Areas of concern (3)

[RZNJ]

1.  GRod.  I’m eager to see how he looks tomorrow.  So far, he looks like 1st half GRod and I said that after his 1st and 2nd start this spring.   If he pitches like he did last April/May it’s going to be very disappointing and make it tougher to get off to a good start.

2. Cole Irvin.  Bad start last year.   Looked great his first time out.  Scary his last two times.  His excuses don’t make sense.  He threw 94-95 with command his first start.  Now, he says he’s dialing it back to have better command.  Hmmm.   If he and GRod get off like last year, again, tough to overcome.

3. Cionel Perez.  They gave him a lot of rope last year.   Most relievers looked good this spring.   He did not.    Without Felix we need a deep bullpen with no weak links.   He’s scaring me.

 

Frankly, besides Cedric not being up to speed yet, I feel pretty comfortable with everything else.

[Pickles]

17 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

1.  GRod.  I’m eager to see how he looks tomorrow.  So far, he looks like 1st half GRod and I said that after his 1st and 2nd start this spring.   If he pitches like he did last April/May it’s going to be very disappointing and make it tougher to get off to a good start.

2. Cole Irvin.  Bad start last year.   Looked great his first time out.  Scary his last two times.  His excuses don’t make sense.  He threw 94-95 with command his first start.  Now, he says he’s dialing it back to have better command.  Hmmm.   If he and GRod get off like last year, again, tough to overcome.

3. Cionel Perez.  They gave him a lot of rope last year.   Most relievers looked good this spring.   He did not.    Without Felix we need a deep bullpen with no weak links.   He’s scaring me.

 

Frankly, besides Cedric not being up to speed yet, I feel pretty comfortable with everything else.

With this club the questions are largely going to be on the pitching side.  We should probably get used to that for the next few years.

[baltimoriole]

1) Starting pitching depth, 2) no ace reliever, 3) no “how do we get this guy out?” in the lineup.

[DirtyBird]

24 minutes ago, RZNJ said:

 

3. Cionel Perez.  They gave him a lot of rope last year.   Most relievers looked good this spring.   He did not.    Without Felix we need a deep bullpen with no weak links.   He’s scaring me.

I’m not too concerned about this. He’s replaceable and should be on a rather short leash.

[Aristotelian]

I'd say the starting pitching in general is concerning. Even with Burnes the projections seem to have him in a negative trend line with rising ERA and falling K/9. Within his range of outcomes you could see him being not much better than average. Hopefully the contract year gives him every incentive for a max effort year but the spring numbers weren't great.

Grayson definitely has some uncertainty, Wells has durability questions, and Irvin and Kremer are what they are. No idea what to expect from Means. Probably some will outperform and some will underperform adding up to about what we expect, but there is definitely potential for some ugliness.

I feel better about the bullpen but still some concerns there. 

[waroriole]

It seems a lot of teams have SP injuries early. I don’t know that our group is any worse than other teams. I’m fairly confident with SP. Grayson showed enough at the end of last year for me to feel comfortable with him at the top. It’s not like he’s the reverse Wells…

Irvin is a #5 guy. He’s gonna need the offense to pick him up. Perez is concerning for the fact they will give him an even longer leash now. But he’s easy to hide. At best he’s the 5th guy in the pen. 
 

Im thinking our offense will have to carry us early. Hope Hyder doesn’t get stuck playing the same underperforming vets every day. 

[baltfan]

I wish Burnes had looked a little more special this spring.  Very well might mean nothing, but I am a little concerned.  

[Frobby]

I can’t disagree with any of the points raised in the OP.  Still, we overcame those same issues last year.  And has there ever been a staff that started the year firing on every cylinder?

[MTMan13]

Burns is a known spring training tinkerer. He will be fine. Hoping GRod is too or else you’re right. Mike will manage the pen fine. 

[Yossarian]

My biggest concern is that the guys won't invite Joan Jett into the broadcasting booth to discuss pitching at some point this summer. 

[Safelykept]

5 hours ago, Pickles said:

With this club the questions are largely going to be on the pitching side.  We should probably get used to that for the next few years.

For all these guys that looked good first time out or not, its important to remember that they have not played a game yet, its Spring Training, Relax wait to judge when the regular season starts

[Bahama O's Fan]

I agree with these things, especially the pitching. We also don't have that "one" bat yet that strikes fear into the heart of other pitchers. Maybe Gunnar is that guy this year. I also worry about lineup decisions. With so many pieces that are similar in skill level, we could very well ride someone like Urias while he is slumping instead of bringing up someone like Mayo. 

[Matt Bennett]

9 hours ago, Aristotelian said:

Hopefully the contract year gives him every incentive for a max effort year but the spring numbers weren't great.

Why do I care about spring training numbers again? 

[Matt Bennett]

8 hours ago, baltfan said:

I wish Burnes had looked a little more special this spring.  Very well might mean nothing, but I am a little concerned.  

Hi! Spring Training games don't matter

I hope this helps! 

[Too Tall]

Burns has a track record and is only 29. I think he'll be fine.  GRod has to prove whether he's the first or second half pitcher from last year so he is a watch. Irvin just has to get us to Means. Even at less velosity, if he pitches as he did the second half, he'll be fine. Perez is a tossup and I worry about Cano too. So yea, there is always worry when it comes to the Orioles and pitching.

Then, I worry Urias and Mateo can carry over their springs into the regular season because they are apt to get more playing time than this board would like - particularly Mateo and I can read it now!!!!. That Hays isn't injured again and starts the season playing hurt. That Mullins can get on track and doesn't pull something else. That Adley and Gunner stay healthy. ...............

There is a reason I have a gifted Eeyore bobblehead by my laptop.