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O's poised for improvement

By Jeff Wolfson on February 2, 2010 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Monday: Some on Scott and Jones | Wednesday: Looking at Gonzalez, Bergsen, Guthrie and Wieters | Thursday: Update on Guthrie's contract status | Friday: O's sign a minor leaguer | Saturday: A closer look at Matusz, Johnson | Sunday: More on Tejada's position switch

Tuesday, February 2:
Steve Melewski examines Chris Tillman: "He did pitch a career-high 162 innings in 2009, that is 36 more than he pitched in 2008.

He also did not get a lot of help from Orioles hitters which made his job that much tougher. While he was in the game, the O's scored two runs or less in nine of his 12 starts.

No one should forget that Tillman entered 2009 as the club's top pitching prospect and second overall prospect behind only Matt Wieters.

We also should not forget that he is still just 21. Tillman will not turn 22 until April 15th. Brad Bergesen, who like Tillman was drafted out of high school, began the 2007 year at Delmarva at the age of 21.

Tillman's fastball and curve sure look Major League quality. Some feel he needs better command and more fastball movement.

He also may need more experience." [masnsports.com]

Ben Reiter says one part of the O's plan for success is to draft well: "Easier said, of course, than done, but the Orioles' scouts appear to have hit on more than their share of draft picks in recent years, as have those of the Rockies, whose opening day lineup in '09 consisted solely of players that they had developed. Matt Wieters, whom Baltimore picked fifth overall in 2007, did nothing in his four months in the big leagues last season (he hit .288 with a .753 OPS) to suggest that he won't soon be one of the league's top three catchers. But behind him in the system are a number of Orioles-drafted prospects who are universally agreed to rank in the game's top 100, and who will be under Orioles control, if they so choose, for years. Included among them are a number of pitchers who should soon shore up what was in 2009 baseball's worst staff: 22-year old lefty Brian Matusz, who was picked fifth overall in '08 and showed flashes of brilliance in eight big league starts in '09; 23-year-old righty Jake Arrieta, a fifth-round pick in '07; 22-year-old lefty Zach Britton, a third-rounder in '06; and 22-year-old Brandon Erbe, a third-rounder in '05. Outfielder Nolan Reimold -- a second-rounder in '05 who led AL rookies with 15 home runs last season -- and first baseman Brandon Snyder, the club's first round pick that year, also appear as if they'll become above-average major leaguers." [SI.com]

Camden Chat ranks Matt Wieters as the best catcher in the AL East: "As Wieters goes into his second year, you have to think that the hype train will have slowed down some. It took Wieters some time to get up to speed in 2009 as he learned a new pitching staff and a new league, but he really turned it on in the final month and looks primed for a great 2010. He'll be 24 years old this year which is six years younger than the next oldest catcher in the AL East and he could possibly outperform them all in 2010. I refuse to believe otherwise." [Camden Chat]

Dempsey's Army thinks Luke Scott should hit cleanup: "While batting orders are overrated in general, the classic wisdom wants you most powerful hitter in the clean up spot. The most powerful hitter on the Oriole roster is Luke Scott. He led the team in slugging in 2009 and if not for Aubrey Huff's career season and Mora's last gasp of baseball life in 2008, he would have led the team in slugging in 2008 too.

But he has posted an ISO (you know how I love ISO) north of .200 for the past two seasons and no other player on the roster has done that. If fact, since 2005 Scott has an ISO of .231, tied with Matt Holliday and ahead of hitters like Adrian Gonzalez, Dan Uggla, Vlad Guerrero and Curtis Granderson. He is an excellent power hitter and just on the cusp of levels that could be called elite (he's 26th since 2005...). Raw power? Scott's got plenty of it.

But for all the power he displays, Scott has hit cleanup only a handful of times since joining the team. For 2008, I can understand it as Huff was on fire and slugging .522. But last year? Only 8 games as the cleanup hitter. Scott is a flawed hitter. But he has the most important attribute for a guy hitting #4 in your lineup. Raw power." [Dempsey's Army]

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