The Bradenton Bunch
We have another night game, this time in Pirate City, which means the lineup won't be posted until 2 p.m.
I'm told Bradenton is the shortest trip of the spring, about 15 minutes from the Orioles' complex. The Pirates worked out and dressed at their home site before heading here last week, but the Orioles will wait until they arrive at McKechnie Field.
Brad Bergesen makes his first exhibition start, and he's slated to go two innings or throw 35 pitches. The Orioles will get another look at Zach Duke.
Mark Hendrickson, Will Ohman and Kam Mickolio also are scheduled to pitch tonight, and Matt Albers is a possibility. He's getting an extra days rest after throwing 2 1/3 scoreless innings on Saturday.
We're still waiting to see Luis Lebron again. Manager Dave Trembley raved about the kid, but he hasn't pitched since Friday night.
The Pirates' list of non-roster invitees includes Brian Bass and Brian Burres.
In case you get them confused, Burres is the lefty.
Since I'm jumping all over the place here, I'll also point out that Robert Andino is off to a slow start. He's 1-for-14 with an RBI since homering in the intrasquad game, and he's had trouble tracking a few popups at second base.
Andino remains the favorite to win the utility job. It's unfortunate for Justin Turner that shortstop is his third-best postition in the infield after second and third base, according to scouts who have watched him play. Andino's value lies in his ability to back up Cesar Izturis.
If you're wondering about Blake Davis, he's 2-for-11 in seven games. He also committed an error at shortstop yesterday, but it's still early. We're only one week into the schedule. There are still plenty of games to be played.
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Categories (click for archive)Roch Kubatko | Roch Kubatko Orioles |
I totally understand AM's comments re: losses and errors, where the errors rank more important than the wins/losses in spring training.
True, it's early, but I would surmise that once the roster cutdowns commence and ballclub gets closer to the 25 men who will make the roster, there will be more emphasis on winning these games. Also, there will be more accountability for errors and miscues that don't show up directly in the scorebook.
However, the fact that AM commented about the errors and the losing this early in spring training gives further credence to the expectations for the regular season.
Since you can't fire the whole ballclub, but you can fire the skipper, it would seem that DT is on a comparatively short rope. Yes, he cannot make the plays, etc., but at some point managers are held accountable for the results achieved by the players they prepared.
Glad to see this emphasis on winning.
Wasn't SS Tim Hulett's third best position? I don't see why the team has to carry a backup SS who can't hit anything just to have one, especially since they have several guys who at least have played the position here already.
Did someone move Norfolk to the other side of the international dateline?
It is still fairly early to judge Turner, but so far he has been pretty mediocre, both this year and last year. The FO raved about him in December '08 but he hasn't quite lived up to the hype.
Middle infield depth is going to be a GLARING weakness for this team this season. Let's hope when Andy finally makes one of his infamous minor league trades, it's for depth at this position and not another washed up outfielder/first baseman.
Roch,
I was wondering what your thoughts were on realignment of the divisions. It is a topic of Steve's blog.
I think I am more for a balanced schedule, with 161 games rather than 162 as follows:
For AL Teams:
18 games against NL
143 games against AL (11 against each of the other 13 teams)
For NL Teams:
18 games against AL
143 games against NL (10 against 8 teams and 9 against 7 teams)
People talk about having to play the Yankees and Red Sox and their payrolls 18 times each and want to make other teams feel what we feel by having the Yankees and Red Sox change divisions. A balanced schedule probably works better where 28 games against the AL East would be divided amongst the other 9 teams in the league. Having an unbalanced schedule whether with the current set-up or with realignment is really unfair when teams would be playing a tougher schedule yet battling for the same wild card spot.
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I prefer a balanced schedule. I'm also pretty much done with interleague play, but I'm probably in the minority here. - Roch
Roch, That title was pretty bad, which of course made me laugh out loud. Looking forward to seeing how Bergesen does tonight. What is Justin Turner's status health wise? He needs to get into more games.
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He's expected to play tonight. - Roch
Morning, You do have a short drive..I have been there to an O's game quite a few years back...great to see Bergy back...Andino may be our 2B if we do not get B Rob healthy...that scares me lots about B Rob.
Hey Rock, love your daily blogs. If Roberts is not ready for opening day, do you think Justin Truner will get the job? He seems to have more pop in his bat than the other candidates.
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He would definitely be an in-house candidate, but depends how he plays once he's back in the lineup. - Roch
The Total Package Rare Bird
Highly drafted catchers who can hit and play defense come around less often than playoff games at Camden Yards—which is why Baltimore has built a suddenly promising future around Matt Wieters.
No two ways about it: The Orioles are sitting on the most sought-after commodity in the game.
Tom Verducci
THE EYES
Hit .288 in 2009, the best average by an AL rookie; also had a respectable .340 on-base percentage
THE ARM
Threw out 24% of base stealers, fourth best in the AL (min. 85 attempts)
THE GLOVE
Could develop into the first Gold Glove catcher in franchise history
THE POP
Hits with power to all fields—from both sides of the plate
THE DESIRE
Likes the position so much that he says, "catching can keep you sane"
The pile of paper crumpled high on the table caught the attention of Orioles president Andy MacPhail as soon as he entered the Baltimore clubhouse one afternoon last summer. Sitting around the table were several young Orioles, a group that included catcher Matt Wieters, 23, and pitchers Chris Tillman, 21, and Brian Matusz, then 22. "Derek Jeter!" one of them said.
As MacPhail drew nearer, he understood what was happening. His players, the rebuilding blocks of a once-proud franchise, were tearing through packs of baseball cards and delighting at the occasional premium find. Wieters himself is a gem, having ripped through just 169 minor league games between his selection with the fifth pick of the 2007 draft and his big league debut last May, an event so big in Baltimore that the Orioles announced it three days in advance and Camden Yards filled with more people than at the previous three games combined. The fans greeted him with a standing ovation before his first at bat.
"The ballyhoo for Matt Wieters has been unlike what I've seen before except for Mark Prior," said MacPhail, who was running the Cubs when Prior, the pitcher drafted second overall in the 2001 draft, made his big league debut the following year. "Seeing those guys opening baseball cards was a little reminder about keeping perspective. Matt is still just a young kid in this game."
This spring the searchlight for the Next Big Thing has shined most prominently on outfielder Jason Heyward, 20, of Atlanta, who is such a dangerous hitter the Braves have considered erecting nets to protect cars in the employee parking lot at their training complex from his home run bombs, and pitcher Stephen Strasburg, 21, of Washington, who quickly was dubbed Jesus by a teammate because of expectations that he is the franchise savior. But in Wieters, a switch-hitting, 6'5" young catcher, the Orioles are holding a cornerstone who invokes an even higher power: His teammates at Georgia Tech called him, simply, God.
Ace pitchers and power-hitting outfielders come along often enough to make the Next Big Thing commonplace, but the most recherché genus in the game—the equivalent of a T206 Honus Wagner baseball card—is the good-hit, good-field young catcher. It's what makes Joe Mauer of Minnesota, still only 26, so valuable. "I would agree there are fewer top catchers than aces," said Mike Arbuckle, senior adviser for scouting and player development for the Royals. "I don't think you can count more than 10 legitimate frontline catchers. A lot of clubs have average guys catching every day."
Catcher is the worst-hitting position, by OPS and batting average, in the major leagues. Only four catchers last year had an OPS better than the overall major league average (.751) with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title: Mauer, Victor Martinez of Boston, Brian McCann of Atlanta and A.J. Pierzynski of the White Sox. Good catchers are so hard to find that teams routinely swing and miss when it comes to selecting catchers even at the top of the draft. Of the 420 players taken among the top 30 picks in the past 14 drafts, only one pick has managed to catch even 100 games in the big leagues so far: Mauer, the No. 1 selection nine years ago.
And that is why Wieters is Baltimore's rare bird. Once known as Mauer with Power (before Mauer slugged 28 homers last year), Wieters is the seldom-seen catcher with the all-around game to be a franchise player. As MacPhail put it while trying to stay subdued, as if wearing oven mitts to handle the hype, "If we're fortunate enough to have a durable, switch-hitting catcher who handles a pitching staff, throws out runners and hits in the middle of the lineup for years to come, we'll have something any club would love to have. And nothing indicates that he can't be that kind of player."
Yet the Orioles still gave an 11th-round draft pick last year, high schooler Michael Ohlman, $995,000—late first-round money. Why? "He's a catcher," MacPhail says. "Obviously the demand far exceeds the supply."
Wieters has all the tools to become that rare impact catcher, especially his patience and power at the plate. His minor league numbers (.343, 32 homers, 121 RBIs in those 169 games) were so dominant that the 2009 PECOTA forecast system of Baseball Prospectus added to Wietersmania when it spit out an MVP-caliber projection for a first-year player: .311, 31, 102 with a .939 OPS.
Wieters wound up with a respectable .753 OPS as a rookie in 96 games. He hit only nine home runs, but they were enough to highlight his power to all fields: two were hit to the opposite field, three to the pull field, and four to center. His hitting prowess from both sides of the plate fits the profile of Boston's Martinez. Wieters has a stronger throwing arm than Martinez—he threw out the speedy Carl Crawford twice in the same game last September—though his footwork and agility need improvement, as might be expected from such a tall, wide-shouldered backstop.
To live up to expectations, the 230-pound Wieters will have to overcome the brutal washout rate of highly drafted catchers, the physical toll of the job and the temptation of the occasional double cheeseburger with fries. Wieters reported to camp this spring having cut his body fat by 5% by making an effort to eat healthier. "The biggest difference," Wieters says, "is when you actually get up to the drive-through window and say, 'I'll take the grilled chicken,' and go from there."
Like Mauer, whose grandfather, a onetime White Sox minor leaguer, groomed him to be a lefthanded hitter, Wieters was encouraged to hit from the left side at an early age. His father, Richard, a former minor league pitcher for the Braves and the White Sox, began to work with Matt at age five on catching and switch-hitting at their home in Goose Creek, S.C. "He got me to turn around and swing from the left side," Wieters says. "He said, 'If you like it, keep doing it. You're going to really like it once they start throwing breaking balls.' And that's when I really did like it."
The father and son would play a guessing game whenever they watched games on television together. "We'd guess which pitch was coming next and see which one could get it right," Wieters says. "I liked catching right away, because if I had to play short or first, I wasn't in on every play. Catching can keep you sane. You can go 0 for 4 at the plate and still feel like you had a pretty good game because of all the responsibilities on defense."
Matt pitched a bit himself, even in his three seasons at Georgia Tech, where he nailed down 16 saves with a mid-90s fastball. In one game as a freshman at Miami, Wieters hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth to put the Yellow Jackets ahead, then pitched the bottom of the ninth for the save. On that day, the God nickname was bestowed.
"Matt told me there were times he'd catch the eighth inning," Orioles manager Dave Trembley says, "and then go to the bullpen to warm up—with his shin guards on. If they took the lead, he was coming in to close. If not, he would go back and catch. Imagine that."
Represented by Scott Boras, Wieters slipped to the Orioles with the fifth pick of the 2007 draft but still came away with the biggest bonus given that year ($6 million), even more than the No. 1 pick, pitcher David Price of Tampa Bay. The Pirates, with Wieters still on the board at No. 4, took the more signable Daniel Moskos, a lefthanded pitcher out of Clemson. They saved $3.525 million. Moskos turns 24 next month and has a 4.61 career ERA in the minors.
The Orioles were thrilled with their good fortune. The franchise has never had a Gold Glove catcher and hasn't had an All-Star backstop since Mickey Tettleton in 1989. Then again, Wieters faces this daunting track record: Over the past quarter century only two top five picks have made the All-Star Game as a catcher: Mauer and the Phillies' Mike Lieberthal.
"Why did Ben Davis fail?" asks Milwaukee G.M. Doug Melvin, referring to the second overall pick in 1995, who bounced among seven organizations and hit .237. "It's something of a mystery what happens with catchers. But it's like quarterback in the NFL. They are so hard to find that the tendency is to overdraft them."
"I've had no success drafting catchers," said Arizona G.M. Josh Byrnes, a former assistant to Red Sox G.M. Theo Epstein. "I remember my last [off-season] in Boston, when our free-agent class was going to include David Ortiz, Nomar Garciaparra, Pedro Martinez, Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek. We felt like Varitek was the Number 1 priority because the position made him the hardest guy to replace."
Says Arbuckle, "I see a couple of phenomenon at work. One is that kids don't want to catch today. Kids grow up in a softer environment. It's just too much work, too dirty and too hard.
"The other is that if they can hit, they're not very good receivers. A lot of kids are good receivers, but can't hit. Finding a guy who plays on both sides of ball is extremely tough."
Arbuckle said that "softer environment" has increased opportunities for Latin American backstops. "So many of the Latin kids want to get to the big leagues and they don't care how," he says. "Many of them have more to lose than an American kid who has a job waiting if baseball doesn't work out."
The big leagues are stocked with starting catchers from Puerto Rico (Bengie and Yadier Molina, Jorge Posada, Ivan Rodriguez, Geovany Soto), Venezuela (Martinez, Ramon Hernandez, Miguel Montero, Dioner Navarro), the Dominican Republic (Miguel Olivo) and Panama (Carlos Ruiz). Two of the three best prospects (other than San Francisco's Buster Posey) are from the Dominican (Cleveland's Carlos Santana) and Venezuela (the Yankees' Jesus Montero).
"We grew up watching Benito Santiago, Sandy Alomar and Pudge Rodriguez," says Jose Molina, "and said, 'We can be like them.' My dad told me it's the best way to get to the big leagues." Then Molina, 34, a career .235 hitter now playing for Toronto, his fourth organization, smiled and added, "And it's the best way to stay in the big leagues."
No position values experience quite like catching, and a down cycle of young catchers has kept older backstops working. None of the first 102 World Series champions had a catcher older than 34 who caught more than 75 games. But it's happened twice recently: 35-year-old Varitek of the 2007 Red Sox and 37-year-old Posada of the '09 Yankees. There have been as many 35-and-older regular catchers in the past three seasons (seven) as there were between 1953 and 1982 (minimum 100 games).
This winter alone, in a game of musical chairs among older, offensively-challenged catchers, free agents Josh Bard, 31; Brian Schneider, 33; Jose Molina, 34; Rod Barajas, 34; Jason Kendall, 35; Chris Coste, 37; Mike Redmond, 38; and Rodriguez, 38, all changed teams without the benefit of an OPS better than .663. Melvin signed Greg Zaun, 38, to be the Brewers' eighth starting catcher in the past 10 years. None of them have been younger than 29, and none of them have been homegrown. "I was in Baltimore when we drafted Zaun," Melvin said, "and 20 years later here I am signing him again."
Zaun held Wieters's place for him last year in Baltimore until the kid was done demolishing minor league pitching and debuted May 29. Wieters began with just four hits in his first 28 at bats—his first was a triple—but hit .301 in 88 games thereafter with nine homers and 43 RBI. He joined McCann, Russell Martin, Mauer, Kendall and Rodriguez as the only 23-and-under catchers over the past 20 years with 100 hits in a season.
"The biggest thing I learned is you can't do too much," Wieters says. "The ball can look so good and the crowd can get you pumped up so much that you try to hit the ball 550 feet every time. Well, there's a reason guys can't do it every time. The key is to catch yourself and dial it back and be nice and smooth.
"I had to figure that out the first month. There was a lot of pressure, not so much to meet expectations but you just feel like you can hit a home run every time."
This is Wieters's third spring training, but his first as Baltimore's starting catcher. "Not so much eyes wide open now," he says. "Now it's take control of the pitching staff and get as prepared as you can, as well as pump up the position guys and say, 'O.K., it's time now, guys. We've got the talent.'"
Baltimore hasn't had a winning season since 1997, the year Wieters turned 11 years old. Now it is his job, his time and perhaps even his team. If they are right about Wieters, the Orioles will be a step closer to a franchise turnaround. Imagine that: a young catcher lifting Baltimore into a pennant race. Rarities abound.
Find this article at:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1166962/index.htm
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Seriously, we just need the link to the article. - Roch
My son and I will be at the game tonight and also Friday's game. Hope to see you around the yard. /dep
I agree with Howie. Tejada can still play short, even if that is less than ideal. Turner I'm sure could do a passable job for a game at a time if necessary. Even Wigginton at least knows where to stand. If they decide Turner or Davis is better than Andino they should carry that player and then worry about a long term fill in if/when it becomes an issue.
Roch,
How seriously are the Orioles looking at Turner to fill in at 2B? AM's comments about looking outside the organization seem to imply no in house solution. Is that accurate?
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It would help if Turner was healthy and playing (we expect to see him tonight). It would really depend on how long a replacement was needed. - Roch
What about Miguel Cabrera? I saw him rip a few singles, and he has a slick glove. Kinda like Andino...give him a shot.
What do you think Roch? What have you seen?
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Miguel Cabrera? - Roch
Good info & updates. Unlike some of the players, you are hitting YOUR stride down there it seems....
Got Sarasota figured out yet? :-)
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Thanks. I'm feeling my way around (and still haven't gotten slapped in the face). - Roch
I can't believe O's fans are freaking because of ST losses.
Congrats to Gary Williams and Vasquez for their ACC honors.
Roch
Got it..my apologies
Find this article at:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1166962/index.htm
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No problem. Thanks for passing it along. Great cover shot, isn't it? I see poster and T-shirt possibilities. - Roch
Hey Roch and all,
Does it look like the batters are swinging for the fence and sacrificing their average at this point? Or is it just a simple case of batters catching up to pitchers?
Thanks for the outstanding coverage.
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I don't think that's the case with everyone. Some guys are swinging the bats well, others are off to slow starts. But I don't think it's just for one particular reason. - Roch
I wonder why Paco Figueroa didn't get a spring training invite. He hit .305 with a .390 OBP last year for Bowie, and he plays 2nd base. If there are doubts about Roberts being ready, I'd think he should be the top candidate after Justin Turner.
Brian said:
Good info & updates. Unlike some of the players, you are hitting YOUR stride down there it seems....
Got Sarasota figured out yet? :-)
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Thanks. I'm feeling my way around (and still haven't gotten slapped in the face). - Roch
March 10, 2010 9:49 AM
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Watch out , I hear the Cougars bite!
[[Since you can't fire the whole ballclub, but you can fire the skipper, it would seem that DT is on a comparatively short rope. Yes, he cannot make the plays, etc., but at some point managers are held accountable for the results achieved by the players they prepared.]]
That's true, but most of the errors were committed by people Trembley really hasn't "prepared", and who aren't going to be on the opening day roster. Bell had two errors, and he's played for Trembley all of 2-3 weeks.
Might it have been that AM was talking more to the players about getting their heads in the game if they want to have a major league career, rather than DT?
Lets all say it together O's fans...WHOOPS
Aroldis Chapman hits 100mph 3 times & showed an 86-88mph slider in his stunning debut. He should be an O but we are CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP. The O's were hoping he would sign w/ NY or Bos so they can make the "small market" argument. But he signed with Cincinnati....again,,WHOOPS
Speculation on who MacPhail might acquire for 2B, if Roberts looks like he will need to spend a month or more on the DL:
Mike Fontenot, the Orioles' 2001 1st round draft pick, traded to Cubs in 2005 for Sammy Sosa. For 3 season, Fontentot got 200-400 ABs for Cubs. Last season hit .237, otherwise .280 - .300.
The Cubs are rumored to need bullpen arms, especially since the injury to Angel Guzman, who they were counting on. I would think that it would be fair to send Sarfate or Albers to Cubs for Fontenot. One of these two gets sent down to AAA or exposed to waivers, so they would be ideal. I would not think Fontenot would be worth Berken, Hernandez, Lebron, Mickolio, etc.
Back in 2005, MacPhail, as a Cub executive, and hsi GM, Jim Hendry saw something good in Fontenot, or else they wouldn't have asked for him in the Sosa trade. Wouldn't you think this is the sort of thing he might do this spring?
I know that MASN isn't televising tonight's game but it looks like MLB Network is carrying it tonight. I'm looking forward to seeing the orange and black attack again tonight. :)
Hey Roch, The word that Roberts may not be ready for the opening of the season has spawned a lot of speculation. Let me add a name to that list. Would Damion Easley be a low cost insurance plan, who could also mentor some of the younger guys? I never heard that he signed anywhere.
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He didn't play last season, so I don't know what's going on with him. - Roch
A quick look at the updated MLBTR 2010 free agent list has this for 2B and SS:
Second basemen
None available
Shortstops
None available
Yikes. I figure if something happens to B-Rob long term, it's Andino, Turner, Wigginton, Abreu, or a trade.
One poster on here alluded to a comment where once the roster is cut down, they will concentrate on winning more. That comment is absurd. If this is the reality, then you are teaching your minor leagues that it is alright to lose.
The Orioles made five errors Tuesday in their 8-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, their sixth straight defeat, leaving MacPhail visibly unhappy.
"I don't like to lose games in spring training"
A loss is a loss. It very rarely builds momentum or achieves goals. Thru the first week of spring training, we have seen very little positives out of a team who is supposed to have a new identity and work ethic. I see absolutely no change with the mentality DT brought to this club from last year.
They play to lose. There is no urgency to win on this club or with the players. What they really need is a fire lit under their ???? Do you think Earl Weaver or Davey Johnson would tolerate this type of play...I dont think so!
When the dust settles this year, they will be around the 90-92 loss range. And most of the Orange Apologist will call this success instead of holding people to accountable!
Cereal Blogger,
I can understand where you’re coming from about the player development spending and respect that you’re entitled to your opinion……but I think you’re wrong.
I will be the first one to say that this team should be spending more on amateur talent; however, I would NEVER spend 30M on a player that is a MAYBE. That same money would buy us a Miguel Sano and two Ryan Berrys (a second round quality player that we draft later and pay second round money to) a year for SIX years. That’s a lot of talent with the possibility of developing several impact players and the security of knowing that we’re not placing all of eggs in one basket.
Just something to think about.
Cereal Blogger said:
Lets all say it together O's fans...WHOOPS
Aroldis Chapman hits 100mph 3 times & showed an 86-88mph slider in his stunning debut. He should be an O but we are CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP. The O's were hoping he would sign w/ NY or Bos so they can make the "small market" argument. But he signed with Cincinnati....again,,WHOOPS
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As I said in a post last week, Chapman said in an interview that the reason he chose Cincinnati was the high number of Latin players at the major and high minor league level, not the money. Chapman doesn't speak English much at all. Also, you're getting excited about one appearance. Should we let Rhyne Hughes be the starting 1B based on his first appearance? Should the Mets cut Santana based on his first appearance of the year?
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Paul said:
When the dust settles this year, they will be around the 90-92 loss range. And most of the Orange Apologist will call this success instead of holding people to accountable!
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Actually, as one of the Orange Apologists you have so creatively called us, if they lose 90 games this year I would not call it success. I would call it an improvement but still disappointing. I would also look at why they lost 90 games rather than focusing on that number. Analysis. It's a good thing, try it sometime.
I am really happy that McPhail expressed his displeasure with the direction of the O's spring training thus far. I am not a pessimist, nor a realist, but realistically hopeful that Trembles will do something here. Perhaps the O's need to be on the field practicing for more than three to four hours at a time, even if that means cutting into the players golf games. I don't know, but I don't see other teams making as many mistakes as the O's have been. Where is the offense? Kakis is doing well. What is going on with Wheat? Scott, actually hasn't been that bad? Jones, well, he really needs to use this time to discern those pitches instead of what appears like he is trying to guess the next pitch, and quite unsuccessfully. Atkins hasn't been all that bad. I'm not sure about Tejada's offense, but his defense seems to come all fairly well. Who are making all of these mistakes? If they are the minor league players, I suppose that is okay, but if the mistakes on are the regulars, than I hope it is not a prelude to come in the regular season? If it is, I don't think I can stomach a season like that.
Andrew meant Miquel Abreu.
He was outstanding in the Boston loss. Two diving put outs, Slamming the ball, Stolen base, Run scored. Did everybody else see what I saw? Why are we still talking about Andino and Turner?
You can not lose taking the best 25 north.
Indeed, tonight's tantalizing preseason matchup between interleague foes Baltimore and Pittsburgh is slated for the MLB Network. I'm trying to ignore all of the hype over it and am hoping the players don't get caught up in all of the distractions.
I have a source that is confirming the Phillies and the Orioles are about to agree to a trade involving Justin Turner for Chase Utley.
Our hotel was in Bradenton... Real short, easy drive to Sarasota. If traffic isn't bad, it's only a 15 minute drive.
Anyway, we made it home safely... And it seems that a little bit of the nice weather came with
me! Sorry we didn't get to chat any this spring. I saw you from afar a few
times, though! Funny because last time, I was running into you nearly every day!
Enjoy the rest of your time in FL, Roch!
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Sorry I missed you. Glad you had fun. - Roch
How about Turner & Atkins for Utley & Howard!! RELAX FOLKS, 2010 STARTS APR. 3RD. If B-rob is not ready, someone will fill in til he is!
I meant Miguel Abreu Roch. What about him
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He's a prospect but I doubt that he's ready to play in the majors. We'll see. - Roch
Nomar officially retired at noon today, maybe AM could get him to reconsider for a nominal price? If I remember correctly he played a pretty mean SS in the AL East for a team not to be mentioned and has played 2B,3B,and even 1B in the not to distant past for a couple of other good teams. I know his bat isn't what it used to be, but his average is still a good 30 points higher than who ever we have backing up the infield now.
Also the womens soccer season is about to ramp up again and Mrs. Garciaparas old team is playing in upper Montgomery County about 35 min. max. from Camden Yards.
Roch, are you aware of any physical reason that he wasn't signed in FA ?
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I don't recall. He wasn't on the Orioles' radar, so I didn't pay particularly close attention. I'd have to Google him. - Roch