The Feed is up

Had some spare time today, so I've been messing around with the RSS Feed. Here's the link to my feed. or just click on the big orange logo above the links. Let me know how this is working. I'm definately not the biggest computer whiz so I'm learning as I go. Enjoy.

I can almost smell Opening Day

Here's an interesting article to start things off above the Nationals and Orioles rivalry. I don't think it's of the Mets vs. Yankees magnitude yet. Both of these teams need to get better for it be so. I'd rather see the Orioles play the Mets or the Braves than the Nats. I don't hate the Nationals, I'm indifferent to them. I thought MLB putting a team there was logical. A lot more logical than putting one in the place where old Yankees to go die, Tampa Bay. Where would they put them if DC wasn't an option? San Antonio, Charlotte, NC (I wish. It beats driving to Atlanta.), Las Vegas (Never), and Portland. Those are ones that I can think of. For the O's and Nats rivalry to get real, somone has to buy the Nationals and give them a personality. Being the stepchild of MLB and having the front office saavy this is Jim Bowden really hurts them. Today is Melvin's deadline. I don't think a deal gets done. I just don't see how. Maybe Old Pete can broker a deal, but it's highly doubtful. Luis Matos says he's ready. I was deadset on trading him as soon as possible. I've soften my stance now. If he's fully healthy, I want to see what he can do. He has a better glove than Nick Markakis right now and there's no need to rush Nick anyway. He's young and it's doubtful that we'll be in the race at the end. So let Nick sit on the bench a little and bring him along slowly. If we rush him, well...just look over at Corey Patterson and that's what could happen to him. These two links here both focus on how we have just as many questions coming out of camp as we did coming in. Questions More questions Never saw this coming The center of my very world is shaken. I wouldn't buy this with your money. This is third place team....and if their arms go down, then we could be seeing a third place finish. Here's an article on Sandy Rleal. Him and Chris Ray could be anchors in the bullpen for years if things go right. I'm excited about these two. A moment of silence.... The Orioles will release veteran infielder Desi Relaford today. The veteran hit .171 this spring with a .256 on-base percentage. This is the funniest thing I've seen in long time. Carl Pavano is hurt again. After Pavano threw one inning in a Double-A game yesterday, Joe Torre said he wasn't sure when the $40 million investment would pitch again due to a bruised rear end the pitcher suffered when he fell covering first base Tuesday night. -- New York Post Is it funny because he's a Yankee? because he has a 40 million dollar deal? because he's Pavano? because he bruised his rear end? I vote for all the above.

Who's on First? Not Javy

The great first base experiment has been put on hold. This is from the Orioles website...

I actually wanted it," said Lopez, who went into Thursday's game hitting just .125 in Grapefruit League play. "I guess the fact that I was working so much at first base during Spring Training, I kind of [cut] back my hitting. [Baltimore manager] Sam Perlozzo came up to me and told me, 'It would be a good idea just to start you as a DH so you could get your timing back as a hitter.' I totally agree with it. Lopez had trouble adjusting to his new position, so it's doubtful whether he'll ever become a full-time first baseman. The three-time All-Star had a tough time with four pickoff plays in a two-week span, throwing wide of second base and pulling the shortstop off the bag. Still, Perlozzo had said it could take as many as 75 games to get a full read on his progress. Now he's thinking a little differently. "The thought process is simple: We were really hoping he'd be a little better defensively -- and he was, early on," said Perlozzo. "As the games got going and he'd make a mistake, he'd let it compound. And consequently, thinking so much about his fielding, his hitting suffered. He had both things going against him, and neither one was getting up to standard." The Orioles, with two veterans that fit better at first base, just didn't have that kind of time. Defensively speaking, Jeff Conine and Kevin Millar are way ahead of Lopez, but the Orioles expect them to get some additional time in left field

I don't think he'll ever play a regular season game at first base. He's 35 and learning a new position doesn't seem likely to me. I'm wondering what will happen in a few weeks. Will he still have a good attitude? He's already said he doesn't want to be the everyday DH. Is he going to ask to be traded again? There's not much of a market for a 35 year old catcher making 7.5 million a year. All of this means Kevin Millar and Jeff Conine will be splitting time at first. Which I'm not crazy about, but they'll do better at first than Javy. This puts them out of the outfield which all but ensures.... Nick Markakis will most likely stay with the club. I'm guessing that he'll begin the season as the 4th outfielder with Matos, Patterson, and Gibbons starting. As the season progresses and Matos and Patterson show what they can do (or not do) Markakis will get his time. This is why I like Kevin Millar being on the O's. Kris Benson clears the air about the Mets. Season Previews SI shows us no love. Fox's shows us where everyone figures us to be. I'm surprised no one's really been talking about Chris Ray this spring. I've heard all of the negatives about the bullpen. He's had a great spring and after he gets a few major league saves under his belt, I think he'll make us forget about BJ Ryan. First AL Manager To Be Fired Or Resign Buck Showalter (Texas) 5/1 Ron Gardenhire (Minnesota) 6/1 Mike Hargrove (Seattle) 13/2 John Gibbons (Toronto) 7/1 Buddy Bell (Kansas City) 8/1 Terry Francona (Boston) 9/1 Ozzie Guillen (Chicago White Sox) 10/1 Ken Macha (Oakland) 10/1 Jon Maddon (Tampa Bay) 10/1 Sam Perlozzo (Baltimore) 12/1 Eric Wedge (Cleveland) 25/2 Jim Leyland (Detroit) 16/1 Mike Scioscia (LA Anaheim) 16/1 Joe Torre (NY Yankees) 19/1 First NL Manager To Be Fired Or Resign Bob Melvin (Arizona) 5/1 Dusty Baker (Chicago Cubs) 6/1 Clint Hurdle (Colorado) 6/1 Charlie Manuel (Philadelphia) 7/1 Frank Robinson (Washington) 15/2 Ned Yost (Milwaukee) 19/2 Jerry Narron (Cincinnati) 21/2 Phil Garner (Houston) 13/1 Joe Girardi (Florida) 15/1 Grady Little (Los Angeles) 15/1 Bruce Bochy (San Diego) 15/1 Felipe Alou (San Francisco) 15/1 Willie Randolph (NY Mets) 20/1 Jim Tracy (Pittsburgh) 20/1 Bobby Cox (Atlanta) 27/1 Tony LaRussa (St. Louis) 40/1 From PinnacleSports.com I agree with the pressure being on Buck. This is about the time where he gets canned. The Rangers made a lot moves and I think this team can do some damage (though I don't think they're quite there yet). I think he'll live to see another season. I think Dusty Baker's job is less secure than Bob Melvin's. This is his last year in Chicago if Prior and Wood can't stay healthy, which so far they can't. Willie Randolph is one who I think the pressure is on too. The Mets stockpiled their team with players who are more toward the end than the beginning of their career. While this team can hit, they have a short window. With that and a suspect pitching staff (outside of Pedro..who's banged up), I don't like their chances. John Gibbons, who I couldn't pick out of a police line up, has to win now too. If they finish 4th, I'll never know what this guy looks like. I also like how Sam Perlozzo is safer than Ozzie Guillen. Of course, I understand why. If the Sox start slumping, Ozzie's act is going to wear thin. I don't think that'll be this season though. Terry Francona is one who could get fired easiy. I know the whole steriod investigation started today, but Opening Day is almost here and there's enough steriod talk that I don't talk about it. Steriods are bad for people and the game, and that's all I have to say until this investigation starts bringing in results. Monday 3:05 pm Devil Rays at Orioles...It's almost here!

First Base not being kind to Javy

It's been a rough spring for Javy Lopez. He had his fourth error of the spring yesterday, and he's missed most of spring training because of the WBC. Count me as being one of pessimists on this one. I hope he gets it down and becomes great at first base, but I think its doubtful. With Germino Gil being designated for assignment, could signal an end for this? He'll catch 1 or 2 games a week and then he's also going to be seeing time at DH. This would free time for Millar/Conine at first, freeing up the outfield so Nick Markakis can be LF and Matos can be backup. I hope Javy at least finds his swing, his numbers have been brutal. Here's another Lopez article. It's much of the same stuff, but check out the second page where Jorge Julio sounds off. He's still upset that he lost the closer role to BJ Ryan and basically said they weren't teaching him mechanics because they didn't like him. Good ridance, he lost the closer for a reason. Jorge Julio could bean a batter and it would still over over the right fence. There's several things in here. I don't like the way some of this article sounds. With less than a week remaining before the season opener, the Baltimore Orioles appear to need a few more practice games. While the roster is beginning to take shape, some Orioles appear vastly out of baseball shape, and though these Grapefruit League games are meaningless, even Perlozzo appears a bit worried. That part right there especially and since we had ten players in the WBC and some before that in the Carribean World Series, that surprises me. We have no interest in Carlos Pena. I think if it could be done on the cheap, it would be a nice low risk/high reward deal. But I'm not going to cry over this. We're going to have Matos, Markakis, and Patterson on the roster. They didn't mention David Newhan, but before Opening Day my bet is Matos or him are traded to the Angels for a bullpen arm. Though Baltimore lost, 5-4, to the Florida Marlins on Monday, it appeared as if Perlozzo's talk had an effect. In the morning practice Tejada appeared more animated than he has all spring. He yelled at the top of his lungs while taking ground balls. He jumped up and down after committing a mistake. He sang while taking cuts before stepping into the batting cage. "I thought the guys were a lot livelier," Perlozzo said. "Every once in a while you need a little bit of a wakeup call." Let's hope it works Miguel Tejada hasn't had a great spring either. I hope he gets it back by Monday. At least he's smiling I didn't know he had the current longest games played streak in the majors with 918 and is seventh all time. MLBTradeRumors.com had this say abou the Mora situation: Melvin Mora is getting annoyed that the Orioles won't give him a huge contract extension to compensate him for a string of very lucky high batting average seasons in 2003-04. While a good third baseman, Mora is entering his age 34 season. To be fair, he's been underpaid for a while now, making $10.5MM over 2004-06. If Mora settled for a mild raise to $12MM over the next three seasons, the Orioles could perhaps come out ahead. More likely is that he'll be traded in July. Teams with questionable third base situations include the Tigers, White Sox, Twins, Phillies, and Giants. More on the bullpen and their numbers this spring Leo Mazzone: what I did on my Spring Break The Texas Rangers released Erubiel Durazo yesterday. I don't see the O's signing him. The O's have player like him in Javy Lopez. Besides, Durazo put up some bad numbers this spring. He needs to get 100% healthy and then he'd be a good addition to a team. Here's ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick and his best case/worst case scenario for teams Scroll down to BOTTOM TIER TEAMS and we're right there. Geez, that's a slap in the face. I'm not kidding myself into thinking that we're going to win the Series but seeing up lumped in with the D-Rays, the Rockies, the Marlins and the Royals is some rough stuff. We did lead the AL East for the better half of the first half year, but then again we had one of the worst second halves ever too. We'll just have to see how this teams turns out.

Deadline Friday

Friday is the deadline to resign Melvin Mora I don't see this happening. He's not budging off 10 million a year apparently. Mora's one of my favorite Orioles of all time, but I would not pay him 10 a year. I still think 3 years at 7 per is more than fair. It may in fact be too fair...but Melvin has been a pro for the O's, so he does to be slightly overpaid. The question is though, if he isn't resigned by the start of the season, what do the O's do. Mora has said he's going to test free agency. I don't see any team paying him that much in free agency. I can't even see a team with a big budget overpaying for a then 35 year old 3rd baseman. Do the O's just let him walk? Hope the market bites him and resign him on the cheap? Cough up the bucks in the offseason? Trade him this season? Personally,I'd go for the later. If he's not resigned, then trade him because this will be a problem during the season in my opinion. He's got trade value. Swap him to a team with a good farm system (like the Dodgers)and get some infield and/or pitching prospects for him. If we're not in contention at the break, that seems to be the smart plan to me. I can't see how this deal gets done. The Tigers released Carlos Pena. I'd like to see the O's take a shot at him for the bench. He'd be good insurance for Javy, who's having growing pains. I don't know much about Pena, but I'm just glad the Red Sox got Hee Sop Choi and not us. His numbers look sort of like an infield version of Corey Patterson, I don't mean that in a good way. This will be remembered as one of the worst contracts ever. 2 posts in one day, so much for saying I wouldn't have time to post much this week.

Goodbye Bags

Found a few minutes to look the Sun over today and do a quick post... Jeff Bagwell looks like he probably won't be able to play again. Hate to see this happen to him. He marks the generation of rookies who were starting when I was just a kid, so it's weird from that standpoint too. I don't like the way the Astro's front office has handled this. I know it's a business, but they were the ones who signed him to a contract that paid him 17 million when he's 37 or 38. So I don't feel any pity for them if they can't recoup their money. I just wish he could have went out on his own terms instead of this way. Jay Gibbons is a happy bird. I hope that our first baseman of the future has a breakout year. The Mets whooped up on the O's. Am I the only one who thinks this Met team is going to underachieve this year? That rotation outside of Pedro is shaky at best, and they have Jorge Julio. Enough said. I can see them finishing third in the NL East, but they'll proly get second. Marge Schott's collection is going to be auctioned off. Is it a coincedence that the Reds have stunk since she left the game? One of the more colorful owners the game has seen, even though she said some incredibly stupid things. Now its time to find out when my wisdom teeth are going out.

Off Week

Just to give you all a heads up, got a busy week this week. I may do a few posts, but I can't promise anything. I will be in full force for Opening Day on since I have the Extra Innings this season. Until then...

Curse of Davey Johnson?

Davey Johnson dropped by to see his old buddies Sam Perlozzo and Frank Robinson at their game yesterday. Johnson says he and the Orioles have patched things up. I remember that day where he won the manager of the year award and was fired the same day (Orioles say resigned, he says fired...I believe the latter). After these numbers 98 wins 64 loses and FIRST place in the AL East The Cubs have their curse of the goat, the Red Sox had the curse of the Babe. I'm wondering if we have the curse of Davey Johnson. Since he was fired, we haven't had a winning season. There's been some epic collapses and bad stuff in general. I don't believe that stuff, but it's interesting in this case. Maybe we should have gave him that extension back then, he did deserve it. Apparently Sam Perlozzo is a very likable guy. Johnson drops by to see him, Bill Parcells does too, I think Lou Pinella did (who, if Dusty Baker doesn't win this year will be the next manager of the Cubs...write it down). I think Sam's going to the best manager we've had since Davey. Though those that followed Davey didn't exactly set the world on fire. *Ray Miller managed two season going a combined 157-167 and a pair of 4th place finishies to show for his two medicore seasons as manager. I thought the two seasons that Ray ran the show, the team could have done better. Most of the same players were there and the final records were 79-83 and 78-84. Miller was the Orioles pitching coach, a job he would resume after his firing until this season hiring of Leo Mazzone, a hiring he gave his blessing to as he fights cancer. *Mike Hargrove followed Miller. He was coming off managing Cleveland to five straight AL Central titles and two World Series appearences. This was a no-brainer hire and I loved it.That would turn out to the only thing I loved about Grover's four years with the birds. Hargrove's career numbers with the O's were 274-372. His "best" season was his first going 74-88, by contrast Miller's worst was 78-84. Then in 2001 the bottom fell out and the O's dropped to 63-98 which is also the year Mussina left for the Yankees. I think Hargrove got a rotten deal in Baltimore, the front office, led by Syd Thrift, did not give Hargrove a competitive by any means. 2000 2001 2002 2003 2000 was the only year that he really had a decent team. The other three years, no manager could win with those teams. I think if Hargrove had follow Johnson and managed he would have done better. In the end, Hargrove led the Orioles to four 4th place finishes and last year took over the Mariners leading them to a 69-93. *And lest we forget Lee Mazzilli? Lee came from the New York Yankees and took over in 2003. He did break Miller and Hargrove's streak of 4th place finishes by getting 3rd in the East. He did have the Orioles in the AL East lead for several glorious months last season. He also preceded over the biggest crash and burn in the second half in recent memory. The clubhouse was in turmoil. There was Raffy and his steriods, Sidney Ponson and his numerous infractions and release from the team, there was Sammy Sosa and his attitude, Steve Kline and his mouth, Miggy and his B-12 decline in the aftermath. The clubhouse was in shambles, but Lee apparently had no control. When he was fired, he didn't even address his players. Lee's final numbers were 129-140 in less than 2 seasons of work and finishes of 3rd and 4th in the AL East. Here's hoping that Sam can have better success in Baltimore than the last three in his shoes. That went longer than I thought. Javy caught yesterday and the latest of the outfield battle. I have to think the outfield is going to be Gibbons in Right, Patterson in Center, and Markakis in Left. There's no question that Gibbons has his spot in right down. I'd rather see him at first, but maybe that'll happen next spring. Patterson, as hot and cold as he has been this spring, will be given every opportunity to succeed in Baltimore. He'll be the opening starter in Center, thus starting I'm sure the love/hate rollercoaster relationship I'm sure I'll have this season with Patterson. Markakis has had a great spring with the exception of a few games that he was in a hitting slump. I don't see how he CAN'T make the team. Luis Matos is good for a 4th outfielder and he'll have some trade value that we can use around the break. Conine/Millar would be best used at first and DH and sparingly in the OF. The outfield has potential. I think Gibby and Markakis will be good this year. It's time for Jay to have a breakout season and Nick is a player that has franchise potential. We'll see.

Gearing up for Opening Day

Opening is almost here. Rodrigo Lopez as been named starter for Opening Day. I think this was a forgone conclusion. Benson has been trying to learn new pitches and his numbers have suffered as a result. Bedard and Cabrera are still raw and not opening day stuff yet. But I bet next year Cabrera will be opening day starter. Chen is a solid 5 pitcher. Meanwhile, it's getting down to business in the camp... the Orioles cut 10 players Wednesday, leaving them with 41 players in camp. Cuts and Assignments were made today. No surprises here. Bottalico had to go, he's been a diaster this spring. 19.80 ERA. I could probably put up those numbers. Luis Lopez hasn't gotten much time this spring, but that's a cut you have to make. Glad that Penn will be in Triple-A. I don't want him to be rushed up. I'd like to see him pitch most of the season in Ottawa and then towards the end of the season, give him a call up and a few starts. Haven't seen anything else Ken Rosenthals says, The Orioles might be willing to trade left-hander Bruce Chen or even right-hander Rodrigo Lopez if they can persuade a potential suitor to overpay. By far the Orioles' biggest need is in the bullpen; they were dangerously thin even before right-hander Todd Williams was set back by shoulder and calf injuries. Outfielder Luis Matos could be traded for a reliever or for Cubs second baseman Todd Walker if the Cubs agree to balance the salaries. I don't see anyone overpaying for Chen. Chen's been around so many times...I can't see a team giving up something big for him. I could see overpaying for Lopez. But if Lopez is going to be traded, something good had better be coming our way. I know we have some good arms with a ton of potential, but Lopez is a proven arm and he can get 15-16 wins a year. If he's going to be traded, I want a sure thing in return. I could see Texas, the Reds, and maybe the Mets wanting Lopez. Miguel Tejada is happy and Daniel Cabrera is gushing about Leo. I hope Tejada's still happy by the break. As long as we're .500 or so, I think he will be. I think we'll have a good start to the season, it's just the second half I worry about. I know there's some bad broadcasters on TV, but when did Jeff Brantely make the move? I've always disliked his studio work, but I turned on Phils/Braves game and he's calling it and I loathe his booth work. I'm debating whether I'd rather hear the dynamic duo of Joe Buck and Tim McCarver over Brantely. But I'd say it's a draw because there's no winners there.

National Embarrassment

Things have gone from bad, to worse, to horrible in DC with Soriano. His trade value right now has to be next to nothing. Who wants an error prone second baseman who won't play the outfield and thinks his needs are more important than the team. This has to be one of the worst trades ever. Bowden better turn this into gold if he *chuckle* wants to keep this job went real ownership comes in. The only two teams that have a need for him that I think of is the Cubs and Mets. I can't see the Cubs giving away talent for Soriano, but I could see the Mets. If he gets traded, I think it's the Mets. Then again though, they don't have to trade him. He can sit out until he's ready to play a full year with the Nats. If I'm the Nats, I'd hold him until an offer I like comes around, beit today or next year. Let him sit out. When he's a free agent, who's going to want to give this guy a deal for more than the ten million he's make now? Here's a good column in the Post about the situation. Willy Mo will not be an O. I don't like this trade for the Red Sox. They have three pitchers- Wells 42, Wakefield 39, and Schilling 39 who are older and Wells and Schilling are going to miss time to injury. Josh Beckett will probably miss time too, if his blister problems come back... again. Matt Clement? Who knows. The Sox have been trying to pawn him off but to no avail. They resign Arroyo and he gives them the hometown discount. Management problems not to trade him during the contract...and now he has three years in Cincy. While I think Pena is good talent, can he pitch when 2 of their starters are out? I don't understand why so many writers are in love with this team this spring. The O's have put the Help Wanted sign up in the bullpen door. So far, though, there's not much available. So then do the O's turn to Hayden Penn for help? If it's a quick fix for now, it's a smart band-aid that lets him get some major league experience. But once Todd Williams gets healthy and they can find someone else, he needs to be out of the pen. There's a few things here. Brian Roberts plays today and the Cubs would love us to take Todd Walker off their hands. Good interiew at the Orioles Think Tank with Rich Lederer from Baseball Analysts.com about the O's. Here's the interview.

Willy Mo?

Saw this today. The O's are supposedly talking to the Reds about Willy Mo Pena. What are the O's going to give for Willy Mo? It's going to have to be pitching. That would mean Eric Bedard or more likely Rodrigo Lopez would be sent in return. That would then create a spot in the line up. I don't want Adam Loewen and Hayden Penn rushed to the majors. I'm not exactly comfortable with Eric Dubose as a fifth starter. I'm not opposed to adding Willy Mo, though I think he's overrated. He's young, only 24. Could this mean that they want Pena not to play left, but right. Jay Gibbons could then moved to first base. I don't think Javy Lopez is the answer at first longterm. Gibbons would make more sense. The trade would then make the outfield look like this... LF- Markakis CF- Patterson RF- Pena I like this trade because we're trading for someone under 25, but I hate the thought of trading Lopez. If you have quality pitching, you don't trade them unless you have another pitcher who is better and ready to take his place (which won't be the case until next season) or you know he's going bolt after the season. I think Lopez still has another season after this one. I'd rather have Adam Dunn. Imagine having Dunn and Patterson on the same team, the O's would lead the league in strikeouts by their wiffs alone. In the end, I'm going to wait and see on what we give up before I judge this trade (if it happens). The article also mentions the Red Sox want him... obviously they're dangling Bronzon Arroyo, who they just resigned and promised they wouldn't trade. I'm sure he feels respected by Theo and Company. If I had to chose, I'd take Rodrigo over Arroyo any day of the week. The Sox also sign Juan Gonzalez. I wonder if he stays up at night thinking about how he turned down that insane contract the Tigers signed him. He had plenty of time to think about it last season. The O's prospects have contributed this spring. Sandy Rleal has had a Rleally good spring. Mike Cameron is a trooper. That collision was the most brutal I have ever seen.

Cruel Spring for Nats, AJ, and Weaver

Two offseason moves that the O's "should have done" was to sign A.J. Burnett and Jeff Weaver. I was lukewarm on Burnett. I don't see how you can pay a pitcher with a career record of 49-50 and a lifetime ERA of 4.12 to a longterm deal at ten million per. He could be great, but at the same time.... he's had seven years in the majors. And then today, I saw this. This would be horrible for the Jays if it was serious, since he was their BIG signing. Jeff Weaver was another one peopele were saying we should have signed. I thought we should have too. I thought giving him a 3 year deal with about 7 per sounded ok. Weaver's an all right pitcher, who has an averages 218 innings a season. Then I saw this today. Jeff Weaver has one strikeout among the 49 batters he has faced this spring reports the LA Times. That's not good, even for spring training. If I remember right, the reason we didn't sign Weaver was because we'd have to give the Dodgers draft picks as compensation and since we had already done that with the Padres for Ramon Hernadez, we weren't going give up more picks. In retrospect, We could have broke the bank and signed Burnett to a 5 year/55 million dollar deal and Weaver to a 3 year 21-24 million deal, but with so much being said about Loewen, Penn, and the arms that are in our rotation, Bedard and Cabrera; would it have been smart to sign a Burnett at that much? I think Burnett capitalized by being the "best pitcher" in a very weak free agent class. If he was a free agent next season, I bet he wouldn't have gotten as much. The worst case scenario has happened for the WBC. The Nats can't catch a break. First they lose Brian Lawrance for the season and Jose Guillen and Angel Guzman are banged up. There's the Soriano situation as well. This may not be a capital season for the Nationals. Sorry for the bad pun. More on the Mora situation. Perlozzo wants a compromise. I know he's taking a little flak from some papers for talking about the negotations publicly, but I don't. Mora can talk about them publicly, so why can't Sam. Besides, I find Sam's view on it refreshing. By the way, Mora's been on tear since 2 hr in the past 2 games. Everyone who's coming back to camp from the WBC isn't getting any rest. I find Javy's first game back troubling. I hope the move to first works, but somehow I see a trade happening...especially if he has more games like that. Brian Roberts is ready to go....so they say anyway. Cuba beat the Dominican Republic in WBC action today, which means Miguel Tejada and Daniel Cabrera will back in camp. Now I can breathe a sigh of relief.

Friday Buffet

Pencil the Baltimore Orioles as a potential trading partner for the Red Sox. Word is the Orioles would move Luis Matos, who could give the Sox some speed off the bench and someone who can hit lefties (.834 OPS last season) while giving them an experienced extra outfielder. The Orioles continue to have some interest in Tony Graffanino as they await word on Brian Roberts' readiness.Source: Providence Journal If I had to pick between Graffanino and Todd Walker, I'd rather have Todd Walker. Two reasons, since we're not trading for an everyday second baseman, I can deal with Walker's lack of defense for a week or two. Then when Brian Roberts is back, Walker can spilt time between first and DH. Secondly, I don't Matos to somehow get good in a new change of scenery and bite us in Boston. I'd rather him go to the Cubs and the NL where it doesn't matter. David Newhan has been having a great spring after last year's nightmare season. Glad to see it. I think he can bring alot in from the bench. As long as he doesn't let his emotions get the best of him, he can be a good ultity man. Kris Benson's Spring has been getting better. From Joe Sheenan off Baseball Prospectus Some of these players are here because of things in their performance record, while others because of skills they possess, or changes in their environment. They range from young to old, hurler to hitters, superstars to guys just trying to get some love. All of them, however, are my guys * Daniel Cabrera: This might have had more visceral impact if I'd run the column before Cabrera threw four no-hit innings against Venezuela on Tuesday. Nevertheless, that outing was an indication of what Cabrera can do when his command is right. He struck out nearly a batter an inning last season, while almost doubling his K/BB and G/F ratio and lowering his HR rate slightly, and he did all of this without being overworked. I believe we've mentioned that he has a new pitching coach with some success in his background. I even traded Aaron Hill for him over the weekend. Cabrera's upside is "All-Star Game starter," and I think he could get there as early as July. * Corey Patterson: This may be an idiosyncratic pick for an OBP-is-life guy. Patterson, though, is capable of being a very good player in the Devon White mold, hitting .280/.330/.450 with very good defense and 10-15 net steals a year. He absolutely had to get out of Chicago, where the Cubs spotlighted their mishandling of Patterson by acquiring Juan Pierre, the player they wanted Patterson to be, over the winter. In a new league with a new team and a different set of expectations, Patterson--just 26--can get back to being the player he is. The Orioles have to do their part by batting him sixth or seventh, living with the strikeouts, and trying to help him improve on the margins: improving his pitch recognition so that he can get his K/BB ratio into the acceptable 3-to-1 or 4-to-1 range. I agree. Moreso with Cabrera than Patterson though. Patterson has flopped already, though he was rushed into the show. He gets rattled easily and his "It's only a game" quote last year makes me wonder if sometimes his heart isn't it. BUT he has had a good spring and maybe the move to Baltimore is just what he needs. Just as long as he doesn't bat lead off and we can handle having someone who may lead the league in strikouts, he may finally live up to his hype. Cabrera has only showed flashes of what he can do and with the way he's pitched in the classic and working with Leo may make him an ace. I think he can win 20 games if he has the run support. He's like Pedro Martinez and Carlos Zambrano, in my opinion...or can be. I'm glad to see him getting a lot attention. We'll see how this season plays out for both. I think Patterson's numbers will be something like this, .265 average 23 homeruns 84 RBI and 29 SB, along with 125 Strikeouts. Here's Patterson's strike out numbers over the past few seasons. 2002 142 2003 77 (only played 83 games) 2004 168 2005 118 I don't see this changing.

Mora Drama, Mora the Same?

The Melvin Mora contract situation is getting ugly. I certainly think Melvin deserves a raise. He's performed great on the field and he's been a leader off of it. Without Mora, I doubt Miguel Tejada would be an Oriole today. Melvin Mora was the only active Oriole to attend Elrod's funeral. I worry though where he says that he's not scared to try the free agent market. I would hope Bengie Molina has taught everyone a lesson. I certainly don't know what numbers that the O's have bounced off Mora's agent though. He has performed at a level as other third basemen making 10 and 11 mil a year, but he'll be 35 when next season starts. I don't see how a team would offer him a huge deal. The only way this will have a happy ending is if both decide to meet in the middle. A 3 year deal at 7 per sounds fair to me. There can be incentives that kick the deal up if plays in most of the games or has 90 rbis or something. I was talking about Doc Gooden last night. It's a tragedy what happened to both him and Darryl Strawberry. Check out their numbers, Doc had that unhuman 1985. 16 Complete games and 1.85 era. Doc Gooden's Career Numbers Darryl Strawberry's Career Numbers What stands out to me about Strawberry is that after age 29 he only played in 100+ games one more season and over 60 twice. Then again suspensions will do that to a career. Eric Bedard doesn't seem to be a real people person. As long as he pitches well, it doesn't bother me. Unless he gets like a few players we had last year, of course. Daniel Cabrera pitched lights out last night. The more I think about it, the more I think he has a breakout season Looks like it's strike three for the old Tiger Stadium. The thought of a flea market in a baseball stadium seems some what tacky to me as well.

Midnight snacks

Alton Sports has an O's preview. Very indepth, a tad dated since they're talking about Walter Young though. They're not very optimistic, but I disagree. Eric Bedard got SHELLED against the Mets. Three good innings, but the fourth was horrid. It's only spring training.... Brian Roberts is only one week away from game action. Yesterday he was having his swings cut back and now they're saying he's only seven days from playing in a game. I don't know, I'd rather have him NOT play in spring training and get that shoulder right. Check out page two on this article Franklyn Gracesqui is being sent down to the minors after his fastball didn't hit the advertised 99 mph. According to The Providence Journal, the search could include Wells. The paper reported the Rangers have discussed his availability with Boston, which has been shopping the lefty off and on all winter. Rangers officials did not comment on the possibility of looking outside the organization for a fifth starter. This seems to be a very bad fit to me. David Wells and Texas summers? Sounds like a receipe for heatstroke. Maybe he can sweat off a few pounds if this unlikely trade happens. My grandkids didn't live to see the day, but the Nationals finally have a stadium plan done. Doc Gooden goes to show that the mighty can fall even further. Strawberry and him have to be two of the most tragic sports figures of my generation. I'm trying to think of some others, but I stayed out tonight and I should go to bed. I'll get back to this topic tomorrow.

Luis Matos may need a realtor.

Corey Patterson has had a great spring. Nick Markakis has made it clear that he's going to be in the Oriole outfield sooner rather than later. David Newhan, yes...even David Newhan has a .455 average so far. Luis Matos is sitting on the bench...in the WBC. I see an outfield this season of Gibbons in rightfield, Patterson in center, and a platoon of Millar/Conine/ and Newhan in left. Markakis will probably start the season in the minors but by midseason, I bet he's with the club. Personally, I'd like to see Napoleon Calzado make the team this year. Calzado's Total Numbers I don't think he's going to be a star, he's 28 and he should already have established himself as a major league player, but I think he'd be a good addition to the bench. He had a good stay in Ottawa, and he can steal bases too. Back to Matos though, he's probably going to be traded. I don't understand why he's doing the classic. He's not starting and his job is in major jeopardy. You'd think he'd be in camp trying to beat out Corey Patterson. I hope he gets traded for a lefty for the bullpen. Melvin Mora may need contacts. Much has been made of Adam Loewen's start in the WBC. He's got good stuff, but he does get himself in some bad situations. Here's why he needs to get things under control this year or the O's are going to be in a bind. Here's another article about Loewen. Finally, here's his minor league stats. Brian Roberts is having to slow down his rehab. There's not much left on the remaining free agent scrap heap. This hasn't been updated since Desi Relaford is playing for us. I'm going to guess and say the Roberts misses the first two weeks of the season. Do the O's start Chris Gomez for two weeks? Swing a trade with a team with the Cubs, who have 3 2nd basemen Sign an aging un-retired Roberto Alomar or another non-tendered player? I think Gomez would be fine to start for a few weeks. If Roberts is going to miss more than a couple weeks, then maybe someone else should be brought in. If we never did that wretched Sammy Sosa trade, Jerry Hairston would still be around and this wouldn't be a problem. I went a little longer than I thought, hope that keeps you busy for awhile.

Baltimore Laugh Factory

Forgot to post this earlier, According to the Baltimore Sun Sam Perlozzo has the clubhouse in stitches. This is the kind of story I like to see. Last year during the second half of the year, the Oriole clubhouse was such a bitter and bad place to be. There was Sosa and his prima donna act. There was Raffy his steriod scandal, which drug down Miggy, Sidney Ponson had one DUI too many and got the boot, Steve Kline moaned all year, Brian Roberts had his gruesome shoulder injury. Lee Mazilli got canned and that first half AL East lead evaporated and the losing kept coming. The Oriole clubhouse was not the Fun Capital of baseball last season. Considering all this, I'm sure it's kept a free agent or two away this off season. This is why I think LaTroy Hawkins and Kevin Millar were great additions this offseason regardless of what they do on the field. It seems as though the clubhouse this year is going to be a 180 from last year. It sounds as though Perlozzo is a more personable person than Mazilli was, and the team definately needs a looser atmosphere than last year. I wonder if they told the one yet where Sosa, Ponson, and Raffy were on a plane and there was only one parachute left?

Where have all the Catchers gone?

Who wants to strap on the old gear and crouch behind homeplate for 27 outs of a baseball game. Not as many people as you'd thinking. USA Today has a great article today about the diminishing number of quality catchers in all levels of baseball. I think of the catcher as the quarterback of the team. He's got to call the game and keep the pitcher calm. It's not a glamorous position, that's part of the problem. Who wants to wear out their knees behind homeplate when you could be Center Field? Catchers take an unreal beating. After reading this, I'm not surprised that the largest number of players who later became managers were catchers in their playing days. Try to think of a young catcher outside of Joe Mauer and Jonny Estrada. It's pretty hard. Here's the article Not sure what our plans for First base are after the season, but it won't be Nick Johnson and I'd be stunned if the Cubs don't resign Derek Lee. I think the O's are doing a smart thing playing Val Majewski at first base during spring training. The market for first base is going to be thin next off-season, so it's probably going to be Majewski or a trade. I can only hope they don't trade for Hee Seop Choi. The bullpen needs help, but Hayden Penn and Adam Loewen aren't in the plans says Sam. The bullpen definately needs help. LaTroy Hawkins is a good middle relief guy, as long as he DOES NOT CLOSE. Todd Williams is ok. I think Chris Ray is going to be a good reliever, but outside of those 3 and maybe Eric Dubose, the bullpen is definately thin. I'd rather have Penn and Loewen get some more minor league time in and ease them into the majors. The O's now have a two game spring training win streak

Sunday leftovers

The Orioles won today. Betting the New York Mets 3-2 in ten innings. Here's the recap On a random note, I have NEVER met a Mets fan. That may have to do with the fact that I live in South Carolina, but then again there are Yankee fans down here. I'm eagerly awaiting to see Alfonso Soriano return to Nationals camp. There's no way the Nats play him at second base. Maybe the Nats should have communicated to Soriano before the trade was done that they were making the deal so he'd be an OF. But they didn't have to. Soriano didn't have a no-trade clause or a clause barring him to play the outfield. Whether at second base or in the outfield, he's still making ten million dollars this year. I think there's no way he stays in DC. Speaking of second basemen I wouldn't want, I could really see Soriano getting traded to the Mets. I'd rather have Soriano instead of Kaz Matusi; but only for his bat. The Nats definately won't get a fair deal for Soriano. They'll probably get a quarter to the dollar, IF they're lucky. What to do with a cranky second baseman who doesn't what to play outfield? Daniel Cabrera pitched great last night in the WBC. I'm really excited about our rotation. Of all of them though, I think Cabrera is gonna be a beast this year the Sun has a good bit about him here I'm wondering about this Barry Bonds things. If there's proof without a doubt that he's used steriods. What do you do? Do you toss out his numbers? Toss them out completely or to 1997 or 1998? Asterick his numbers? Bar him from the game? If you toss out the numbers, do you wipe his MVP awards out with them? This is hard because this is a precedent. This is going to be the biggest thing Bud Selig will be remembered by. He's done some great things for the game, though I think he's over-expanded the league and there was that strike thing (though it wasn't COMPLETELY his fault). Fans are going to forget about everything if he fumbles this. I'm going to wait and see what else comes out before I make my personal judgement on Barry's fate, but right now I think they should be thinking about an asterick.

Corey Patterson, The Royals, and Kris Benson

I think Corey Patterson is going to be a steal for the Orioles. Last season with the Cubs he played as bad as humanly possible. Then he got sent to the minors and damaged his fragile ego beyond repair. Patterson went from being the face of the future for the Cubs to being a pariah. The Cubs had to unload him, so the O's gave up utility prospect Nate Spears and Single A pitcher Carlos Perez. Neither Spears or Perez were top prospects, so their loss will barely be noticed. You don't lose talent, sometimes you just forget you have it. That may be the case for Patterson. He got off to a bad start this spring and now he's batting .263. If he can bat .270 this season, I'll be thrilled. He tries for the long ball too much. As long as he gets ON base, that's all I want. He's got speed. I think he'll steal 30 bases this season. Patterson is loaded with talent. If he can keep his head in the game, cut down on his strike outs, and learn to take walks, then he COULD be the answer for centerfield.Then again Cub fans thought this too. We'll see....but I'm optimistic. Corey Patterson's Stats The Baltimore Sun has a good article about Patterson I was wondering about this today, so I looked it up. The Kansas City Royals got named after the old Kansas City Negro League Monarchs. For more fun facts about the Royals Everything about the Royals that wanted to know but you were too scared to ask The Washington Post has an article about Kris Benson learning new pitches. Sort of what I posted yesterday from ESPN, but longer. More on Benson

Another Spring Loss

I did some changes this afternoon so everyone can comment, sorry about that. Big thanks to BaseballMusings.com for the link today. As I had stated early, I'm NOT concerned about spring training results. Kris Benson got roughed up by the Fish today. Again, I'm not overly concerned. Benson is learning new pitches this spring, so he could have some brutal numbers this spring and be a better pitcher for it. If he comes out of with SIX pitches. It'll be worth it. This is from the recap from ESPN.com Working with pitching coach Leo Mazzone, Benson hopes to dazzle AL foes with an expansive selection of throws that will include a changeup, cut fastball and curveball. "There really isn't an exact science why I'm doing it. I just want to get better," he said. "I feel like if I want to get to the next level this is what I have to do. If I get out of camp with just two of the three pitches instead of all three of them, then I'm still happy that I have two more weapons than I did in the past." Unfortunately, Benson doesn't yet have command of those pitches. That's the main reason he's got a 9.00 ERA after two starts. "Pretty much just everything isn't sharp," Benson said. "The three pitches that I've learned this year just aren't where I need them to be, which is understandable. I'm just trying to get those pitches in as much as I can into a live situation. I've still got four or five more starts, so I'm not worried about it." Today's loss drops the O's to 2-7 and the Marlins to 8-1. Speaking of the Marlins...How many of them do you recognize? There's a few that I've heard of because they're prospects and that doesn't count. Kerry Ligtenberg is the only Marlin I recognize. That's from watching thousands of Braves games on TBS. Shouldn't there be a few vets on this team to give some advice to these youngsters? I think there's a lot of talent here, I think there'll be some bad years here too. I wonder how the Marlins fans feel? You got your blown apart completely for the SECOND time. Your stadium stinks. Your owner is trying to move. You got two World Series to remember. If I was a Marlin fan, I'd buy the World Series DVDs and a Devil Ray hat; cause you might need a new team to root for soon. The USA tore up South Africa today in the WBC with Ken Griffey Jr. hitting 2 homeruns and Derek Lee going yard too. I heard part of this driving home on XM today. Barry Bonds was in the booth with Mike Schmidt and Joe Castilanno. Guess it was a PR move. Nothing of note to mention.The NETHERLANDS no hit Panama. Shairon Martis' no hit them on exactly 65 pitches...which is the pitch limit.

Friday Roundup

Just a few things that caught my eye today Kevin Millar's fitting in well I can't link to it since it's a register only article at the Atlanta Journal Constitution, According to Braves GM John Schuerholz in his new book "Built to Win," The Braves traded for Barry Bonds in 1992. The Pirates would have sent Bonds to Atlanta for reliever Alejandro Pena, Keith (not Kevin) Mitchell, and a prospect to be named. I've always liked the Braves since they're the "hometown team." If the O's play the Braves, I root for the Orioles though. The plug was pulled on this trade because Jim Leyland flipped out. So Ted Simmons, then Pirates GM, caved. though it was a smart move to cave in this case. Keith Mitchell's career numbers Alejandro Pena's Career Numbers If this trade happened would history be changed? Would Bonds combined with the Braves pitching would the Braves ruled the 90's instead of the Yanks? If the Braves did crank out 5 or 6 World Series wins, would that have satisfied Barry and prevented him from his current "situation?" Would Leyland have snapped? The Orioles play the Marlins today in spring training. We're 2-6 in the Grapefruit League so far. It's too much a concern for me right now. All of our starters except Kris Benson are in the World Classic. Tejada and Lopez are playing as well, so it's hard to judge anything one thing I can judge, Ricky Bottalico is not going to help the O's, unless he's pitching for the other team. So far, 2 innings pitched 36.00 ERA, 8 hits 8 earned runs 8 runs 3 homeruns 3 BB and NO Strike outs. That's I got for now.

Infield Predictions

Here's what I'm predicting the infield fares this season. 1st Base Javy Lopez .280 25 hr 81 rbi -Playing at 1st and DH should keep him healthy Jeff Conine .278 8 hr 41 rbi -Will be splitting time at 1st, OF, and probably DH. Kevin Millar .269 7 hr 43 rbi -Like Conine, he'll be playing three different positions 2nd Base Brian Roberts .282 15 hr 72 rbi -Should be able to play Opening Day or shortly after. He should come back strong after 2005's gruesome season-ending shoulder injury. I'm not sure he'll put up numbers as good as he was, but I think he'll be close ShortStop Miguel Tejada .286 31 hr 107 rbi -After a bad second half of '05 and a wild off season, I think he'll come out with something to prove. As long as he doesn't let his emotions get the best of him, he should rebound well. 3rd Base Melvin Mora .285 25 hr 83 rbi -Though he hit had as many homeruns in '05 as he did in '04, his rbi went from 104 to 88. Mora is starting to decline a little, but I don't think it'll show much this year. I think the O's have one of the better infields in baseball, though there are questions about each player. How will Javy adapt to playing first, will he like it, will he be traded? How will Roberts come back from his injury and can he repeat his 2005 performance? Will Tejada stay happy or will he asked to be traded again? Can he rebound from his rough second half of 2005. Will Mora start decling and how will his contract extension(0r lack there of) affect his play? We'll just have to see how this plays out.

this and that

Just a few quick hits... Richard Hidalgo was released by the O's. Turns out he wasn't happy with having to compete for a job and having to sign a minor deal. It was a low risk/high reward deal, so I give the front office for trying. Word is he's going to play in Japan for the money. It's ok though, an outfielder with a bad attitude (Sammy Sosa) and a sense of entitlement(Sammy Sosa) is not what this team needs. (At least Sammy Sosa had BEEN a good player before he went to the O's). Nick Markakis has had a good spring so far, so he could possibly make the team out of spring training. I think it'd be better than using Millar and Conine as everyday players. David Wells shot his mouth off about Selig. Some of the highlights from Tubby: -Nobody likes him - he's a piece of garbage - he should resign After saying this, I'm sure Boomer went and had a few beers, demanded a trade, and started a bar fight. Bruce Chen pitched well for Panama and Adam Loewen has shut down the USA through 3 innings! Hate to see the USA losing, but it's nice to see one of our future pitchers doing great. Baseball's ray of sunshine, Barry Bonds was not at spring training today to address the book that has exposed him to anyone who's had their head in a hole. He's at "custody hearing." Sure, Barry. Don't let the door hit your giant head on the way out.

O's pitching in the WBC

Eric Bedard and Rodrigo Lopez pitched well in their WBC debuts. Bedard pitched 4 innings in Canada's 11-8 win over South Africa. His line is pretty impressive, 2 hits, 2 walks, 6 strike outs, and no runs in his 4 innings of work. The only thing that keeps me from getting too excited over this was the fact that he was pitching against South Africa. Their line up isn't anything to close to the US, Dominican, or even Italy. I'll be more excited when he has those numbers against a more established baseball country with major leaguers on their rosters. Rodrigo Lopez pitched 4 innings in Mexico's 2-0 loss to the USA. He gave up 3 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 1 strike out...which is very impressive considering he was facing the best the MLB had to offer (that didn't pull out). Bruce Chen's pitching now, and thanks to a short day at work I can watch. Though he got in a little bit of a jam at the bottom of the third, but he's had 2 really short innings. Nothing spectacular, but solid so far. So far the starters are looking pretty good playing against some good competition. Adam Loewen pitches this afternoon against the USA, it'll definately be an interesting game to watch.

Kirby and Barry

The past two days have been sad days for baseball. Kirby Puckett died yesterday and today it appears that everything may have finally caught up with America's sweetheart, Barry Bonds. I first really got into baseball in 1991 when the Braves and Twins met in the World Series. I was partial to the Braves since they were technically my hometown team...although they were a state and a few hours away. Even though the Braves lost, I came out that series liking Kirby Puckett. He was one of a kind, one of the rare players couldn't root against, even if he was playing your team. Tragically he left the game too early and after that it just seemed that part of him died. His problems after baseball are well-documented, but I remember him for Game six and seven of that series. Goodbye Kirby, the game won't see another one like you. And then there's Barry Bonds. It's something everyone's thought at one point, I know I have. It's a stark contrast with Kirby Puckett. You could tell Kirby wasn't on steriods. He had the build of a barrel. Over the past few seasons Barry went from the skinny guy who played for the pirates who could steal bases. Now he's a homerun machine with the mobility of a tank. Now it's all come on Barry. I'll post more on this later, but now Kirby has his time.

First Post

Hello. I'm Ben and this is my very first post. I've been an Oriole fan since I was a kid, through the good and bad. Lately (the past 8 years) it's been more bad than good, but a new season is starting up and I've got some hope. Though I'm going to focus on the O's mostly, I will post about other teams and baseball in general. Let's just say 75%-25% O's. Now with Introductions out of the way, Let's jump into the Season Preview. I think pitching is the MOST important part of a team. You can have all the biggest bats in baseball, but if your pitching stinks, you're going to have to win a homerun derby every night. The O's pitching last year was inconsistent, I don't think it was bad. Injuries took it's toll and there was Sidney Ponson and everything was sucked into the downward spiral that was the second of the O's 2005 season of doom. It was like a rollercoaster, only it started by going up pretty high and then started going down fast and ended up crashing and burning . I went down to Atlanta (the closest MLB town to South Carolina) to see the O's play. Which was when the O's still held the lead, but it was fading fast. Bruce Chen was pitching and left the game hurt and the O's lost in the bottom of the ninth on an Andruw Jones homer. I also got my left finger jammed on a foul ball that was tossed in the stands and ended up losing. Painful day all around. Here's a quick look at our pitchers: Starters Daniel Cabrera Kris Benson Rodrigo Lopez Erik Bedard Bruce Chen Bullpen Chris Ray LaTroy Hawkins Todd Williams Franklyn Gracesqui Aaron Rykers (out for season) Tim Byrdak I didn't include Adam Loewen and Hayden Penn in here because they'll more than likely start the year in AA or AAA barring a monster spring. The starting rotation has potential. Cabrera has a ton of potential. He does have a few control problems, but I think he's going to be one of the ones who benefit the most from the Mazzone signing. He's raw and needs someone like Leo to get him to the next level. I predict he'll have a terrific season. I'm gonna say he wins 16. Bedard is one who could go either way. I've read, for whatever its worth, that he can be a little bullheaded. I don't care if he's bullheaded if he wins 15-20 games, as long as he's not a distraction. This season is the biggest for him I think. He's getting to what should be his prime and with Career Totals 0f 12 18 4.31, well that's something that's going to have to improve. My prediction...eh, 13. Benson, who was obtained in a steal of a trade, is a solid addition. He could be classified as a disappointment over his career, since he a was a number one pick from Clemson. But he's always been average. With a new pitching coach, he could be better. Though he's now in the AL where the bats are usually bigger and Camden Yards which is less forgiving than Shea. For the year, I bet he has a stellar, though unspectacular 15 wins. Chen who's hardly ever been with a team long enough to unpack starts the year after a solid 2005 five. Chen has been with 8 teams over his 8 year career (as well as two stops with the Mets and Phils). He began his career with the Braves and worked with Leo then. With the Braves he never was a regular starter, so I can't rely those numbers with Mazzone to predict the year. I'm guessing a 13 and 9 year. He's always been an average pitcher and in this point I don't see him really going to a different level. You could say the same about Benson, but I've read he's always been a 2 pitch pitcher and now he's learning from Leo, so I think he'll be better than Chen. Lopez can win 15 games and everyone seems to want to ship him off for a medicore bat or an aging slugger. Over the past two year he's won 29 games with teams that weren't that great. Yeah, his ERA jumped from 3.59 to 4.90 last year. That's a huge jump, but I don't think it's a cause for concern. He's going to win 15-16 games this year and maybe this year it gets noticed. I don't think there's going to be a 20 game winner this year. If there is, it'll likely be Lopez or Cabrera. As great as the Mazzone signing is, I don't thinking it's going to change things overnight. Mazzone's impact with be seen more, in my opinion, on the pitchers we haven't seen yet: Penn, Loewen, etc. The Bullpen is a question mark. Ray is going to be a stud closer. I'd rather him closer at AAA this year. But I'd rather have him to close than Hawkins. Hawkins is a great setup guy. As a closer though, he'll break your heart. Rykers is out, Williams is aching. I'd like to see a little more depth here. I think we'll be ok, but I miss B.J. Ryan. I'm optimistic about this staff, the pitching will definately be the key this season. If they pitch to their potential, then it'll be a winning season. But if they underachieve, my prediction will look stupid and it'll be nine in row. In the next few days I'll preview the infield.