, went down with a torn labrum during spring training. Adam Loewen, who signed for $3.2 million bonus as the No. 4 overall pick in 2002, officially washed out as a pitcher after continued elbow problems. The Orioles decided to try Loewen as a position player and removed him from the 40-man roster after the season, with plans to re-sign him, but he decided to join the Blue Jays instead.

And in fact, the Orioles aren't even standing still. They're dropping back, falling into the cellar in the American League East for the first time since 1988. Baltimore's 68-93 record left it 17½ games out of fourth place and marked its 11th straight losing season.

Things aren't going to get any easier in the AL East. The Rays look like they'll be good for at least the next several years, and the Red Sox and Yankees will continue to be the Red Sox and Yankees. Even the Blue Jays finished 10 games above .500 and have a farm system that's showing improvement.

The Orioles are making progress in player development as well, with an influx of top-end talent in the last few years. Wieters is a legitimate cornerstone player, and the system's top three arms (Tillman, 2008 first-rounder Brian Matusz and Jake Arrieta) all look like legitimate big league starters.

If they're to make a significant jump in the big league standings, Baltimore particularly needs its young pitchers to come through. The Orioles ranked 13th in the AL in ERA (5.13) in 2008 and head into 2009 with no proven big league starters behind Jeremy Guthrie, who's better suited for the middle or back of a rotation than the front.

At least with team president Andy MacPhail now at the helm of the baseball operations, there's a feeling the franchise has a direction and someone with the patience to execute a plan. Spending $10.6 million to get Wieters, Arrieta and Matusz in the last two drafts should pay big dividends, and the trade Seattle gave the rebuilding effort a huge boost. And owner Peter Angelos has been out of the headlines.

MacPhail recognizes the Orioles don't have the depth of talent to compete in the East, but he has assembled several pieces that could help them take a step forward. Getting back in the playoffs remains a mountain that seems too high to climb right now.

Top Ten Prospects
1. Matt Wieters, c
2. Chris Tillman, rhp
3. Brian Matusz, lhp
4. Jake Arrieta, rhp
5. Nolan Reimold, of
6. Brandon Erbe, rhp
7. Billy Rowell, 3b
8. Troy Patton, lhp
9. Brandon Snyder, 1b
10. Kam Mickolio, rhp
BEST
TOOLS
Best Hitter for Average Matt Wieters
Best Power Hitter Matt Wieters
Best Strike-Zone Discipline Matt Wieters
Fastest Baserunner Xavier Avery

Best Athlete Tyler Henson

Best Fastball Kam Mickolio
Best Curveball Brian Matusz
Best Slider David Hernandez
Best Changeup Brian Matusz
Best Control Brad Bergesen
Best Defensive Catcher Matt Wieters
Best Defensive Infielder Blake Davis
Best Infield Arm Bill Rowell
Best Defensive Outfielder Matt Angle
Best Outfield Arm Nolan Reimold

PROJECTED 2012
LINEUP
Catcher Matt Wieters
First Base Brandon Snyder
Second Base Brian Roberts
Third Base Billy Rowell
Shortstop Luis Hernandez
Left Field Nolan Reimold
Center Field Adam Jones
Right Field Nick Markakis
Designated Hitter Aubrey Huff
No. 1 Starter Chris Tillman
No. 2 Starter Brian Matusz
No. 3 Starter Jake Arrieta
No. 4 Starter Jeremy Guthrie
No. 5 Starter Radhames Liz
Closer George Sherrill

TOP PROSPECTS
OF THE DECADE
Year Player, Position 2008
1999 Matt Riley, lhp Dodgers
2000 Matt Riley, lhp Dodgers
2001 Keith Reed, of Newark (Atlantic)
2002 Richard Stahl, lhp Out of baseball
2003 Erik Bedard, lhp Mariners
2004 Adam Loewen, lhp Orioles
2005 Nick Markakis, of Orioles
2006 Nick Markakis, of Orioles
2007 Bill Rowell, 3b Orioles
2008 Matt Wieters, c Orioles

TOP DRAFT PICKS
OF THE DECADE
Year Player, Position 2008
1999 Mike Paradis, rhp Out of baseball
2000 Beau Hale, rhp Out of baseball
2001 Chris Smith, lhp Out of baseball
2002 Adam Loewen, lhp Orioles
2003 Nick Markakis, of Orioles
2004 *Wade Townsend, rhp Rays
2005 Brandon Snyder, c Orioles
2006 Bill Rowell, 3b Orioles
2007 Matt Wieters, c Orioles
2008 Brian Matusz, rhp Orioles
* Did not sign

Bye,Bye

As they say parting is such sweet sarrow and that is what three of the Orioles have done. Kevin Millar, Jay Payton, and Alex Cintron have all filed for free agency. While none of them are the really big names some of them have meant a lot to the Orioles team this season. Kevin Millar has always given something good to the team since he was here whether through his play on the field, his ability to keep the team lose, and my personal favorite the resurgance of Orioles magic which i hope will never die. All three of these players will be missed some more than others of course we all will just be left wondering what could have been? and what could they accomplish?

All three were not at all stars and probably will not have much of an impact on the field next year. Aside from Millar's leadership the O's will not have lost that much this offseason due to free agency. The bigger question is what will they do to fill the holes they have? With Millar leaving there is a hole open at first base, where most fans hope it will be filled by Mark Texeira, but if that does not happen it could be filled by Aubrey Huff moving to that spot if the O's don't get someone else. The shortstop position on the other hand is a great big hole that cannot be filled internally and requires the O's to sign or trade for a shortstop that plays good defense and is not bad with the bat. The absence of Jay Payton will probably be filled by Lou Montanez and by whether or not the O's want to call up Nolan Reimold, overall the O's should have great depth at all the outfield positions next season.

2008 organizational win-loss

The Orioles farm system had a combined record of 390-437 which is a .472 winning percentage. The Orioles went 68-93 a .422 winning percentage. If this means anything, which i hope it does, then the Orioles will be getting better over the next couple years and if the farm system progresses like it has been over the past couple of years than we should expect the O's to turn out prospects like the days of old.

Forgetting what i just mentioned the prospects alone are enough to get even the most melancholy fans pumped. With Matt Wieters and Nolan Reimold waiting to provide some more pop to offense along with the big three of Brian Matusz,Chris Tillman, and Jake Arrieta or as i like to call them ATM because their money in da bank. Along with the big three the O's have a slew of power arms and polished pitching prospects in the farm system to make even the harshest critic put them at least in the top 15 farm systems in all of baseball.

Spring Training?

There still is no word yet as to were the Orioles will play their spring training games at this upcoming spring, but there have been several rumors and fierce competition for them. There is at least four cities that are being considered Vero Beach, FT.Myers, Sarsota, and Ft. Lauderdale where the Orioles have been since 1996.

Vero Beach had an exclusivity agreement with the Orioles that expired on Halloween. Vero Beach has reportedly made an offer to the Orioles after two days of meetings in Orlando Florida. Discussions have been going on for over the past year between the team and the city.

In response to the offer that was made Vero Beach mayor Tom White said " We made them our final offer."and "After many hours of discussion and changing this and changing that, I'm hoping that Mr.Angelos and the board of directors will accept it. I think it's a good offer and they'll be happy here."

The Orioles wanted to tear down the 48 year old Ft. Lauderdale stadium and build a new complex to house the orioles major and minor league spring training complex, but the Federal Aviation Administration(FAA)said it would not approve unless the annual payments maid to the airport next to the stadium increased to $1.3million annually

Unless the Orioles make any significant changes in the next couple of months they will probably still be playing in FT. Lauderdale nest spring.

Rays win, Red Sox lose

The Rays eliminated the Red Sox yesterday in the seventh game of the American League Championship Series.(In my opinion it is still wierd to see Tropicana field full)

The Sox jumped off to an early 1 to nothing lead with a Dustin Pedroia solo home run in the top of the first. John Lester retired his first nine before givng up a run in the bottom of the fourth. Rocco Baldelli single in the fifth to drive in Willy Aybar and give the Rays a 2-1 lead. Willy Aybar homered in the seventh inning to put the Rays up by two as they lead 3-1. In the eigth the Sox had their best chance to comeback, where the Rays used four different pichers, but J.D. Drew struk out with the bases loaded to end the inning.

The Rays won the Game 3 to 1 and now advance to play the Phillies in the World Series

Spring Training?

There has been already several places that have been thrown around for potential spring training sites if the O's do not get a new stadium in FT.Lauderdale.

Sarasota, who lost the Cincinnati Reds to Arizona, could be one possible location due to the higher cost that the Red Sox would demand in a new stadium over the Orioles who have indicated that they will take a renovated one, which makes things cheaper for the city.

Vero Beach could also be a probable location in the future with the Dodgers moving over to the west coast. Since, the Orioles signed an exclusivity agreement with them making the Orioles the only team they can talk to until it expires near Halloween time. Also the Orioles appear to be the only team that might want to move to Dodgertown and is contractually able to due so.

The final place could be Ft.Myers who could lose the Red Sox to Sarasota, thus leaving a vacant slot.

Overall there are many places in Florida that the Orioles have the possibility of having their spring training operations their in the next couple of years.

Never gonna die

The RedSox managed to win last night at Tampa to even the series at 3 games a piece. The Sox have won the last two games after starting the series out by falling behind 3 games to 1. At that time they were written off by many baseball experts and analysts with them saying that this was not the same team as before in 2004 and last year(2007) and that the self called "Idiots" were gone. The sox though did not think that they were done and it showed by their winning of the next two games.

The Red Sox interestingly enough have won 4 out of 5 playoff series when the fall behind 3 games to 1. The curse might just be reversed with the Sox winning a bunch of world series and the Yankees having a drought.

But who cares? No one will eventually because the Orioles will become the dominate team in baseball with stars such as Matt Weiters, Jeremy Guthrie, Nick Markakis, and Adam Jones.

Are you ready?

The past season featured an orioles team that looked very competitive for most of the season and that had a chance to finish above .500 for the fist time in a decade. They were a team that had many new pitchers and some young new everyday players. Thge Orioles outperformed their expectations throughout most of the year until the fell into an abysmal pit the last 2 months of the season.

With last years disapointment hopfully will bring this years joy many of the Orioles players had career years such as Aubrey Huff, Brian Roberts, Melvin Mora, and Luke Scott. The Orioles had one of the best offenses in the American league last year and will probably want to add to it with a big free agent acquisition and call-ups of some of the promising prospects in Bowie and Norfolk.

While the O's offense was above average the pitching was not, The Orioles had injuries affect everyone on their opening day starting rotation and injuries forced Adam Loewen to stop pitching alltogether. In order to suplant their pitching the Orioles probably will call up some more prospects from the minor leagues such as Brad Bergeson, Chris Tillman, and David Hernandez. This all depends on the performance of Garret Olsen, Radhames Liz, and Brian Burres who all had disapointing seasons to say the least.

The part of the O's that we will see changed the most this off season will probably be the starting rotation where they will probably want tomake wholesale changes. If the Orioles sing a free agent like Mark Teixera that will further there already above average offense and if,barring any trades, Matt Albers and Chris Ray can come back healthy the O's should have a pretty deep and solid bullpen.