Archive for November, 2013

Scouring the League for Second Base Surplus

Posted in Offense, Offseason, Trades with tags , , , , , , , on November 23, 2013 by oriolesprovingground

The Orioles have a hole to fill at second base during the offseason.  That’s not exactly news.  On a rare Saturday post over (at least for me) at ESPN Sweetspot Network Orioles blog Camden Depot, I am taking a look at teams that have a surplus of second basemen who may be willing trade partners to the Orioles.  The choices range from established veterans who may be expensive, in terms of prospects and salary commitments to former top prospects (or less established players) that may be a little cheaper, but come with a lot more risk.  Should the Orioles actually trade for any of these guys?  As always, it will depend on what they would have to give up to get them.

Direct Link to Article –> Scouring the League for Second Base Surplus

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Chris Young: Starting Left Fielder?

Posted in Offense, Offseason with tags , , on November 19, 2013 by oriolesprovingground

During the off-season, ESPN Sweetspot Network Orioles blog, Camden Depot has had some excellent analysis regarding rumors and the potential moves the Orioles could make this offseason, and if you’ve been paying attention at all, Baltimore has been involved in a lot of rumors in this young offseason.  I haven’t heard his name specifically mentioned in any connection to the Orioles, but today at Camden Depot I took a look at whether the Orioles should consider signing free agent center fielder Chris Young to be their starting left fielder in the 2014 season.

Direct Link to Article –> Chris Young: Starting Left Fielder?

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Declining Options: Potential Hitting Fits for Baltimore

Posted in Offense, Offseason with tags , , , , , on November 10, 2013 by oriolesprovingground

The offseason is a week old, and one of the very first orders of business for teams (or players) is to do decide whether or not they should pick up their contract options or cut bait and become free agents.  On Friday we took a look at the pitchers, so today we’ll look at some bats.  If I state that I think the team should make an offer, it doesn’t mean that they should do whatever it takes to sign them.  Due to the larger number of players, I’ll try to keep the explanations brief.

Infielders

Alexi Casilla ($3 million team option declined by Orioles)

As expected, Casilla did nothing with the bat in 2013, but made up for the lack of being able to hit a baseball by doing a good job of fielding it at 2B, and was essentially the definition of a replacement player.

Verdict: Make a minor league offer with an invite to spring training Continue reading →

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Declining Options: Potential Pitching Fits for Baltimore

Posted in Offseason, Pitching with tags , , on November 8, 2013 by oriolesprovingground

The offseason is a week old, and one of the very first orders of business for teams (or players) is to do decide whether or not they should pick up their contract options or cut bait and become free agents.  Over the next 2 days we’ll look at all of the options that have been declined and see if there are any potential good fits for the Orioles in the 2014 season.  If I state that I think the team should make an offer, it doesn’t mean that they should do whatever it takes to sign them.  Due to the larger number of players, I’ll try to keep the explanations brief.

First up, the pitchers.

Starting Pitchers

Chris Capuano ($8 million mutual option declined by Dodgers)

In 2013, Capuano only pitched 105.2 innings this past year, due to two separate stints on the DL.  He started 20 of the 24 games in which he appeared.  Capuano shows a pretty heavy platoon split, but hasn’t been terrible as a starter the last 3 years, posting a FIP at 4.03 or under in each season.  He’d be an interesting sign for depth purposes, either as a spot starter or another left handed option out of the pen.

Verdict: Make an offer Continue reading →

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Making the Orioles a Champion in 2014

Posted in Offense, Offseason, Pitching with tags , on November 5, 2013 by oriolesprovingground

Over the past month, the writers at Camden Depot took on the task of analyzing the 2013 Baltimore Orioles on a position by position basis, which was followed with our own suggestions to make the 2014 better.  The following are links to each write up.

Starting Pitching (Nate Delong): Part 1 and Part 2

Right Handed Relievers (Stuart Wallace)

Left Handed Relievers (Stuart Wallace)

Catcher (Jon Shepherd)

First Base (Jon Shepherd)

Second Base (Joe Reisel): Part 1 and Part 2

Third Base (Stuart Wallace)

Shortstop (Nate Delong)

Left Field (Matt Kremnitzer)

Center Field (Matt Kremnitzer)

Right Field (Matt Kremnitzer)

Designated Hitter (Joe Reisel)

Bench (Joe Reisel)

Conclusion (Jon Shepherd)

Everyone did a great job on these posts and there is a lot of good information here, so I suggest you check it out.  Feel free to leave your own suggestions as to what the Orioles should do this offseason by commenting in the posts at Camden Depot (preferred) or here on this site.

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Making the Orioles a Champion in 2014: Shortstop

Posted in Offseason with tags , , , on November 1, 2013 by oriolesprovingground

The “Making the Orioles a Champion in 2014” series at ESPN Sweetspot Network Orioles blog, Camden Depot rolls on.  This time I take a look at the shortstop position, which has been occupied by J.J. Hardy since 2011.  Hardy has been solid as a rock since joining Baltimore, but should the team look to trade him in the offseason and allow Manny Machado to move back to his natural position?  Check out my post on Camden Depot and find out.

Direct Link to Article –> Making the Orioles a Champion in 2014: Shortstop

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