Asked and answered: The readers respond

Yesterday in this space, we asked the readers to answer a few Orioles questions. Today here is a look (as of late last night) at how you answered. Not everyone answered every question or in the manner asked, but hey, we had some fun reading the responses.

Who will lead the 2018 Orioles in wins?: Right-hander Dylan Bundy was the easy winner here, getting 21 votes to seven for Kevin Gausman. Alex Cobb, a pending free agent, got three votes, while Chris Tillman and Brad Brach got one.

Unless MLB Network's Brian Kenny is able to "kill the win," I guess we will continue to count them for starting pitchers. Personally, I don't see wins as all-important, ranking well down the list of ways to evaluate a starter. But, hey, I picked the question, right?

One stat I don't see get cited too often is winning percentage in games that pitcher starts. On the 2017 Orioles, the team had better than a .500 winning percentage for only one pitcher that made four or more starts. That was Bundy. They went 16-12 (.571) in his 28 starts.

Which player will get the most starts in right field?: Your overwhelming choice here was Austin Hays, who got 22 votes. Adam Jones, who would have to be moved off center field, got four votes. Mark Trumbo got two. Jayson Werth got one, as did J.D. Martinez, Joey Rickard and Trey Mancini. Is Hays ready to get the nod in right field? It will be interesting to see how this question gets answered between now and opening day. Even if the team doesn't see him as the starter come April, he could still be the right fielder of the future in Baltimore.

Better candidate to have a bounceback year: Chris Davis or Trumbo?: You like Davis by nearly a two to one count over Trumbo.

Which free agent pitchers should the club pursue?: The readers really, really like Alex Cobb, who went 12-10 with a 3.66 ERA in 29 starts for the Tampa Bay Rays. There were 22 posters that said the Orioles should pursue Cobb. He figures to be costly, but maybe he's not at the level where we know the Orioles just won't go. Perhaps his previous Tommy John history will bring the price down a bit and his final number is doable for Baltimore. We'll see on that.

Ten readers mentioned Lance Lynn, who went 11-8 with a 3.43 ERA for the St. Louis Cardinals. There were a few votes each for Jason Vargas and Shohei Otani. Other names mentioned included Yu Darvish, Andrew Cashner, Jake Arrieta, Tyler Chatwood, Jhoulys Chacin, Miguel Gonzalez, Ubaldo Jiménez and Tillman.

Who will lead the Orioles in homers next year?: Manny Machado got 14 votes and Davis got nine. Others that got votes were Mancini with five and Jonathan Schoop with four. There was one vote each for Trumbo and J.D. Martinez.

Rank these Orioles prospects from best to worst: Alex Wells, Cedric Mullins, DJ Stewart, Ryan Mountcastle: This one was interesting. I basically gave each player four points for a first place vote, three for second and so on. Under that format, and with not everyone voting on this question, Mullins won a close vote over Mountcastle, with Wells third and Stewart a distant fourth.

Choosing between these numbers, what is the chance Machado will be an Oriole in 2019: 5 percent, 20 percent, 50 percent, 75 percent, 95 percent?: Since Machado is under team control through 2018, it is obvious what this question is asking. You seem to have a rather heavy lean toward Manny being a goner with five percent getting 13 votes and 20 percent finishing with nine, the second-most votes. But there were a few more optimistic among you as four voted 50 percent, five voted 75 percent and three voted it as a 95 percent chance that Machado will still be on the team in 2019.

What is the chance Zach Britton will be an Oriole in 2019: 5 percent, 20 percent, 50 percent, 75 percent, 95 percent?: The same question was asked about Britton, who is also under team control through 2018. With Machado, 65 percent gave that a 20 percent or less chance. With Britton, 62 percent were at 20 percent or less. There were 15 that voted only a 5 percent chance, eight at 20 percent, nine at 50 percent and five at 75 percent. No one voted Britton staying beyond 2018 as a 95 percent chance.

What is the chance Tillman will be an Oriole in 2018: 5 percent, 20 percent, 50 percent, 75 percent, 95 percent?: Since Tillman is a pending free agent, this question is asking if the O's will re-sign him and what percentage the chance for that happening in 2018 is. And 46 percent of you put that chance at 75 percent or better while 85 percent voted 50 percent or better. You feel there is a good chance the right-hander will return. Six voted 95 percent, 10 at 75 percent and 13 voted 50 percent. There was one vote for 20 percent and five at 5 percent

What question should I ask you next time?: Here are some of the answers.

* On a scale of one to 10 how would you assess Dan Duquette's body of work?
* Can you be a fan of the team and advocate a rebuild?
* Will Buck Showalter be back in 2019? Will Duquette be back in 2019?
* Who are your favorite and least favorite Orioles of all time?
* Will the O's swing a whopper trade for a starting pitcher?
* How can the Orioles build a more balanced lineup with more left-hand hitters and higher OPS?