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2015 Orioles Spring Training Tracker


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It's almost that time of the year again, hangouters. The arbitration hearings have been settled and everyone has reported to the friendly confines of the Orioles Spring training complex in Sarasota, FL. Exhibition games will commence soon on Mar. 3rd which means it's time for me to post the Orioles Spring Training Tracker. The Orioles official camp roster is listed below with brief commentary on each player's outlook posted next to their name.

Red = Locks to make team barring injury or trade

Blue = Bubble players trying to earn those last few spots up for grabs in the bullpen and on the bench

Black = Everyone else. They are considered long shots or no shots to break camp with the O?s but that doesn't mean their outlook couldn't change as the Spring progresses.

This is where you can track all the spring training roster moves and get the latest info on all the players in camp.

Pitchers

35 Brad Brach RHP - Assured of spot in 'pen after strong '14 performance; pitched well so far (4.1 IP, ER, 5 K) - 3/15

53 Zach Britton LHP - Britton looks ready to dominate again as a closer with Roch Kubatko describing the 96-97 mph sinkers he's throwing this Spring as "downright nasty" - 3/23

16 Wei-Yin Chen LHP - Chen throwing a new and improved change up this Spring; Buck impressed with his confidence in the pitch; Slated to pitch Game 2 versus TB on April 7th - 4/3

61 Jason Garcia - RHP - Rule V pick drew raves last month with upper 90's fastball; Control has been shaky but has better chance of bullpen spot with Webb and Verrett out of picture 4/3

31 Kevin Gausman RHP - Reports on slider progress have been favorable this spring; may end up in bullpen to start year, a role Steve Melewski opines he is well suited for; Could also be at AAA for a temporary stay - 4/3

50 Miguel Gonzalez RHP - Gonzo finishes spring with a 16-1 K/BB ratio in 18.2 IP; Slated to pitch Game 3 against TB on April 8th - 4/3

29 Tommy Hunter RHP - Competing with Brach for late innings relief work; Quietly had 1.86 ERA post-AS break in '14 - 3/15

31 Ubaldo Jimenez RHP - Showed impressive control (by his standards) and put up solid results in his outings since the disastrous first two; Made intriguing case for 5th spot in rotation - 4/3

17 Brian Matusz LHP - Favorite to land LOOGY role, that is if the trade rumors surrounding him lately don't come to fruition - 3/24

25 Bud Norris RHP - Hasn't had a great spring (9.26 ERA in 11.2 IP) but that shouldn't effect his regular season outlook; Slated to start home opener on April 10 - 4/3

56 Darren O'Day RHP - Should return to setup role he's served the O's well in the last three seasons - 2/25

30 Chris Tillman RHP - Worked into the 6th today and allowed two runs; Expected to make opening day start; Rumors of extension talks floating around lately - 3/26

40 Wesley Wright - LHP - Coming off decent year with Cubs and lacking minor league options, Wright ought to break camp with the team - 4/3

Catchers

45 Steve Clevenger - Despite 40 man roster spot, Clevenger apparently may not make the team with Lavarnway impressing this spring - 4/3

36 Caleb Joseph - With Wieters expected to begin season on DL, Joseph would appear favorite to start at catcher on opening day - 3/21

Infielders

1 Everth Cabrera - Speedster gives O's a leadoff option and versatile defense; May start at SS in place of injured J.J. Hardy - 3/30

19 Chris Davis - Entering contract year; Has an exemption now for Vyvanse; Hitting 2013-esque opposite field HR's this spring which is encouraging - 3/20

3 Ryan Flaherty - Flash figures to break camp with the O's now that Hardy is sidelined; Will he start on opening day at SS? Stay tuned. 3/30

13 Manny Machado - Continues to impress with how well recovered he looks from knee surgery; Playing with enthusiasm this spring and determined to play a full season - 3/21

6 Jonathan Schoop - Reports never suggested he was in danger of being sent to the minors, but Schoop is especially a lock to make the team and start at second base now with the Hardy and Paredes injuries 4/3

Outfielders

12 Alejandro De Aza - Entering contract year; Still expected to start in LF and be a leadoff option for the O's; Launched a 3-run HR today versus NYY - 3/28

10 Adam Jones - In his prime and ready to produce at a high level again in 2015; Made some recent headlines with comments about front office - 3/04

28 Steve Pearce - Now hit four home runs in the last five days; Determined to prove last season wasn't a fluke - 3/21

23 Travis Snider - Hasn't been playing much lately due to bevy of LHP's O's have been facing; suggests he may end up in a platoon in RF to start out season - 3/28

27 Delmon Young - Has been the first one to camp all spring and seems well prepared for expanded playing time he may see this year with Cruz gone - 3/23

Suspended to start year:

19 Chris Davis - Entering contract year; Has an exemption now for Vyvanse; Hitting 2013-esque opposite field HR's this spring which is encouraging - 3/20

Disabled List to start year:

32 Matt Wieters - News broke today that Wieters is expected to begin first week of the season on DL as he continues to recover and get into game shape following TJ surgery - 3/21

2 J.J. Hardy - Entering first year of contract extension; Hardy is headed for the DL with a right shoulder strain but not expected to be out more than a few weeks - 3/30

9 David Lough - May ultimately not have a place on 25 man roster but he is headed to the DL for now with hamstring and lower back ailments, according to Roch Kubatko - 3/30

38 Jimmy Paredes - Out of options and has swung a hot bat all spring but will be heading to the DL for now due to weight lifting related lower back strain - 4/3

Released

34 Mark Hendrickson - LHP - Granted his release today; served up 6 runs in 3 1/3 IP; O's maintain interested in adding him as a coach when he retires - 3/16

Claimed off Waivers

64 Logan Verrett - RHP - Despite pitching well, the Orioles had no room and he was claimed off waivers by Texas as they tried to send him back to the Mets - 4/2

Reassigned to Minor League Camp:

Pitchers

75 Tim Berry LHP - Berry has been optioned to AAA where he is expected to join the rotation - 3/21

49 Dylan Bundy RHP - Buck stated he will start season at AA; Big year coming up w/ only one option left; Fastball has been 91-94 MPH this Spring - 3/16

70 Dane De La Rosa - RHP - Veteran trying to rebound from ACL surgery; Had 2.86 ERA w/ Angels in 2013; Part of 1st round of cuts - 3/09

71 Oliver Drake - RHP - Finally made 40 man roster; Former Navy product part of 1st round of cuts and will likely close at AAA - 3/09

68 Eddie Gamboa RHP - Struggled with knuckleball command in both outings; pitch still work-in-progress; Optioned to AAA - 3/12

62 Hunter Harvey - RHP - OH's No. 2 prospect, Harvey drew rave reviews this Spring with Buck even saying he has chance to come up later this year; Will start at Frederick - 3/16

52 Steve Johnson RHP - Reassigned to minor league camp; Expected to work in long relief stints at Norfolk - 3/21

76 Chris Jones LHP - Another loogy type that could be called upon if needed this year; Sent to minor league as part of first wave of cuts - 3/09

65 Chaz Roe - RHP - Journeyman type posted solid K/9 numbers at AAA last year; Reassigned to AAA where he'll provide depth - 3/29

58 Ryan Webb RHP - Sinkerballer passed through waivers today and has been out righted to Norfolk; No one touching that $2.7 MIL salary - 4/3

63 Tyler Wilson - RHP - OH's No. 11 prospect; Capped off excellent spring with gem (4 IP, H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K) versus Yankees. Optioned to AAA. - 3/28

73 Mike Wright RHP - Optioned to AAA today where he'll join Tides rotation; Impressed in relief stints; May have future role in O's 'pen where his fastball bumps mid-90's - 3/20

Catchers

15 J.P. Arencibia - Veteran's defense has been called into question but offers some pop and will likely provide depth at AAA after being re-assigned to minor league camp today - 3/30

60 Ryan Lavarnway - Former Top 100 prospect has the most intriguing bat of the mix of catchers competing for a spot on the roster in Wieters' absence; Reportedly has inside track to beat out Clevenger - 4/3

74 Brian Ward - Has strong defensive reputation; Sent back to minor league camp during first wave of cuts; Likely a backup at AAA - 3/09

Infielders

67 Michael Almanzar - O's still like his potential which led them to reacquire him last August from Red Sox; Likely starting 3B at AA or AAA; Part of first round of cuts - 3/09

1 Paul Janish - Team has taken notice of his superb defense at short; Will start with Tides but could be a bench option later in the year if needed - 4/3

43 Rey Navarro - Optioned to AAA where he's expected to start at 2B; Good glove and potential bench option for O's down the road - 3/15

18 Christian Walker - OH's No. 7 prospect sent to minor league camp; Likely starting 1B at AAA - 3/16

Outfielders

79 Dariel Alvarez - Club is high on him and Buck has said he has shown a Grade 80 arm; Could be up with the O's at some point but headed to AAA for now - 3/29

41 Chris Parmalee - Former Twins 1st rounder impressed defensively at first and still has a promising bat; Reassigned to minor league camp today - 3/29

14 Nolan Reimold - He's healthy; Buck predicted he'll impress this Spring; He has, batting .340 with a pair of homers and could make the team now with Paredes headed for the DL - 4/3

51 Henry Urrutia - Optioned to AAA today; Hank made a favorable impression in camp and is determined to put himself back in the clubs plans after down 2014 - 3/21

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Something is seriously wrong with your color coding. Many players coded black who are shoe-ins to make the team. And I think you are being pretty liberal in coding guys blue who, in reality, have no chance to be on the OD roster (like Bundy, for example).

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Something is seriously wrong with your color coding. Many players coded black who are shoe-ins to make the team. And I think you are being pretty liberal in coding guys blue who, in reality, have no chance to be on the OD roster (like Bundy, for example).

Apologize for the confusion. The color coding and player name linking process was quite tedious so I posted an early draft of the post due to the unreliable wifi I am working with. The current version I have up now shouldn't have any mistakes.

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Apologize for the confusion. The color coding and player name linking process was quite tedious so I posted an early draft of the post due to the unreliable wifi I am working with. The current version I have up now shouldn't have any mistakes.

Looks great. Put it up as a front page article as well!

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I posted this on the Spring Projections thread but it actually makes more sense here.

Three things I expect to happen which go against popular belief. These are tied to options:

Jason Garcia replaces Kevin Gausman. This puts Ubaldo back in the rotation and allows us to keep Garcia. The pen is now Britton, Wright, and Matusz as lefties and Hunter, O'Day, Brach, and Garcia. Gausman starts the year in AAA, Logan Verrett doesn't make the team.

Jimmy Paredes replaces Ryan Flaherty. Most people predicted Paredes to be on the first bus out of camp when Cabrera was added to the 40-man, but instead we've gotten silent affirmation that Paredes, short of a terrible spring, is staying on the bench. With Cabrera and Paredes on the roster, the infield is backed up sufficiently and Flaherty gets his ticket punched to Norfolk.

Cabrera replaces Schoop. Again, with Schoop's option and a less than stellar 2014, Cabrera will play everyday at 2B and back up Hardy when he needs to. Schoop goes to Norfolk.

Of course, Cabrera isn't really "replacing" Schoop on the 25-man, since both were already on it. Where before we might have seen a bench of Joseph, Young, Cabrera, and Flaherty, I predict that lack of options puts Lough back on the bench as a pinch runner and defensive replacement alongside Paredes, Joseph and Young.

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I posted this on the Spring Projections thread but it actually makes more sense here.

Three things I expect to happen which go against popular belief. These are tied to options:

Jason Garcia replaces Kevin Gausman. This puts Ubaldo back in the rotation and allows us to keep Garcia. The pen is now Britton, Wright, and Matusz as lefties and Hunter, O'Day, Brach, and Garcia. Gausman starts the year in AAA, Logan Verrett doesn't make the team.

Jimmy Paredes replaces Ryan Flaherty. Most people predicted Paredes to be on the first bus out of camp when Cabrera was added to the 40-man, but instead we've gotten silent affirmation that Paredes, short of a terrible spring, is staying on the bench. With Cabrera and Paredes on the roster, the infield is backed up sufficiently and Flaherty gets his ticket punched to Norfolk.

Cabrera replaces Schoop. Again, with Schoop's option and a less than stellar 2014, Cabrera will play everyday at 2B and back up Hardy when he needs to. Schoop goes to Norfolk.

Of course, Cabrera isn't really "replacing" Schoop on the 25-man, since both were already on it. Where before we might have seen a bench of Joseph, Young, Cabrera, and Flaherty, I predict that lack of options puts Lough back on the bench as a pinch runner and defensive replacement alongside Paredes, Joseph and Young.

Interesting thoughts. Unless he's terrible this Spring, I'd be pretty disappointed as an O's fan if Kevin Gausman started out in AAA for no good reason other than our financial albatross Ubaldo Jimenez needs a spot in the rotation. Should be interesting to see how that plays out but I'm still viewing Ubaldo as on the outside looking in.

It's also worth noting that aside from his seemingly one-hit wonder 2013 season, Everth Cabrera is hardly a capable and proven everyday player in my opinion. He also has a minor league option remaining so I have a hard time seeing him unseat Schoop as a starter that easily. I think they end up in a platoon if anything, with Flaherty heading to Norfolk. We'll see how it all shakes out.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/orioles?src=hash">#orioles</a> discussing possible roster cuts and whether Hunter Harvey makes another appearance</p>— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) <a href="

">March 7, 2015</a></blockquote>

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Cuts could be coming soon according to this tweet. The roster tracker will be updated accordingly when they come. Would presume that most of the first cuts will involve the young guys that are just here to get a taste of big league camp.

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Five players were reassigned to minor league camp today:

RHP Dane De La Rosa

RHP Oliver Drake

LHP Chris Jones

C Brian Ward

3B Michael Almanzar

ST roster now down to 52 players. The second wave of cuts could be coming later today or sometime tomorrow, according to Roch Kubatko.

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The Orioles announced after today's game that infielder Rey Navarro has been optioned to AAA and outfielder Matt Tuiasosopo has been reassigned to minor league camp.

Mark Hendrickson has also been granted his release.

More cuts are expected tomorrow.

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The O's announced after the conclusion of today's game that top prospects Dylan Bundy, Hunter Harvey, and Christian Walker have all been reassigned to minor league camp.

Walker is expected to start at 1B for AAA Norfolk.

Bundy is expected to begin the season in AA Bowie's rotation.

Harvey is expected to begin the season in High A Frederick's rotation.

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Urrutia to Norfolk.

Steve Johnson sent to minor league camp.

Wieters will definitely start the regular season on the DL.

All noted by Angel/Manfra during the radio broadcast today.

Berry sent to minor league camp as well.

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