A look at the O's rotation and left field outlook

Here is a good question about the Orioles' starting rotation: How many jobs are available to be won right now? Are there two, one or none?

For a while, and it still may hold true, Miguel Gonzalez's spot was shaky with his spring struggles. That meant pitchers like Tyler Wilson, Mike Wright, Odrisamer Despaigne and Vance Worley could be chasing one potential rotation opening.

Then right-hander Kevin Gausman received a cortisone injection for shoulder tendinitis. So does that mean two spots are open? Or does Gausman's status make Gonzalez's spot more secure now? It is all a bit confusing. The Orioles won't need a fifth starter until their sixth game on Sunday April 10 against Tampa Bay, so that could impact how they set up the opening day roster.

But at this very moment it appears only that we can say with some level of certainty that Chris Tillman, Ubaldo Jimenez and Yovani Gallardo will have rotation spots secure as of opening day. Gonzalez's poor spring and Gausman's shoulder provide the latest examples that you can never have enough pitching depth.

I wonder if we are going to see a time come this summer when some of the projected Double-A pitchers begin to push for major league time. That list could include in no particular order Parker Bridwell, Chris Lee, David Hess, Jason Garcia, Ariel Miranda and Joe Gunkel. We could probably add Terry Doyle to this list, although my guess is he starts in the Triple-A rotation.

We know that the Orioles starting pitchers have a lot of improving to do. The starters' ERA of 4.53 ranked 14th in the American League last season. In 2014, when the O's won 96 games and a division championship, the starters ranked fifth in the AL with an ERA of 3.61.

The overall pitching ERA was 3.43 in 2014 (third in the AL) and dropped to 4.05 last season (ninth in the AL).

Among the question marks for the 2016 Orioles, the starting pitching ranks first for most. It gives the doubters a reason to see a team that will play only .500 ball or worse. It is the biggest reason for gloomy season predictions. It is up to the pitchers in the rotation - whichever five emerge in April - to prove the doubters wrong.

Looking at left field: Last season the Orioles used 10 different players to start in left field. It was a list that included Junior Lake, Delmon Young and Ryan Flaherty. It was such a revolving door that Travis Snider, with just 37 starts, was out there more than any other player. Steve Pearce made 34 starts in left field and Nolan Reimold made 30.

In a projection of each team's left field production for 2016, FanGraphs.com ranks the Orioles No. 14 in the majors. The FanGraphs projection has Hyun Soo Kim getting 490 plate appearances at the position with Reimold getting 175, Henry Urrutia 21 and Mark Trumbo 14. They don't list Joey Rickard getting any plate appearances in left for some reason.

The projected 1.5 WAR, all from Kim, still leaves the team better than last year. Here is where the O's left field production ranked in the AL in 2015:

* Batting average - .210 (14th)
* OBP - .287 (13th)
* Slugging - .353 (13th)
* OPS - .640 (13th)
* Homers - 18 (eighth)

Once again, the FanGraphs No. 14 ranking is among all 30 teams in the majors. That would leave the O's production seventh-best in the AL and third-best among AL East teams. New York is rated No. 9, Tampa Bay No. 10, Boston No. 19 and Toronto No. 24.