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the orioles could try to trade pie to seattle for garrett olson. the former orioles lefty went 5 or 6 inn. sat nite , gave up 5 runs 4 hits 4 walks and only 3 home runs in taking a loss vs. the red sox. by the middle of next year i would think the orioles starting rotation would include tillman, patton, arrieta and hill. it seems koji works better with a week off between starts so he'd be better off playing football..eaton will be gone by probably this june..bergy could be in the bullpen (would like to see bergy use more off speed pitches becuase his fastball and slider seem to be about the same speed), and guthrie could be here or used as trade bait to get a good 3rd baseman which the orioles are going to need in a year or 2 at the latest. mora isn't going to play forever, though with 6 little kids at home he may want to.

Thanks Roch. That made me laugh on a tough Monday at work.

The problem facing Andrew is that he has too many things coming at him at once. I don't think he can handle it. He is better suited as an offseason GM who can mull over a trade for months on end. But when 20 different things hit you at once, it proves to be a bad situation for a slow minded GM.

Right now he is facing:
What to do with Eaton?
Who do you call up to replace him?
What to do with Pie?
When do we call up Weiters?
Does the bullpen need a shake up?
Was my rotation upgradea disaster?
Should I DL Cesar?
Who do I call up to replace him?
Is Luuukkkkeeee angry at me?
Do I need to start working a trade for him?
Who do we draft?
What do I do at the trade deadline?
Is anyone else available from the Cubs?
Am I awake?
Can I get a 12:00 tee time?

I see him hitting the panic button over there in the Warehouse.

Not that you asked but...
1) Uehara is pitching his way to the bullpen, where he apparently will become an overpaid reliever, like he was in Japan. May be tradable on 7/31 if we eat some salary?
2) It must be the coaching since this team is one of the worst baserunning teams in recent history. Players can't be that brain dead or "independant" on the bases to make so many gaffs so many times.
3) Berkin seems to be outpitching Hernandez right now so either could get a call-up soon. As is Arrieta and Patton in AA. The heck with pampering these studs. Bring some of them up, get their feet wet and see who can make it into the 2010 rotation. Bergeson seems to have survived so far with less "stuff" than the above mentioned pitchers.
4) Phase II is almost upon us where trades are coming, Hopefully, the players coming in will fill an IF position or 2 for years to come. Huff, Scott, Mora, Walker, Baez, Sherrill and/or Guthrie (almost 31, arbitration eligible and expendable long term so get a bigger return now vs. later) should yield something decent for the future. The rumor mongering begins around 6/15.

One of your questions begs another one: if the Os proposed a trade with the Rays for their DH, would they receive a pitcher or a position player?

Awesome post! Informative and hilarious.

Morning Roch. Not to jump to far ahead but Thurs. match up Joba vs. Eaton Bookies and on line gambling site should be burning up.

I love to Troll Scroll on Monday mornings, keeps the blood pressure down.

Roch--I don't see it either. Maybe if you had a different face and wore tight gray suits with pink shirts. But I hear getting a different face is so in style these days.

Brummie--While MacPhail does have many things on his plate, I doubt that its bothering him that much. You could probably take half of those things off of there that you listed, but I know you are being sarcastic about some. The draft isn't really his place, that's more Joe Jordan, and he's done a pretty good job with it the past few years. MacPhail is just the negotiator in those situations. I also doubt they'll DL Cesar, but I also thought Luke was going to be fine at first. And I doubt they'll trade Luke, even though he hurt's Montanez' chances of getting in some ABs. Luke's a better hitter, I don't see Lou hitting .300 in the majors.

And the bullpen just needs to not be used so much...but that's not really up to Andy; rather its the starters and Trembley. Can we get some semblance of a shutout into the 8th from somebody?

Roch,

Regarding the draft, if we could get Greeny (as he's called) that would be a steal and as for White, IMO we can't go wrong. Got an extensive chance to see them both play in the Cape Cod League (Chatham A's) and they are both studs, not to mention getting to know White a little bit, he is a great kid.

With the pitching depth we have right now and the need for a long term SS, I will say again that Greeny would be steal.

Roch, just curious, which way would you go if they are both available?
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If it's me, I'm taking the college SS, but he's been a bit of a disappointment this spring. - Roch

Roch,
From what you hear does Scott Moore project to be a starting 3B in the Majors?
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If he stays healthy, he could be one. First, he has to get back on the 40-man roster. - Roch

David Ortiz's power got buried, along with his jersey, in the new Yankee Stadium.

An off day chatter. There're rumors that Red Sox might be looking for a power hitter to replace Ortiz, and also for a shortstop. So, Roch, would you trade Huff and Izturis for Clay Buchholz, Ramon Ramirez/Daniel Bard, a PTBNL in Jed Lowrie and another farm hand (insert name here)? Me? Yes, I would. And then, later in the year, in the free agency make an obscene offer to get Huff back to the city he loves.
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Sounds tempting, but I make a lousy GM. - Roch

Truly the king of every morning comedy.Just release Eaton and call someone up. Seems as if they are either waiting for Patton to convince them of his recovery or trying to decide which AAA option is the best. I think Hernandez has earned a look and it makes sense to continue to stretch Tillman out while he throws to Wieters. Meanwhile mark my words Matt will be here on or around June 1st.

Brummie you have started my day off poorly. I was enjoying Roch's blog and thinking of how the team could be improved and then I read your drivel. What is it with you and Andy? Did he steal your lunch in grade school? Or did he take off with your girl friend in high school?

Obviously, at some point in your life he made you feel rejected. I think you should really think about getting a new life. And if you have something to offer please do so but cut all the personal attacks. They detract from anything you say.

Pie may have found a way to make passing through waivers a little easier with that dive in yesterday's game. I'm not going to pile on, because I've said my piece about him before, but that is a play that just cannot happen. A major league outfielder has to know the game situation and the ballpark that he's playing in. Perhaps in Camden Yards you take a chance on diving for it, because you know that the left fielder will be in the vicinity to back you up. In a cavernous outfield like KC you can't take a chance that the ball gets past you in a tie ballgame.

Granted if Jimmy Johnson was closer to last year's version of himself it wouldn't have mattered.

Roch, you definitely have better hair than Conway!

Based upon his less than one hit per inning and his greater than one strikeout per inning, Hernandez is the guy. I remember last year he was at about 4 BB's per start at Bowie which is a concern.

Roch, in respect of Tillman, I read elsewhere that the Orioles consider Tillman to be one of those guys who is not sensitive to adversity. So that is good news. Basically, if he gets beat up some, he responds properly.

There is plenty of moaning in Seattle over what they call "the trade". They still miss Sherrill notwithstanding the other pieces.

I am personally glad to see there is no panic in the FO. These 14 run games will eventually end.

We need some 7 inning starts.

Oh well, I was optimistic for a bit that Brummie had decided to take a more constructive approach to the discussion. However, as a few of the others have astutely pointed out, he just can't seem to help himself and reverts back to Andy bashing after a couple of decent posts.

Brummie, nobody cares about your opinion on that topic any longer. You come across as quite the hypocrite as you don't like the personal attacks on yourself, but that is all you do with regards to AM. Sadly, you now get the full scroll treatment just like Jack. Both of you are broken records that add no value to the discussion. This is the last time I will comment on either of you.

Go O's!

One more question..Any chance they push Eaton back and put Hill on the hill Thursday?
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They could do it, since Hill would be working on regular rest, but haven't heard if that's the plan. - Roch

Roch,

Could Koji end up being the long reliever we need? Shouldn't the O's be looking for a bunch of relievers that can pitch for more than one-inning a night? The perfect game might be, starter goes 6 innings then reliever goes 3 innings and we win!!! Glad they're off today, I need a break.
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Right now, Koji is needed in the rotation. I suppose in a perfect world, once the young arms graduate to the majors, he could be a very effective long man. - Roch

Roch,

Is Hernandez an official member of the cavalry? Who exactly is in the cavalry, and how big is it? Is it the Big 3 with Plus 3 on backing vocals (eg Big 3 = Tillman, Matusz, Arrietta and Plus 3 = Bergy, Hernandez, and Patton).

On Pie, what grade would the organization give him right now, what does he need to not flunk out (of O's school), and when does the report card come out? In my view, he had an F on his April exam, but has worked his grade up to a C in May. I would say he needs to keep a C grade by mid-term (all-star break) to not flunk out (get waived) and a B to not be considered trade bait.
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Different people have different names for the cavalry. Guess there isn't one official list. But I'd put Hernandez in there, for sure. Don't want to speak for the organization regarding Pie, but he looks like a D student to me. - Roch

Luke wasn't going to start tomorrow against Sabathia and the weekend series is in Washington so we don't have a DH (just like Tampa Bay). Luke wasn't going to see much playing time between now and next week so it was a smart move.
The smarter move would have been to release Eaton. With the off day today we could have gone without a 5th starter for another week giving everybody a chance to heal and for chips to fall in place.

hey roch, can you give a quick explanation of what a "waiver" is w/in the context of MLB?

Brummie, sounds more like YOU'RE hitting the panic button, bro. Chill out, it will all work out.

Hey Roch:

You said there are no do overs, but is that true after the July trading deadline. Haven't the O's in the past exposed players to the waiver wire to gauge interest and then pulled them back to try and work out a trade? Or is my 50 yr old memory failing me again???
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Yes, that's why they call it the non-waiver trade deadline. But you can't pull players back before July 31. - Roch

Roch- Depending on how serious Izturis injury is which I hope is not that serious at all, but if he does land on DL, Scott Moore can play SS correct? Last I remembered he wasn't swinging that bat that bad at all at Norfolk!
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He began his pro career as a shortstop, but hasn't played it regularly in quite a while. - Roch

Anthony - Great points. I hadn't thought of those goofy pitcher-batting rules in DC. (for the ultimate resolution to the supposedly unresolvable DH 'controversy' see below). Moving Scott to the DL made absolute sense.

Paul - Thank you and welcome aboard.

People - Trolls comment online with the specific intent of irritating the other readers and provoking reactions. Each reaction they get gives them a little thrill. Even a whithering put down from another reader is a thrill to them. They misbehave out of a need for attention. They do not care a lick about whether a reaction is 'positive' or 'negative'. The more passionate the reaction, the bigger their thrill.

Any written response of any kind to a troll comment is 'feeding the trolls' and encouraging their annoying behavior. Please do not feed the trolls.

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Resolving the unresolvable DH 'controversy': There is a middle ground in the DH debate, and it upholds tradition and encourages strategic thinking. It does not hurt the union and it allows pitchers to face the music if they hit too many batters. Here it is:

Eliminate the DH and all of it's substitution restrictions. Replace with this: Each team is permitted three times during a game to pinch hit for any player currently in the line-up with another player not currently in the line-up *without removing the player whose turn at bat the pinch hitter takes and without changing the pinch hitter's eligibility for entering the game at a later time*.

This would reduce the boring pitchers' at-bat most of the time, and would cause very interesting strategic decisions on when during the game to use your free pinch hits. A team that is behind in the 6th, for example, if they have saved their 3 free bats, could use their strongest pinch hitter in each of their last three innings. Or they could use three different pinch hitters in a row without disrupting their defense or removing an effective pitcher.

Pitchers would still end up batting a time or two per game. And double switches would still make sense. It would encourage deeper benches, strategic thinking, and flexible rosters. And it is less radical a change to the hallowed rules of traditional baseball than the full-fledged DH. It is simply a minor tweak to the rules of substitution for 3 at bats a game.

Imagine a situation where you have guys on 2nd and 3rd and one out. It is only the 3rd inning and your pitcher (who is pitching well) is due up. You might use up a free pinch hit here due to the scoring opportunity.

Or imagine the value of a great pinch hitter who you could insert 2 or 3 times in the last few innings, instead of using him once and losing him.

I know what happened to Big Papa's power, he is another player that is from the Dominican Republic that used steriods and took off 5 years from his age. Trust me I have been to the DR.

My version of the Calvary
The 3 horsemen of the apocalypse - Tillman, Arrieta, Matusz
The Plan B group - Hernandez, Patton, Erbe, Britton, Spoone, Zagone I was almost ready to move Erbe & Zagone up to the top group but Erbe got hurt & Zagone got bombed. I also would have put Bergy in this group before his call up.
The "We'll bring these guys up at some point and see what they can do" - Berken, Bascom, Nery, McCurry

I think the best things about our pitching depth is they way these guys are spaced out. You don't want 4 rookies in your starting 5.

Just the FAQs.

The question you didn't answer Roch: If you noticed a mistake on an Orioles lineup card such as the one Tampa made - would you say anything about it to Trembley, or just hope that Koji has a good swing?

Can't wait for interleague play to begin....
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We only see the lineup that's posted on the wall outside the clubhouse, not the one that's handed to the umpires. I'm assuming that Tampa had it written correctly on the posted one, or a reporter would have said something about it. - Roch

Pie should have made the catch--he got his glove on it, so he should have caught it. It would have been highlight reel material if he had, but if you get your glove there you should catch it. But, I don't think he should be critcized for trying to make the catch. He's been vilified every time he pulls up on a ball and roundly criticized when he goes for the catch. The guy can't win.

Trade Pie for ANY young longshot pitching prospect (you may be able to get a bag of chips, but I think barbeque is a reach). Keep Reimold in left and platoon Lou and Luke at DH. Treat Reimold like they did with Jones and Markakis, let him grow in the bigs, BUT KEEP THE CAVALRY DOWN until they consistently pitch effectively deep into games! Keep Rochin!

Roch:
Please tell Mr. Connolly that he didn't have to tell us about the status of Mora's intestinal issues in his column this morning.

Sudhir - I'd take that trade in a second. It looks to me like the Red Sox would be giving up way too much, so I doubt they'd even consider it. Buchholz is still pretty well regarded, and Bard is a guy they are salivating at giving a prominent role in their bullpen. For a few months of Huff, that's a steep price (figuring even Lowrie for Izturis would be a stretch).

Some perspective: we're 6 games under, but consider that we've played half our games against the AL East (most experts' picks as the top 3 AL teams, plus the team that currently is the top) and seven against Texas (tops in the AL West). We've played no patsies yet. We can get a better evaluation after June (9 games against Seattle/Oakland, plus our NL East schedule).

Funny boy today....Any word on Izturis by the way? Patton I thought maybe he would need more time to get his strength back but he is doing great.,.....D Hernandez..first call up for Eaton..perfect...or Pauley or you or me...anyone..

That was a strange occurance about the Rays game and losing the DH..at least they won...

Riemold stay in LF..yeah of course..Snyder is the 1B guy for future.

Poor Pie..that guy never gets a break...

Everyone for sure should know the rules of waviers by know..maybe not how mnay options a player has left till we ask you but at least know how the crap works...

If I was the O's no way would take a high school pitcher #1...either Ackley, Green or White..and since the O's plan is to draft and develop pitchers and not position players then I guess it should be White...

I wish everyone wiuld chill on Pie...still after 6 losy weeks the guy gets slammed at every turn....

House bargains are out there but not as easy to find as one might think...that is my job....competition is ferce on the best ones..and sellers try their best to get as much as possible cause they can't believe how low their house has gone and what they owe...good luck on that..

Last but not least..you are going to take some abuse for that Conway Twitty thing...Roch Twitty...sounds like a song should we all just call you Mr Roch Twitty now??

I hate to sound like a broken record, but with the off day why would you even consider letting Eaton pitch? Maybe use him out of the pen one day.
Roch, don't you think the O's are a little to cautious sometimes? Troy Patton and Kevim Escabar had pretty much the same surgury. Pattan is what, 24? Escabar is 35, and he's almost ready to return, and I think he had his surgury after Patton. When the O's drafted Matusz they sent him to A ball, wouldn't most teams that draft a guy out of college sent them to AA at least? They shouldn't have to learn the basics all over, just polish them up a bit, they should be pretty close. Even if he spends 2 years at AA, I would rather do that. I know I always play better against tougher compation, makes me push myself harder.

LeBron, all the way. And only because I have a 12th floor view of what I hope to be Cleveland's best attempt at rioting when all hell breaks loose.

That said...

Are there ever days where you want to copy and paste a standard reply of "Is The Google broken? No? Good. Check there first for immediate gratification."

Similarly, there must be days where I am not the only one screaming at my computer, "NO! They are NOT going to be able to trade Felix for (insert any Gold Glove or Cy Young winner here)!!! OTHER TEAMS HAVE SCOUTS TOO, you know!!!"

Okay so maybe that's just me and I should switch to decaf.

Roch, I think Koji's late-inning woes are very fixable. Everyone's talked about how opposing teams are making adjustments against him the third time through the order and that's true, however the Sun's Dan Connolly may have provided an important clue to fixing the problem.

In his article on the game, Connolly quotes the Royals' Jose Gullen as saying: "[Koji] had a good changeup, and the sixth inning is when everybody started realizing it. That at-bat, that's all I was sitting on, changeup, because that's what he was throwing me pretty much all day."

In other words, he was too predicatable. I think that's something he and Gregg Zaun can to correct.

Concerning the coming Adam Eaton start against the Yankees, do you think that's going to happen or are we going to see David Hernandez? Eaton, aside from one start, has been uniformly awful, but I could see him getting one more, since he has so much big league experience and New York may be too intimidating a place for Hernandez to make his Orioles debut. Call it a reprieve for Eaton. His one last chance to step up and make a good impression.

As for the Twitty connection, I can't see it either. Maybe the hair? Now if someone had said Aubrey Huff sings like Conway, that would have made a little more sense. Actually, Huff Daddy doesn't sound that much like Twitty, but he does sing country--and sings it very well. You don't need to be a country music fan to appreciate Aubrey's voice. He's good enough to have a singing career. Huff on "American Idol," whoo-hoo!

Here's his "Letters from Home" on YouTube (unfortunately the last bit is cut off):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI92Vkc_mNs

Hey Roch, when a player goes on the DL, does he have to show up to the games? Is Luke back home, chopping wood, and knocking down a cold one while watching the game from home?

Thanks
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Players can be kept back in Baltimore instead of making road trips. Of course, if they end up going on the DL while the team is on the road, they can remain with the club. - Roch

Sure did, but the couple that's selling it wants $14,000 more than the appraisal figure. They also want to trade Felix Pie for Evan Longoria because they need a third baseman. But only one.

Are they nuts, in this market? Bad sign there Roch, they are probably in debt or "under water" on the house & need that much more to do the deal. I wouldn't bet on this happening... keep looking.

Pie has looked better, but he is still swinging for the fences too much, not a good sign. Time will tell. Also, if Reimold is the LFer to be, where does Pie play? I'd rather have Montanez's bat as my DH, 4th OFer rather than Pie's. Pie seems to be the type that needs to play alot to stay sharp, Montanez perhaps not, but if they can keep 5 OFer types & Scott, no problem.

I can't imagine Freel is too happy. 7 AB in 5 games, 1 hit.

I think I may go see Tillman pitch this evening. Will be interesting to see Wieters hit down here all week. I hope he can stay hot and get the call while we are playing the Nats, who actually have a good offense believe it or not.

I, for the life of me, cannot understand all the Koji bashing going on. He's been far and away our best starter thus far. Eaton sucks and should be cut. Hendrickson was never supposed to be in the rotation, so I wasn't expecting much from him as a starter. Guthrie's been awful, including his last start, where after he was given a lead, he couldn't find the strike zone. Game after game Koji has given us a chance to win. No other starter on the team could say that about even 2 starts. Koji game after game projects to exactly what we got scoreboard wise with Bedard. 5-6 innings of 1 or 2 runs. Bedard did it with a ton of strikeouts and pitches thrown. Koji just seems to run out of steam after less pitches, but still throws the same amount of innings. In my opinion, Koji isn't a legit #2, but he's definitely better than the rest of the guys in the rotation. I'll take what we're getting from him so far, and keep my fingers crossed that he builds up some arm strength to be able to go 7+. I'd like to see Guts, Koji, Hill, and any 2 youngsters go out day after day.

I think ppl need to get the idea out of their head that Koji will be dealt. We signed for the relationship/coverage in Japan, as much for roll he could fill on our roster. That is not something you can possibly trade, and then risk losing/screwing up.

Agree with you 100% he could end up in the pen at some point, something the team probably had in mind when they signed him. Looking at the timetable for the "cavalry," it seems that knowing he could be successful out of the bullpen weighed on their decision to sign him.

David Hernandez is averaging less than 5 inning per game at the minor league level. Facing quality hitters that should translate into less inning and an a higher ERA. I doubt he is a savior.

With Scott expressing his displeasure with the FO's difficult choices, he seems to be putting himself at risk of being viewed as not a team player. As I see it, he should start practicing his packing because he is about to become toast. A smart move would have been his understanding the situation and offer his support to DT, who needs all he can get right now as he fights to hold what I view as a tenuous job for him.

What do you think, Roch?
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I think Scott's reaction is being blown way out of proportion. A reporter approaches him after he's placed on the DL, and he expresses disappointment because he think he's a few days away from being ready. Of course, he wants to keep playing. He's a competitor and he's off to a good start. He didn't seek out anyone to vent, or call a press conference, or hold a meeting with Andy MacPhail. It's really not a big deal. He's more upset with his rotten luck - injuring his shoulder while diving back into first base. - Roch

This is from Tom Verducci of SI.com

The most improved player in baseball is Adam Jones. The Orioles center fielder, 23, added 10 pounds over the winter through a rigorous weight training program and was crushing the ball (.370) until a sore hamstring on Wednesday slowed him for what figures to be a few days. After entering this year with 12 homers in 616 career at-bats, Jones has smacked eight home runs already and has shown much better plate discipline, rewarding the faith in him from manager Dave Trembley, who promoted him to the second spot in the order after hitting him mostly seventh or eighth last year.

Meanwhile, the Orioles called up rookie Nolan Reimold, 25, to fortify their outfield, while the Brewers summoned Mat Gamel, 23, to give them a left-handed bat off the bench and for upcoming interleague play. I'm not sure either one is in the big leagues to stay, if only to save their clubs millions of dollars. By starting their service time clocks now, the clubs risk having Reimold and Gamel qualify as arbitration "Super 2s" down the line, which would make them eligible for arbitration a year earlier than most players. The general rule of thumb is that if you wait to promote a first-time major leaguer until after Memorial Day, you should be able to avoid the financial sting of "Super 2" status.

mstrchf13...I liked the Dick Hall anecdote. I met him as well, and he was quite a gentleman.
My comment to missing him was more of statement of 'how Tony Larussa ruined the game'.
I don't see why Baez (and I take back every bad thing I wrote about you) can't be given the ball and pitch 2-3 innings and finish the damn game. The next night could be JJ's turn, w/ Sherrill as 1 innings/match up guy if you need him. Using a pitcher 1 innning every night can't be good...they still have to get ready every night...that alone takes a toll.

BC Kike...your Melvin/Delvin dilemma would surely get Gary Thorne fired.

Sudhir...your post was very funny, especially the trade part.

adambama (that name would get Thorne fired also)...to the corner for 'timeout'.

As far as patton goes, I am a college baseball player and know about 5 guys who have gotten labrum surgery. None of these guys were the same after the surgery, probably because they hurried back. Let patton take all the time he needs, cause labrum surgery is extremely tough to come back from.

Roch-
Why hasn't anyone stated the obvious truth to why Ortiz sat out this weekend against the Mariners...his old Nemesis, Garrett Olson, was on the mound recently for the M's, and Ortiz (and his wrist) would have to face him!

Zach Britton is not getting any mentions. He is pitching amazing right now and I predict he will be a great pitcher very soon. Orioles need to draft Greeny because in my mind Orioles have to many young talented pitchers.

Where does Britton fit into "The Cavalry" Is he heading up the second regiment with Zagone?
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I think that's a good way to look at it. He's definitely a prospect. And so is Zagone. Just the next wave. - Roch

Isn't it time to say hello to David Hernandez and say goodbye to Adam Ain't Eaton Up The Innings? After all, how much longer can you keep a starting pitcher with a 7.93 ERA? Even Daniel Cabrera's is under 6.

Jeff: Don't expect Green to be a major league SS. All of the pre-draft stuff I have read says that he projects to be a 3B or corner OF. Right now, it looks like Strasburg goes #1, Ackley goes #2, and then some combination of Crow, Scheppers, White, Gibson, and Matzek, meaning the O's would be looking at another starter.

Bill: If I were a manager/GM, every one of my relievers would be capable of going 2-3 inning. Heck, since we're raising a generation of long relievers, I'm willing to try my idea of having 8 starters on the roster, all paired up and expected to pitch 4-5 innings per game every 4th day.

I hope they do not take another pitcher with their first pick. Don't they have enough to sort through?

They need position players. I know I'm not the brightest crayon in the box, but the last time I checked a baseball team needs more than pitchers in order to play.

They can't always count on McPhail to pull the trigger on awesome trades all the time. After all, he is human.

Forgive me if I'm wrong because I have not read all of the posts, but why is nobody pointing out how bad Wigginton has been this season. True, Pie, and Zaun have played very poorly offensively, but it should be noted that Wigginton has an on base percentage of like .250. That is horrible, everytime this guy gets up with runners in scoring position he pops up to the infield. I understand that he brings a right handed power threat, but that's all it is, a threat. Has there not been any discussion about trying to trade this guy or just sending him out on waivers? There really has to be a better player somewhere in the system who can be an occasional dh/utility man who can hit (not even for power, just HIT) from the right side.

Kelly: They need pitchers. You can never have too many pitchers. If you do, you trade one for a couple of position players. You can much more easily get two good position players for one good pitcher than you can even get one good pitcher for one good position player. Heck, we got two position players on our roster for *bad* starting pitchers. Of course, the negatroids will find a way to say we lost those deals, but their opinions are tainted with the stench of Negatron, their home planet.

Realistically, though, many of the websites I have been reading regarding the upcoming draft say that of the top 6-7 prospects available, only one of them is a position player and he (Dustin Ackley) won't make it to the Orioles' pick at #5.

Roch:

Conway Twitty..come on...NOT!..If you are TWITTYING Something........TWIT THIS....

If You are Tweeting something....Tweet This...

Twitty Look Like you??.....Yikes...! Roch..Only if you meet women and say....

Hello Darlin