WITH LESS THAN 2 MONTHS UNTIL SPRING TRAINING WE LOOK AT THE STATE OF THE ORIOLES. ORIOLES FANS’ ARE UPSET THE CLUB HASN’T MADE ANY BIG MOVES THIS OFF SEASON. THIS IS GOOD NEWS BECAUSE FOR MANY YEARS MOST FANS COULDN’T CARE LESS WHAT THE ORIOLS WERE DOING. RIGHT NOW CHRIS DAVIS IS SLOTTED AT FIRST BASE. AFTER HITTING 33 HOME RUNS IN HIS FIRST FULL SEASON AS A MAJOR LEAGUER DAVIS IS SET TO REPLACE MARK REYNOLDS. HIS HITTING SHOULD IMPROVE BUT HIS FIELDING IS A CONCERN. DAVIS WAS BRUTAL AT FIRST LAST YEAR YET HE CAME TO THE O’S FROM TEXAS AS A BETTER THAN AVERAGE DEFENDER SO LET’S HOPE HE CAN CATCH THE SHORT AND IN BETWEEN HOPS AS WELL AS HE PITCHED IN RELIEF VS. THE RED SOX. SECOND BASE IS A QUESTION MARK. THE BIRDS PICKED UP 28 YR OLD ALEXI CASILLA FROM THE TWINS. THE SWITCH HITTER IS A CAREER 250 HITTER WITH A GOOD GLOVE AND SPEED. OF COURSE BRIAN ROBERTS COULD RETURN. I THINK THE LAST TIME ROBERTS PLAYED A FULL SEASON CLINTON WAS PRESIDENT. IT’S BEEN A WHILE. JJ HARDY AT SHORT WORKS FOR ME THOUGH YOU SURE WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIS BATTING AVERAGE IMPROVE AFTER A DOWN YEAR IN ’11. MANNY IS AT THIRD FOR THE FULL YEAR SO THAT SHOULD HELP THE TEAM IMMENSELY BOTH IN THE FIELD AND AT THE PLATE. AND I THINK “MANNY” WILL BE LIKE ICHERO. NO NEED FOR THE LAST NAME. JUST MANNY. IN LEFT REIMOLD WILL BE BACK. WE HOPE. AFTER PLAYING ONLY 16 GAMES IN 2011 NOLAN MISSED THE REST OF THE SEASON DUE TO A NECK INJURY. A HEALHTY REIMOLD BRINGS POWER, A PATIENT HITTER WHO WALKS, SPEED AND SOME STABILITY IN LEFT AND WILL PROBABLY SEE TIME AT DH. NATE MCCLOUTH, ONE OF THE MORE PLEASANT SURPRISES FROM LAST YEAR, SIGNED A ONE YR DEAL AND COULD PLATOON WITH REIMOLD AND DH. HE BRINGS SPEED, SOME POP IN HIS BAT AND CATCHES EVERYTHING HE GETS CLOSE TO. HIS ONE FLAW IS HIS ARM IS LOUSY. BUT NOT EVERYONE CAN BE ROBERTO CLEMENTE OR YAZ. ADAM JONES, WHO GETS BETTER EVERY YEAR IS IN CENTER AND NICK MARKAKIS IS IN RIGHT. NICK HAD 2 LONG STINTS ON THE D.L. SO HOPEFULLY HE CAN PLAY A FULL SEASON. WEITERS IS BEHIND THE PLATE AND THAT’S ALL YOU NEED THERE.
THE PITCHING IS THE KEY AS IT IS WITH ANY TEAM. JASON HAMMEL MISSED THE SECOND HALF OF LAST YEAR SO A FULL YEAR FROM THE RIGHTY WILL HELP A GREAT DEAL. CHEN NOW HAS A YEAR OF EXPERIENCE UNDER HIS BELT AND SHOULD BE MORE COMFORTABLE IN HIS SECOND YEAR IN AMERICA. HE SHOULD GET BETTER. CHRIS TILLMAN SHOWED WHY HE HAS BEEN CONSIDERED A STAR IN THE MAKING PITCHING TO A 9-3 RECORD AND 2.93 ERA SHOWING MARKED IMPROVEMENT AFTER MAKING CHANGES IN HIS DELIVERY. MIQUEL GONZALEZ, WHO MISSED MOST IF NOT ALL OF 2009 AND 2010 BECAUSE OF INJURIES SHOULD HAVE GREATER ARM STRENGTH THIS YEAR. HE WAS PRETTY PRETTY GOOD LAST YEAR AS A ROOKIE. ZACH BRITTON MISSED THE FIRST HALF OF LAST YEAR WITH INJURIES. A HARD THROWING, SINKER BALLING LEFT HANDER, BRITTON COULD BE IN THE ROTATION OR COULD EVEN START AT NORFOLK WHEN THE SEASON STARTS. BRAIN MATUSZ REGAINED STRENGTH IN HIS ARM AND WAS OUTSTANDING IN THE BULLPEN LAST YEAR. BRIAN COULD BE BACK IN THE ROTATION. STEVE JOHNSON PITCHED REALLY WELL AS A STARTER AND RELIEFER IS BACK. JAKE ARREITA A YEAR AND HALF PAST ELBOW SURGERY IS STILL WITH THE CLUB. MANY THOUGHT JAKE WOULD HAVE A BREAK OUT SEASON LAST YEAR BUT HE IS STILL YOUNG AND HAS PLENTY OF TALENT. TOMMY HUNER SEEMED TO FIND A HOME IN THE PEN AND JIM JOHNSON RETURNS AFTER A FANTASTIC YEAR AS THE CLOSER. THROW IN GENERAL TROY PATTON AND DARREN O’DEA ALONG WITH PEDRO STROP AND THE BULLPEN SHOULD BE IN GOOD HANDS. DH IS STILL OPEN. WILSON BETEMIN CAN HANDLE THE RIGHT HANDERS BUT WAS DISMAL VS SOUTHPAWS AND HOPEFULLY WILSON WILL NEVER PLAY IN THE FIELD AGAIN, EVER. HE IS A HUMAN SIEVE IN THE FIELD. I THINK HE USES HIS GLOVE JUST TO KEEP HIS HAND WARM. SO BETWEEN GUYS RETURNING FROM INJURIES AND YOUNG PLAYERS WHO GAINED MUCH NEEDED EXPERIENCE LAST YEAR THE O’S SHOULD BE A PRETTY GOOD TEAM IN 2013. DON’T FORGET DYLAN BUNDY AND KEVIN GAUSMAN TWO FORMER FIRST ROUND PICKS COULD BOTH WORK THERE WAY ON THE TEAM BY MID SEASON. YOU WOULD THINK THE O’S WOULD TRADE A COUPLE OF YOUNG PITCHERS FOR A QUALITY ALL AROUND PLAYER SOMETIME BETWEEN NOW AND THE ALL STAR BREAK. LONGSHOT FOR THE YEAR. JONATHAN SCHOOP A TALENTED 20 YEAR OLD HAS A GREAT SPRING TRAINING AND TAKES OWNERSHIP OF SECOND BASE. SCHOOP IS AN ABOVE AVERAGE GLOVEMAN WHO SHOWED MORE POWER THAN MANNY IN THE MINORS.
ALSO THE HOUSTON ASTROS MOVE TO THE AMERICAN LEAGUE. ONE OF BASEBALL WORST TEAMS THE ASTROS SHOULD HELP THE A’S, RANGERS AND ANGELS PICK UP QUITE A FEW MORE WINS SO IT’S VERY POSSIBLE ONLY ONE TEAM FROM THE A.L. EAST WILL MAKE THE PLAYOFFS.
MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND HAPPY HEALTHY NEW YEAR FROM BEAUTIFUL AND WARM, 78 DEGREES TODAY, BOCA RATON!
Blog from Freddy from Boca
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