Samuel's new challenge
Third base coach Juan Samuel is responsible for working with the infielders, which means he'll have to ease Miguel Tejada's transition to third base.
Assuming that Tejada passes his physical, he'll be playing a new position with the Orioles. It's nice to hear that he's finally willing to move over from shortstop, but can he handle it?
The Orioles have only won half the battle.
"It's going to take a lot of work for him to get used to that position," Samuel said. "It's a reaction position. We know he's got the arm strength. We'll have to see how it goes and how things transpire in spring training.
"There's a reason why they call it the hot corner. He'll probably have to play a little bit deeper and work from there."
Samuel was surprised by the news about Tejada.
"He never really came across to me as a candidate to play third base, but we all know what kind of guy he is," Samuel said. "He's a good teammate, a good guy in the clubhouse, so we're excited."
Hitting coach Terry Crowley and pitching coach Rick Kranitz are thrilled to have Tejada back.
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Categories (click for archive)Roch Kubatko | Roch Kubatko Orioles |
Roch,
Is there a chance if Miggy doesn't take well to 3rd that the O's might leave Atkins there and put Miggy at 1st or are they intent to leave it the other way around?
Also, how good do the Bedard and Tejada trades look now? If Bedard ends up coming back also (which I think is a good possibility) we basically got 10 players in exchange for letting Miggy and Erik go for two years.
Does this mean Andino is likely gone? After all, Tejada can play shortstop in a pinch and after this move I'm not so sure the best lineup the O's would put on the field wouldn't be
Roberts, Jones, Markakis, Reimold, Wieters, Atkins, Tejada, Scott, Aubrey.
FANFEST UPDATE
DONT WASTE YOUR TIME!!!
It is truly a cluster???? of an operation. There is NO organization to the lines for autographs. They announce a 1:00 signing for autographs for example only for that line to already been filled by 12:30. And to make matters worse, they put all the big names up to sign autgraphs at 11 am. When they opened the doors at 11, the lines for autographs for them filled by 10:15 by season ticket holders. Most people walking around were in disgust. And dont even try to get a handicap person around that mess!
Roch.....you were a busy man today working the MASN booth. If you were not taking pictures you were going wild on your blackberry!
WAY TO GO O'S
How old is Miggy now?
Brett, that's what I was thinking. If Bell comes up in June or July the O's could still move Tejada back to shortstop and play Izturis sparingly and as a defensive replacement at short in the later innings. This way it won't stop a Bell call up if he is ready.
That would even add more power to the offense with Bell, Tejada, Roberts and Atkins in the infield. It would take a hit defensively, but hopefully the offense could outscore until the later innings when you put in your defense.
In regards to Wigginton: I think that the man swung at about sixty too many first pitch balls at the shoulder level for the organization to have confidence in him as a long-term solution. I remember his bullfighter-style defense at third, and I remember clear as day him playing first base and *missing* a ball thrown at his glove.
In regards to Tejada: He was definitely NOT brought here to replace Izturis. Perhaps batting him second would force him to be more patient at the plate, which would be a good thing. I think he's got good enough hands to play third, and his incredible shrinking range at SS is a relative non-factor at third. I just hope he's prepared for all the grief he's going to take from a certain part of the fan base, and I hope he's prepared to not be treated differently than any other player, unlike his first time here.
In regards to Andino: I hope he never sees the inside of the Camden Yards clubhouse again. He was one of the five worst hitters in baseball with as least 200 plate appearances. There is very little in his minor league numbers to indicate that he can actually hit (Albuquerque numbers need to be adjusted down by A LOT). His defense wasn't bad, but wasn't anything spectacular. He's the very definition of replaceable.
Roch, you could have summed this thread up by saying that a good "rule of thumb", with Samuel is to do the opposite of whatever he says and everything will be fine. I've never seen someone so wrong on everything in my life.
Well they got Tejada. I say they still should attempt to sign another 3rd baseman, one that has had several thousand more reps there than Tejada has.
Let Tejada get his at bats at DH,afterall,isn't he better suited for that at this point in his baseball life?
I like Crede, he is a steady glove and can help at the plate,besides, he is a quiet leader who has been there before.....how many other current O's sport W.S. rings?
Just my .2
Funny the most negative person that post here is the only one complaining about FanFest. I have not seen one person say it was anything but great on any chat forum I've read. And maybe the reason it was so crazy is because of the out-pouring of support and the excitement the great fans of this city have for this young, talented team. But what else would you expect from the spinsters. But by the turnout and all the good comments I've seen about FanFest yesterday, I would have to say the excitement is growing about this team, not the other way around like certain, to-not-to-be-named posters suggest.