What they're saying about the Orioles
A roundup of national media coverage
Baltimoresun.com staff
8:13 PM EST, February 14, 2008
With spring training under way, here's a roundup of what the national media are saying about the Orioles:
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark polled 22 baseball executives about the most-improved American League teams. And one person picked the Orioles:
Believe it or not, we got a real, live vote for the Orioles on this "most-improved" list. Nah, not because of temporary insanity. Just because, in the words of the exec who cast it, at least they've "finally accepted that they were going nowhere and had to make big changes."
However, overall, the Orioles received the second-most votes for the AL's most unimproved team.
Stark names the Orioles' deal that sent Miguel Tejada to the Astros one of the offseason's best trades:
Orioles get three excellent young arms (Troy Patton, Matt Albers and Dennis Sarfate), plus the useful Luke Scott and a third-base prospect with power potential (Mike Costanzo), from Houston for a player (Tejada) who got scorched by the Mitchell Report about 20 minutes after the press conference. "If they'd just waited two days," one of our panelists said of the Astros, "wouldn't the price tag have gone down dramatically?"
Stark also names Adam Jones as one of his rookies to watch.
SI.com's Jon Heyman wonders whether Orioles owner Peter Angelos could kill a potential deal sending second baseman Brian Roberts to the Chicago Cubs:
There is now a feeling in Orioles land that Angelos may be balking at the negotiated haul for Roberts, which according to sources, is a very fair three-player package of young pitcher Sean Gallagher, outfielder Matt Murton and infielder Ronny Cedeno. There is also a sense that Angelos has an unreasonable attachment to Roberts, who may well remind the owner of himself: a little guy who's scrapped his way to the top of his profession (no, not baseball; Angelos is at the top of the legal profession, at least in terms of dollars earned).
Joel Sherman of FoxSports.com names Roberts one of five players being showcased:
With Miguel Tejada and Erik Bedard traded, Roberts is now next in Baltimore's long-needed rebuilding program. The Roberts-to-the-Cubs rumors are likely to persist throughout the spring.
Scott Miller of CBSSports.com offers his take on the Orioles:
The Orioles finished just three games ahead of Tampa Bay last summer and should be passed by the Rays in '08. Still, best sign of the times for the Birds: The Erik Bedard trade with Seattle went through. Look, losing one of the most little-known best pitchers in the game won't be easy. But, and a big but here: That the rumors that owner Peter Angelos was going to quash the trade turned out to be false is the best news O's fans could hope for. This is a train wreck of an organization. We know the Angelos way won't work. We think the way of president Andy MacPhail can work -- but only if Angelos backs off. There isn't enough pitching to compete in the division -- even God and Leo Mazzone couldn't fix that. The O's need to build from the ground up, hoarding as much young talent as possible. Adam Jones, the young center fielder acquired from Seattle, is a start.
Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports previews the AL East. Here's what he says about the Orioles:
After a decade of being pleased that the baseball gods sent them the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, keeping them out of a nice string of last-place finishes, the Orioles appear committed to shaking the Etch-A-Sketch. There's still the Peter Angelos factor to consider. The man's pushing 80, and who starts over at 80? But, seeing as his Orioles probably aren't in a position to make up 27 games on the Red Sox, and Andy MacPhail has a reasonable -- if overdue (not his fault) -- long-term course in mind, maybe it's time for Angelos to lift his feet and let his baseball people carry him along.
Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein names his top-100 prospects on SI.com. Four Orioles made the list:
12. Matt Wieters, C, Orioles: A switch-hitting catcher with power and defensive chops, the Orioles surprised many by taking the expensive Scott Boras client with the fifth pick in last June's draft, and then gave him $6 million to sign.
44. Chris Tillman, RHP, Orioles: Now the best arm in the Baltimore system following the Erik Bedard trade, Tillman had California League scouts drooling because of his power-pitcher's frame, mid-90s velocity, and biting slider.
75. Chorye Spoone, RHP, Orioles: A wide-bodied righty, Spoone can generate strikeouts and groundballs with equal effectiveness; it's pronounced 'Cory' when you select him in your fantasy draft.
85. Radhames Liz, RHP, Orioles: The best pure arm in the Baltimore system hits the mid-90s with regularity and has a knee-buckling curve, but poor mechanics and control have most seeing him as an eventual late-innings reliever.
Former Orioles
ESPN.com's Stark names Tejada's debut in Houston one of spring's most intriguing story lines:
Will he be allowed in the country? Is he about to get indicted? Is the Mitchell Report true? And assuming Tejada can slalom past all those questions, there's this one: Can he still play? He'd better have a big year in him, or the Astros are in major agua caliente.
Stark says the Mariners now have one of the AL's best one-two punches with the acquisition of Bedard:
It seemed as if it took the Mariners somewhere around a century to trade for Erik Bedard. But now that this deal is finally done, Bedard and Felix Hernandez loom as the AL's most terrifying top-of-the-rotation tag team.
FoxSports.com's Dayn Perry says Corey Patterson, who is still a free agent, can help a team in need of outfield depth:
On balance, Patterson didn't put up strong numbers last season, but he's got three things going for him. One, he's a plus defender at a key position, two, he hit a respectable .313 AVG/.333 OBP/.458 SLG in the second half, and, three, he's still only 28. For someone in need of help in center, Patterson's worth a flyer. At the very least, he could make a quality fourth outfielder/left-handed bat off the bench.
