On the Bubble

[wildcard]

My thoughts on who goes and who stays to start the season:

Infield/DH:  Mountcastle, Mancini, Urias, Mateo and Gutierrez are in.

Utility infielder job TBD:

 Richie Martin has improved his stock a lot with a 1253 OPS in 22 ABs in ST.  But he has a 575 OPS in the majors and a 644 OPS at AAA.   He is on a minor league contract.  O's will probably assign him to AAA as the everyday SS/2B and tell him to prove it at that level.  May play him in CF to improve his versatility.

Chris Owings  plays everywhere.  Fits the utility role.  Will not hit much.   Is  on a minor league contract.  If he has an opt out he will stay.  If he doesn't the O's may delay the decision and leave him in the minors to start the season.   I hope he stays.

Rougned Odor only plays 2B.  Doesn't fit the utility role. A left-handed power bat off the bench with .200 batting average is about right.  Competing  with Stewart for that role.  On a major league contract with no options.  The 700K salary does not figure into it.  If he is DFA'd and another MLB team picks him up they take the rest of the salary. Probably comes down to if they need the 40 man roster spot. Could keep Owings and Odor. I  would not keep him but I am not Elias.

Outfield: Mullins, Hays, Santander are in.

Ryan McKenna probably makes the team for his glove considering the big LF/CF at home.   559 career OPS in the majors and 612 OPS this spring is not why  he stays.   On major league contract with options.  Has proven all he needs to a AAA. Hays can play CF but with his injury history the O's need a back up with range. Owings does not have McKenna's range.  If Martin shows he can play CF and hits at AAA he could compete for this spot in a month or two.  Martin has the speed.

DJ Stewart   competing for the left-handed bat off the bench with Odor.  Can play RF/DH at home and also LF on the road.  Hurt for part of the spring, the decision will be made off his 732 career OPS and his power.  Has an option.  I would take him over Odor but I don't know what Elias will do.

Tyler Nevin  is ticketed for AAA IMO.  1B/3B/COF if he hits a AAA we could see him later this season.

Catcher:  Chirinos is in.

Backup Catcher: Bemboom/Nottingham/Taylor you pick.  Taylor has an option and is left-handed.  Bemboom is a lefty and showed well in ST.    Nottingham showed well and is right-handed.   All on minor league contracts.  None is likely to hit much.  One is needed to be added to the roster.   Because Chirinos is age 37 the back up will see some playing time until Adley is promoted in 16 to 30 days. 

Starters:  Means, Lyles, Tyler Wells are in.

Zimmerman, Kremer, Akin, and Baumann are still competing for the last two spots.  Elias could carry them all with 15 pitchers on the roster.  Especially if a tandem arrangement is used to begin the season.  All have options.  Only Akin has spent a year at AAA.  The other three have not proven themselves at that level.   Grayson and Bradish could be promoted in as little as a month so time is short for these guys to prove they belong in the majors.

Pen:  Tate, Lopez, Fry, Perez, Baker, Krehbiel are in. Tate, Fry, Baker and Krehbiel have options.  Lopez and Perez do not.  All are on the 40 man roster.

That is 13 pitchers and Elias may carry 15.

Felix Bautista was a fast mover through the O's minors last year.  His 100 mph fastball gets peoples attention.  He had a 4.91 ERA and a 1.91 WHIP this spring.   Its his 5 walks in 3.2 IP that probably get him optioned to AAA to begin the season.  He is on the 40 man roster and will be back. JMO

Mattson goes on the IL.

Travis Lakin Sr is on a minor league contract.  Has a 4.21 career ERA and a 1.442 WHIP. Has a 3.68 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP this spring. But Elias is watching the waiver wire.  He requires a 40 man roster spot. Elias may look at Lakins as depth instead of promoting him.

Chris Ellis is on minor league contract.  He is a 29 year old journeyman pitcher who pitched well (2.49 ERA and 1.224 WHIP) in 25.1 innings last year for the O's.  He has a 9.45 ERA with a 1.50 WHIP this spring.   I think Elias sees him as depth and he will start in the minors.

Spenser Watkins (29) is on a minor league contract. He had an 8.07 ERA and a 1.701 WHIP for the O's last year. He has a 6.35 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP this spring.  I think be begins the season at AAA.

Elias will probably pick up one or more pitchers from the waiver wire in the next week.   That will be the determining factor on who stays.  It would not be surprising if he finds a position player he likes as well.

All this is just my opinion.   What is yours?

[Aristotelian]

Good post, I think you have the major battles and they are pretty unexciting.

I didn't realize Taylor and Bemboom are LH. I could see keeping one of those two since the rest of the lineup is RH heavy. Maybe Bemboom so we can option Taylor.

I think he keeps Odor and Owings along with Bautista. I dislike Odor but that gives us one more option to fill holes and LH bat. I would start him against RH only while pushing Kelvin and Mateo to the bench and sliding Urias over to SS and 3B those days.

[Going Underground]

28 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

Good post, I think you have the major battles and they are pretty unexciting.

I didn't realize Taylor and Bemboom are LH. I could see keeping one of those two since the rest of the lineup is RH heavy. Maybe Bemboom so we can option Taylor.

I think he keeps Odor and Owings along with Bautista. I dislike Odor but that gives us one more option to fill holes and LH bat. I would start him against RH only while pushing Kelvin and Mateo to the bench and sliding Urias over to SS and 3B those days.

I can see Mateo on the DL to start out with Odor getting a brief look.

[connja]

1 hour ago, wildcard said:

 

 

Zimmerman, Kremer, Akin, and Baumann are still competing for the last two spots.  Elias could carry them all with 15 pitchers on the roster.  Especially if a tandem arrangement is used to begin the season.  All have options.  Only Akin has spent a year at AAA.  The other three have not proven themselves at that level.   Grayson and Bradish could be promoted in as little as a month so time is short for these guys to prove they belong in the majors.

 

I'm really glad Elias called out these guys yesterday.  At least one of them (plus Lowther and Wells) really need to step up.  They are/have all been given some good opportunities and we need to hit on one or 2.  Personally I still have a lot of hope for Baumann and really really want him to get the best shot this season from this group.  I also think we need to check out Kremer again.  His arm is too good to give up on and I fear another Jake Arrieta awakening.

Zimmerman can take the #5 spot in the rotation until the GRod/Hall/Bradish group is ready.

Personally I'm done with Akin (how does this guy continue to come to camp in such bad shape with the opportunities he has been given).  

[Can_of_corn]

What good does calling them out do?  You think their effort level is the problem?

I would have liked Elias to own the idea that this is his team and he has thus far been unable to provide the team with adequate pitching talent.

[wildcard]

1 hour ago, Aristotelian said:

Good post, I think you have the major battles and they are pretty unexciting.

I didn't realize Taylor and Bemboom are LH. I could see keeping one of those two since the rest of the lineup is RH heavy. Maybe Bemboom so we can option Taylor.

I think he keeps Odor and Owings along with Bautista. I dislike Odor but that gives us one more option to fill holes and LH bat. I would start him against RH only while pushing Kelvin and Mateo to the bench and sliding Urias over to SS and 3B those days.

Taylor like Bemboom and Nottingham are on minor contracts. So Taylor does not need to be optioned to go to AAA.  He could just be assigned.    Taylor's option coming into play if he begins the season in the majors, he can to optioned to AAA when Adley is ready.

The other two have to be DFA'd if they begin in the majors and Adley is ready.

I want Mateo to play most games.  HIs arm and range are special.  His hands are still a question for me.   He has shown a good bat this spring and I want to see more.

[Sports Guy]

26 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

What good does calling them out do?  You think their effort level is the problem?

I would have liked Elias to own the idea that this is his team and he has thus far been unable to provide the team with adequate pitching talent.

Yea some accountability would be nice.  How about, we are frustrated that WE haven’t made these guys better?  WE are frustrated that our tools aren’t working for these guys.

None of that.  Of course, these aren’t his guys, so he can blame the previous regime for them.  

[Matt Bennett]

26 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

What good does calling them out do?  You think their effort level is the problem?

I would have liked Elias to own the idea that this is his team and he has thus far been unable to provide the team with adequate pitching talent.

In Akin’s case, yes. I think effort level is a problem. Commitment, dedication, effort, yada yada. 

[Aristotelian]

4 minutes ago, wildcard said:

I want Mateo to play most games.  HIs arm and range are special.  His hands are still a question for me.   He has shown a good bat this spring and I want to see more.

Agreed, in order of AB's I would like to see Urias > Mateo > Gutierrez > Odor. Maybe Mateo plays 90% of games and Gutierrez 60% which would add up to 40% for Odor. Mateo can spell Odor for defense once we get the lead

[Sports Guy]

23 minutes ago, Matt Bennett said:

In Akin’s case, yes. I think effort level is a problem. Commitment, dedication, effort, yada yada. 

Why?  Because you think he has a few more Lbs than he should?  

[MurphDogg]

1 hour ago, Going Underground said:

I can see Mateo on the DL to start out with Odor getting a brief look.

1. It is the IL not the DL, this is the 4th season since that change.

2. Mateo played yesterday. There is no reason for him to go on the IL.

[Going Underground]

3 minutes ago, MurphDogg said:

1. It is the IL not the DL, this is the 4th season since that change.

2. Mateo played yesterday. There is no reason for him to go on the IL.

IL,four years go by fast.

Jorge Mateo has a sore right hand after getting HBP.Orioles waiting on test results per Rich Dubroff. 

[OriolesMagic83]

Was Lowther already optioned?

[Sports Guy]

Just now, OriolesMagic83 said:

Was Lowther already optioned?

Stupidly..yes

[OriolesMagic83]

2 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

Stupidly..yes

Well I hope Akin doesn't make the team over Lowther.  Lowther seems like one of those guys that will be able to use his smarts to figure out a pitch arsenal to get major leaguers out.  I don't have the same hope for Akin.