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Hendrickson back for a second year

By Jeff Wolfson on January 28, 2010 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Monday: More on Tejada, some on Guthrie | Tuesday: Bits on Tejada, Scott and Guthrie | Wednesday: O's farm system is getting stronger | Friday: A look at the bullpen, Snyder and Hendrickson | Saturday: Examining the offense and the winter moves | Sunday: Reviewing the winter

Thursday, January 28:
Roch Kubatko reports the O's have agreed to terms with Mark Hendrickson: "How nice of Mark Hendrickson to announce last night that he's agreed to terms with the Orioles during a sports banquet in Hanover, Pa." [masnsports.com]

Steve Melewski features Vito Frabizio: "Vito Frabizio is a guy who left high school during his senior year, almost never pitched as a youngster and was not drafted by any Major League team.

So how did this right-hander from West Islip, New York wind up on the mound, pitching well for the Bluefield Orioles last summer?

He went 4-4, 2.96 in 12 starts and was third in the Appalachian League in innings and strikeouts and sixth in ERA. In 70 innings, the 20-year-old gave up 57 hits with 16 walks and fanned 64." [masnsports.com]

Dan Connolly says the O's have agreed to terms with mark Hendrickson: "The Orioles shored up their bullpen and likely put the final touch on their 40-man roster before they head to spring training by agreeing to terms Wednesday with reliever Mark Hendrickson.

In a long awaited move, the 35-year left-hander agreed to a one-year, $1.2 million deal with a $1.2 million team option for 2011 that includes a $200,000 buyout, according to an industry source.

The signing is pending a physical, which has not yet been scheduled." [Baltimore Sun]

Connolly also has news on Dennis Sarfate: "Reliever Dennis Sarfate joined the Orioles before the 2008 season as part of the Miguel Tejada trade with the Houston Astros, and now he looks to be the odd man out as Tejada returns to the club.

To make room on the 40-man roster for Tejada, who was signed to a one-year deal Tuesday to play third base, the Orioles on Wednesday designated Sarfate for assignment, meaning the club has 10 days to trade him, release him or put him on waivers." [Baltimore Sun]

Keith Law ranks Brian Matusz No. 11 in his prospect rankings: "Matusz barely qualifies for this list, falling just 5.1 innings short of the 50-inning cutoff (teammate Chris Tillman is over the line and thus no longer a rookie in 2010), but the added experience might give him a leg up on the AL Rookie of the Year race in 2010. Matusz is a true four-pitch pitcher, but unlike most pitchers of that breed, all four of his pitches project as above-average or better. Matusz sits in the low 90s and will touch 94 with his fastball, although its lack of movement limits its potential as an out pitch and I expect Matusz to end up using his fastball less often than a standard pitcher with that velocity. His best secondary pitch is an 11-5 curveball with tight rotation and good depth, and he has excellent arm speed on his lively changeup. His command has improved steadily since his sophomore year in college, and -- as predicted here last year -- he raced through the minors on the strength of his off-speed pitches. He's not the prototypical No. 1 starter with a big fastball and an easy delivery, but his ability to miss left- and right-handed bats in different ways gives him a chance to lead a staff, regardless." [ESPN.com (Insider Only)]

Law ranks Zach Britton No. 25 in his rankings: "Britton is a true sinker/slider pitcher with enough velocity to work as a starter and a potential out pitch in the slider to miss bats when he's not getting ground balls. His sinker has solid-average velocity with legitimate plus sink, and he'll flash a four-seamer up to 94. His slider -- although not as consistent -- flashes plus, and he's willing and able to backfoot it to right-handed hitters, then throwing the sinker away to get a weak grounder or just a swing and miss. His changeup improved over the course of the season to the point that it's an average pitch or better, eliminating a major concern for sinker/slider guys -- a typical weakness against opposite-side hitters. Britton's arm works well with high hand separation and a short arm path, and he's a good athlete with some room to fill out up top. His control remains below-average and his command of all pitches and feel for the slider need to improve, as well, but he would slot in very nicely as a No. 2 starter behind Brian Matusz, or as an outstanding No. 3 behind Matusz and Chris Tillman." [ESPN.com (Insider Only)]

Law also places Josh Bell in his rankings at No. 61: "Bell's 2008 ended with knee surgery, but his 2009 ended with his being traded to Baltimore, where he's now the heir apparent at the hot corner. Bell is here because when he hits left-handed, he rakes, hitting .340/.419/.625 against right-handed pitchers in 2009, even after crossing the chasm to Double-A, where weaker hitters are exposed quickly by pitchers with better command or off-speed stuff. He has excellent bat speed from the left side, accelerating his wrists very quickly from the set position, although his swing is a little flat and might be more geared to doubles than home runs. On the negative side, he's futile from the right side, and he's reaching the point where the Orioles may have to consider having him give up switch-hitting if he doesn't improve in the next year. He's improving at third base and projects as an average glove there, with solid hands and an above-average arm. He should be able to take over in Baltimore sometime between midyear 2010 and the start of 2011 depending on how well he fares against left-handed pitching, regardless of how he does it." [ESPN.com (Insider Only)]

Law ranks Jake Arrieta No. 90 in his prospect rankings: "Arrieta finished his second full season in pro ball in Triple-A after showing improved control at Double-A in the first half of the year. Beyond the significant improvement in his control, he remains what he was: a four-pitch guy with no plus pitch but nothing below-average. His arm path is long but he repeats it well enough to throw strikes, although his command remains fringe-average at best. He knows how to change speeds and keep hitters off-balance, which may help him play up above the average repertoire. Two scouts with whom I spoke saw Arrieta in 2009 and tabbed him a No. 4 starter, but I wouldn't rule out him becoming a solid No. 3 with some command improvements and his feel for adding and subtracting from his fastball." [ESPN.com (Insider Only)]

Spencer Fordin examines Brian Matusz: "He's not just one of the Orioles' best prospects. Brian Matusz is one of baseball's best young arms, and he shows up at No. 5 in the newly-released MLB.com's Top 50 Prospects.

Matusz, who sailed through two Minor League levels and finished last season in a big league rotation, has a chance to be Baltimore's first American League Rookie of the Year Award winner in two decades." [MLB.com]

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Saturday, March 20, 2010

Hendrickson back for a second year

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