Baltimore Orioles Soundoff

Welcome back O's fans!

It's great to see you.

Well, we are almost there. Spring Training began this week, this is the time to get excited.

Let's just hope it isn't the only time O's fans will be excited this year.

Spring Training is truly the purest and most hopeful time of year for any sport. Sure, football has its preseason, but it doesn't compare in length, and in spirit, to that of Spring Training. Every team thinks it can compete for the World Series Championship.

Speculation looms, players and teams take shape and the fans get the chance to see the shell of the team they will be following for 162 regular season games take form.

For the 2006 Baltimore Orioles many questions must be answered.

But, most of all, let us take a minute to appreciate what the Orioles did in terms of coaching staff and front office in this offseason. Above any player movement, the O's added class and superior coaching, as well as baseball smarts to their 2006 effort.

With Sam Perlozzo beginning his first season as Manager, it is my contention that the O's finally have the clubhouse leader they needed.

But why would Perlozzo be any better than Ray Miller, Mike Hardgrove or Lee Mazzilli before him?

Simple, Ray Miller was a pitching coach who didn't harness the ability to manage a team, Mike Hargrove, an excellent and proven manager fell into a tight situation rich with mediocre talent, a nothing minor league system and a GM who couldn't tie his own shoes, let alone gather the players that could bring Baltimore back to contention. Mazzilli, although not hampered by these burdens because since Hargrove, Baltimore has maintained a much better farm system and seemingly loaded itself with offensive weapons if not pitching talent, however, Mazzilli didn't garner his player's respect. Also, he had too many clubhouse personalities that were detrimental to the team.

So here we are, with Perlozzo, the long-time bench coach who knows, and loves, the O's. The players love and respect him. And, he brought in the kind of players you build a team around, proven winners with attitudes that make a team a family, not tear them apart.

This brings us to the addition of Leo Mazzone. And what an addition it is. Is there any pitching coach in the league more respected and with a better track record? No.

The Orioles have a plethora of young pitching talent, many of which have staff ace and cy young ability. If anyone can get them pitching up to their ability, it is Leo Mazzone. And he is already making a difference.


Now, on to the questions...

1) How will Miguel Tejada respond to the B-12 conspiracy and after rescinding trade demands?

That is easy. He must perform. And perform well.

Granted, Tejada acted less like a team leader this offseason, and more like a whiny baby always used to getting his way. This is going to have to stop right now. I want to believe that Miggy really was attempting to give the Orioles front office a jolt by saying trade me or get better. I really do think he may have had the Orioles best interest at heart, but he went about it the wrong way.

Still, after all, the talk about Tejada jumping ship has made the Orioles make some moves and now Tejada is at least content.

With that being said, he must be the leader he once was. He must be jovial in the clubhouse and inspirational on the field. His meager 98 RBIs will have to be majorly improved if the Orioles are to contend.

2) Will Leo Mazzone be able to mold the young staff into a formidble pitching machine?

His work in Atlanta being a thing of legend, Mazzone comes to the O's with some giant tasks ahead of him.

It's doable, I think. I hope.

Look at the talent he has to work with: A former #1 draft pick and collegiate dominator in Kris Benson, a 6'7" fireballer who tops out at a delicate 101 mph in Daniel Cabrera, a crafty young pitcher with Maddux-esque stuff who dominated the American League for 3 solid months before being injured in Erik Bedard, a proven top of the rotation guy and inning eater in Rodrigo Lopez and finally a late-blooming flower in Bruce Chen.

All in all, this O's pitching staff is healthy, has the front-line guy it so needed, and still, it is very young. The arms have great game experience at the major league level already, and Mazzone may be able to mold their raw talents into pristine starting pitching.

I hope.

3) Who will play centerfield? And for that matter, right field? And for that matter, I want to see Nick Markakis already!

The Centerfield Sweepstakes has two major players and O's fans are divided on who they want to see win the position.

If you are like me, you have developed an affection for Luis Matos and you want him to succeed. If Matos can begin to hit like everyone in the organization knows he can then O's fans want him in the lineup. He is still a fan favorite in Baltimore.

Corey Patterson, on the other hand, has superstar quality. He has already excelled at the major league level and his solid power numbers bring something that O's fans desire, a home-run hitting centerfielder.

Both are still young, and the Orioles feel that Patterson will come back strong from his dismal season last year. In fact, both Matos and Patterson has negative seasons and both hope to prove their worth this year. Obviously, O's fans hope both can become their productive selves creating a situation where no matter who is patrolling center, they can glove, they can run and most importantly, they can hit.

Left field is a different story. Although everyone in Baltimore wants to see Nick Markakis shine and grow into the superstar that he is destined to become, he is still at least a year away from a permanent place on the Orioles big league roster, according to the Orioles front office.

So in his stead, you have a few choices, like last year. Only last year's choices of Larry Bigbie, B.J. Surhoff, David Newhan and then, later, Eric Byrnes left something to be desired. This year's choices, however, come not only with talent but with big league moxy and clubhouse leadership. Kevin Millar and Jeff Conine are two new Orioles acquisitions who know how to run a clubhouse. While in Boston and Florida, respectively, they shined as team leaders. And both, although getting older, can hit and field. And both, can also play first base.

Here, my friends, is a look at your 2006 Opening Day Starter projections:
1) Brian Roberts (if healthy)--2B
2) Melvin Mora--3B
3) Miguel Tejada--SS
4) Javy Lopez--DH
5) Jay Gibbons--RF
6) Richard Hidalgo--LF
7) Ramon Hernandez--C
8) Kevin Millar--1B
9) Corey Patterson--CF

Starting Pitching:
1) Kris Benson
2) Rodrigo Lopez
3) Erik Bedard
4) Daniel Cabrera
5) Bruce Chen

Projected Depth Chart (by position) :

First Base
1) Kevin Millar
2) Jeff Conine
3) Javy Lopez
4) Chris Gomez
5) Jay Gibbons
6) Val Majewski (?)
7) Walter Young (?)

Second Base
1) Brian Roberts
2) Chris Gomez
3) Bernie Castro (?)

Shortstop
1) Miguel Tejada
2) Chris Gomez

Third Base
1) Melvin Mora
2) Chris Gomez
3) David Newhan
4) Fernando Tatis (?)

Catcher
1) Ramon Hernandez
2) Javy Lopez
3) Geranimo Gil

Left Field
1) Jeff Conine
2) Richard Hidalgo
3) Kevin Millar
4) Luis Matos
5) David Newhan

Right Field
1) Jay Gibbons
2) Jeff Conine
3) Kevin Millar
4) David Newhan

Center Field
1) Corey Patterson
2) Luis Matos
3) David Newhan
4) Nick Markakis (?)

Final 25 Man Roster Projection:

#1--Brian Roberts
#6--Melvin Mora
#9--Geranimo Gil
#10--Miguel Tejada
#11--David Newhan
#13--Rodrigo Lopez
#14--Chris Gomez
#15--Kevin Millar
#17--Corey Patterson
#18--Javy Lopez
#19--Jeff Conine
#23--LaTroy Hawkins
#27--Bruce Chen
#31--Jay Gibbons
#32--Luis Matos
#34--Kris Benson
#35--Daniel Cabrera
#36--John Parrish
#37--Chris Ray
#40--Tim Byrdak
#53--Todd Williams
#54--John Halama
#55--Ramon Hernandez
#91--Franklyn Gracesqui