Compare Opening Day Rosters 2016/2017

[Bahama O's Fan]

2016:

Catchers: Matt Wieters, Caleb Joseph

Infielders: Chris Davis, Jonathan Schoop, J.J. Hardy, Manny Machado, Pedro Alvarez, Ryan Flaherty

Outfielders: Adam Jones, Mark Trumbo, Joey Rickard, Nolan Reimold, Hyun Soo Kim

Starters: Chris Tillman, Yovani Gallardo, Ubaldo Jimenez, Mike Wright

Relievers: Zach Britton, Darren O’Day, Brad Brach, Mychal Givens, Dylan Bundy, T.J. McFarland, Tyler Wilson, Vance Worley

2017

Catchers: Welington Castillo, Caleb Joseph

Infielders: Manny Machado, J.J. Hardy, Jonathan Schoop, Chris Davis, Ryan Flaherty

Outfielders: Adam Jones, Hyun Soo Kim, Seth Smith, Mark Trumbo, Joey Rickard, Trey Mancini, Craig Gentry

Starters: Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy, Ubaldo Jiménez

Relievers: Zach Britton, Darren O’Day, Brad Brach, Mychal Givens, Donnie Hart, Tyler Wilson, Vidal Nuño, Oliver Drake

[ChuckS]

No doubt the offense and bench is improved.  

The SP actually doesn't look any worse on paper.  The top of the rotation with Tillman and Gausman (returned in mid-April?) was a bit more stable.  

We are not sure what we are going to get from Bundy.  But then again, last season we had Tillman coming off a 5 ERA season and Wright and Wilson both in the April rotation.  It could be argued we were worse off in 2016.  Also more depth in Triple A with guys like Ynoa, Aquino, and co. who weren't really there last year.

It seems like we should feel better about our roster going into this season.  For some reason I'm not feeling that way though.   

[Tx Oriole]

2 hours ago, Bahama O's Fan said:

2016:

Catchers: Matt Wieters, Caleb Joseph

Infielders: Chris Davis, Jonathan Schoop, J.J. Hardy, Manny Machado, Pedro Alvarez, Ryan Flaherty

Outfielders: Adam Jones, Mark Trumbo, Joey Rickard, Nolan Reimold, Hyun Soo Kim

Starters: Chris Tillman, Yovani Gallardo, Ubaldo Jimenez, Mike Wright

Relievers: Zach Britton, Darren O’Day, Brad Brach, Mychal Givens, Dylan Bundy, T.J. McFarland, Tyler Wilson, Vance Worley

2017

Catchers: Welington Castillo, Caleb Joseph

Infielders: Manny Machado, J.J. Hardy, Jonathan Schoop, Chris Davis, Ryan Flaherty

Outfielders: Adam Jones, Hyun Soo Kim, Seth Smith, Mark Trumbo, Joey Rickard, Trey Mancini, Craig Gentry

Starters: Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy, Ubaldo Jiménez

Relievers: Zach Britton, Darren O’Day, Brad Brach, Mychal Givens, Donnie Hart, Tyler Wilson, Vidal Nuño, Oliver Drake

Not sure I'd list Mancini for OF. Not  sure he can make it as an OF. I Davis wasn't at 1st then Mancini for sure. IMO

 

[Tx Oriole]

2 hours ago, Bahama O's Fan said:

2016:

Catchers: Matt Wieters, Caleb Joseph

Infielders: Chris Davis, Jonathan Schoop, J.J. Hardy, Manny Machado, Pedro Alvarez, Ryan Flaherty

Outfielders: Adam Jones, Mark Trumbo, Joey Rickard, Nolan Reimold, Hyun Soo Kim

Starters: Chris Tillman, Yovani Gallardo, Ubaldo Jimenez, Mike Wright

Relievers: Zach Britton, Darren O’Day, Brad Brach, Mychal Givens, Dylan Bundy, T.J. McFarland, Tyler Wilson, Vance Worley

2017

Catchers: Welington Castillo, Caleb Joseph

Infielders: Manny Machado, J.J. Hardy, Jonathan Schoop, Chris Davis, Ryan Flaherty

Outfielders: Adam Jones, Hyun Soo Kim, Seth Smith, Mark Trumbo, Joey Rickard, Trey Mancini, Craig Gentry

Starters: Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy, Ubaldo Jiménez

Relievers: Zach Britton, Darren O’Day, Brad Brach, Mychal Givens, Donnie Hart, Tyler Wilson, Vidal Nuño, Oliver Drake

Ubaldo still an Oriole is amazing. 

[Drifter]

Drifter 2016: I'm worried about the starting pitchers.

Drifter 2017: I'm really worried about the starting pitchers.

[Dark Helmet]

While still a power first offense, I think it does have more balance. A better bench for sure.

I'm still worried about the rotation and I fear the BP takes a little step back.

 

[25 Nuggets]

I would say the team is about as good as it was last year, and I predicted a similar win total.  The offense might be a tad better but I think it will settle in around the same, a little above average in AL runs scored (last year they were 7th in runs/game but only 0.1 r/g away from 3rd).  The rotation has a bunch of question marks and the bullpen is so deep that it can take a hit or two (except if Britton has a bad year).

The one improvement I see is in potential OF defense.  A lot of that rests on improvement from Joey Rickard, but Gentry is legit and Smith is better than Kim or Trumbo.

[wildcard]

Are the 2017 O's better than last year?

And the answer is a definite "Maybe"

No evaluation of the current  O's can begin anywhere but with Chris Tillman.   If Chris comes back in May and pitches 27 starts of the same quality as we a used to see from him than the O's have a chance to be better.  If he doesn't then the odds are against the O's.   There are many other factors but that is a huge one.

Gausman looks ready to take another step to the top of the rotation.  Even when Chris returns.  Kevin is probably ready to pass him as the ace for the staff.   Bundy looks about the same.  He is capable of taking a no hitter into the 6th and he is also capable of hanging changeups that land in the seats.  He had a 4.52 ERA as a starter last year and that doesn't look like it has changed.   Miley and Ubaldo are capable of eating innings.  Some good, some bad.  I look at them as .500 starters that are capable of 27-32 starts.   With Tillman this is a better rotation than Tillman/Gausman/Ubaldo/Gallado/Wright which is where the O's started last year.  When Gausman and Gallardo were injured Wilson got a lot of starts.   Right now I would say that Ynoa and Aquno have passed Wright and Wilson of the starter depth chart and could get 17 starts between them. Overall that looks better than last year.  But only if Tillman returns in May for 27 starts.

Watching Trumbo and Mancini play first base points out how good Davis is defensively.  Watching Hardy and Schoop play of the hard infield in Florida makes me realize how important Nicole Mcfadyen is to the O's.   Hardy and Schoop are not exactly  rangy.   Sure handed with strong arms but not rangy.. That is probably one of he reasons the O's are challenged on the road.   Manny is all world defensively.  Offensively I expect a healthy Davis, Schoop and Machado to be better.  Manny could contend for the MVP.  Hardy to show his age.   Flaherty to fill in where needed.  As a  unit they could be better than last year mostly because of Davis' health.

Castillo looks like at better catcher than the 2016 version of Wieters.  Better hitter, better behind the plate, equal thrower but he has to learn the pitchers.  I would give him two months to be as good as Wieters in that category.  Joseph has to have a better year than last year.   Probably a lot better.

The outfield has Smith replacing Trumbo in the field and replacing Pedro Alvarez with the bat.   Gentry is replacing Reimold.  Overall there is a lot more options. Some added speed with Gentry and a possible full year of Rickard.  Mancini is probably up and down to the minors.  Available when injuries hit.    Both Gentry and Ruckard are injury prone so Mancini may see some time as their replacement.  Smith's hamstring could be a problem early.  Gentry is quite an upgrade to the outfield defense.  Better range is all three fields than anyone but Jones.  Better arm than Rickard.  If he can only stay healthy.  Rickard showed good range in all three fields this spring but his arm is only average and probably better in left than anywhere else.  It looks like Gentry, Rickard, Kim and Jones will mix and match in the top two spots of the orders which could give more RBI opportunities for the heavy hitters that follow.  Overall I think the defense will be slightly better but not that much when Kim, Smith and Mancini are considered. And the outfield offense should be more versatile.

Trumbo will mainly be the DH and I see his offensive dipping some with  his homers going to 38 from 47 and the rest of his offense following that trend.

I see the pen matching last year.  Britton may not be prefect but will be superior.  A healthy O''Day will be an improvement.  Brach will stay good.  Givens and Hart should improve.  Nuno should match Worley and add a third lefty for a more balanced pen.   Wilson will be part of the Norfolk shuttle  that includes both Ynoa and Aquino after  Tillman returns. 

The main improvement in 2017 are the depth in pitching staff and the outfield.   But the improvement only matters if Tillman returns to form in early May.  Otherwise its a struggle to have enough starting pitching to stay in the hunt.

[Moose Milligan]

IMO, not necessarily a fair comp, although it's natural to try to compare.  For me, the main difference here is that we're starting OD with three guys in the rotation due to the off-days we have for the first week or so.  That's fine and the comp initially favors the 2017 team due to the fact that there's no Wright and Gallardo.  

However, they'll have to drop two and add two rotation guys here soon at which point it'd make better sense to compare these rosters.