Caravan recap, hoping to go deep into the playoffs, and minor league updates.
Good morning Birdland,
The Orioles made yet another mild splash this offseason, signing Ramón Laureano to a one-year, $4 million contract on Tuesday. It would seem that the strong-armed Laureano will factor into the team’s fourth outfielder competition, but you can never be sure of what Mike Elias is thinking.
If you look at the Orioles current roster, it is pretty darn full, maybe overflowing.
Behind the plate, Adley Rutschman and Gary Sánchez would appear to be locks to make the roster.
On the infield, it is setting up for Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, and Jordan Westburg being the starters at shortstop, second base, and third base. The Ryans, Mountcastle and O’Hearn seem ready to have their platoon again. And then there is Ramón Urías and Jorge Mateo to serve in utility roles.
The outfield is particularly full with Cedric Mullins, Colton Cowser, Tyler O’Neill, and Heston Kjerstad, plus the arrival of Laureano.
Those names mentioned add up to 14. Unless the team is planning to go an arm short early in the season—a seemingly unwise decision given the makeup of the schedule—something has got to give. They have too many players for not enough spots
Maybe Kjerstad could be the headliner in an upcoming trade? Maybe the team is not planning to carry both Urías and Mateo? Maybe one of the Ryans is going to be dealt in a smaller move to free up innings at the position?
They could also start Holliday in Triple-A. And of course there could be another early spring surprise coming, where a player is carrying an injury that has not yet been revealed. That would suck, but it would also solve the current crunch and explain some of the moves that have happened.
We will just have to wait and see.
Links
What stood out at the Birdland Caravan | The Baltimore Banner
In short: not much! But that isn’t really the point of the Caravan. It’s a series of fan events to get people excited, and it certainly seems to accomplish that. Success!
Orioles geared again toward going further in playoffs | Roch Kubatko
This should be the goal of every player and coach. The team is still plenty good enough to make the playoffs. But going deeper is another question. The moves made this winter have been logical, and they make the roster deeper, but has the ceiling been raised? It’s unclear.
With Orioles down to 2 and 3 prospects on top 100 lists, should that be a concern? | Baltimore Baseball
Well Steve Melewski didn’t stay down long, did he? He’s back, and writing about the minors again. It seems that this is not a full-time gig for him, but at the very least he will remain a presence in the blogosphere. Good for him!
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Ryan Webb turns 39. He spent the 2014 season pitching out of the Orioles bullpen, accumulating a 3.83 ERA over 51 appearances.
- Chris Brock is 55 today. He was a reliever with the O’s for 22 games in 2002.
- Roberto Alomar celebrates his 57th birthday. The Hall of Famer spent three seasons in Baltimore from 1996-98. While with the O’s he made three all-star teams, won a Silver Slugger award (‘96), and took home two Gold Gloves (‘96 & ‘98). The O’s added him to their team Hall of Fame in 2013.
- The late Chuck Diering (b. 1923, d. 2012) was born on this day. He had a three-season run with the Orioles from 1954-56, during which time he played all three out outfield spots and third base.
This day in O’s history
February 5th has been a slow day in Orioles history, according to Baseball Reference. So, instead, here are a few happenings from beyond Birdland:
1901 – J.P. Morgan incorporates U.S. Steel in the state of New Jersey.
1958 – A hydrogen bomb is lost by the US Air Force off the coast of Savannah, Georgia. It has never been found.
1971 – Astronauts from the Apollo 14 mission land on the Moon.