I’m getting cocky, we’re just two days into the Orioles season and I feel like I’ve got the answers to the burning questions that O’s fans had after leaving Sarasota and beginning the 2010 season in Tampa Bay. From the state of Brian Roberts, to Nolan Reimold‘s achilles and Miguel Tejeda‘s switch to third. I’ve got my orange crystal ball and I’m here to fill you in with my two days of observations.
Brian Roberts back – Despite what B-Rob is saying on the radio and to members of the media, I’m optimistically cautious. Like that term? I just came up with it. I believe that Roberts is feeling better and that he’s being honest, despite the fact that he’s still looking for his first hit, but it’s too easy to tweak your back at second base or taking a big swing at the plate. I do like the acquisition of Julio Lugo, should Roberts go down. The move does lead me to believe that the Orioles are some what concerned about Roberts going down. I’m hoping for the best and honestly I wouldn’t be surprised either way.
Nolan Reimold’s achilles – Last night I saw Reimold beat out a fielder’s choice and avoid a double play in typical Nolan style; hunched over, screaming down the first base line – all was well. Fans were skeptical about Nolan’s rehab and thinking that he may even begin the season on the disabled list to regain confidence as he struggled at the plate early in the spring. Don’t worry, he’s back to normal and that’s a great thing for the club.
Miguel Tejeda’s transition – If there’s one thing I’m 100% confident in, it’s Tejeda at third. Two games, lots of leather and zero bad throws. I know he’ll make some mistakes, but so far he’s fielding the position very naturally, throwing shots to first base and getting solid jumps on ground balls. A few plays already stick out in my mind, including a solid double play last night in the 2nd inning.
Garrett Atkins in general – Since his arrivial to Baltimore, fans have expressed their concerns with Garrett Atkins play at first and definitely his performance at bat. He had some successful at the plate with the Rockies, but struggled his past couple years. So far I haven’t seen enough to think he’s turning things around or that he’s going to flop. He hasn’t shown me anything great at the plate, besides an RBI double last night in the top of the 9th and he was a part of a controversial play on the base paths on Opening Day when he left third base on a ground ball hit to Evan Longoria by Brian Roberts. I still don’t blame him for going on contact in that scenario, it was Roberts fault for hitting it to the only spot on the field that wouldn’t produce an RBI. But I digress…
Felix Pie’s health – Yesterday marked Felix Pie‘s second injury in as many weeks. We talked about his injury in spring training and last night Roch Kubatko reported that Pie would be sitting the O’s second game of the season with a shoulder injury. I wouldn’t worry too much about Felix, Dave Trembley was confident enough to use him as a pinch runner for Garrett Atkins in the 9th.
What questions do you have for my orange crystal ball?
Zach
Roberts has killed them in 2 games. I'll say it once again. He hit .136 (8 for 59) with RISP and 2 outs last season. This team CANNOT afford these type of losses and not hitting in the clutch is killing them.
Reimold is a liability in LF right now and is not 100%. It's obvious. Even Palmer pointed it out. Two of those doubles TB hit last night needed to be caught, especially the Longoria 2 run 2B that gave them the lead.
I agree that Tejada has done well so far. I will say that a few of the balls have eaten him up a bit but his big arm can make up for that. I see no reason the won't become more comfortable as the season progresses.
It was Atkins' fault for running. Well, let me amend that. If he was told to run on contact then Trembley is even worse than I thought he was. But let's get passed that point. Why didn't Atkins run the catcher over in that instance? He's a big dude and the ONLY chance he had was trying to knock the ball loose. This was a pet peeve of mine last year as well. Numerous times our brilliant 3B coach Juan Samuel would send a guy that should've never been sent. That said, none of them manned up and tried to run the catcher over. Why? The Atkins run would've been crucial and could've set up a huge inning. Instead they got nothing and lost.
Pie and Reimold both need to get healthy and stay healthy.
I agree with you. Roberts is definitely hurting them up top. This team has struggled to get things done with runners in scoring position.
I'm not sure that Pie is a better fit in LF right now though. He may be faster, but I think Reimold knows the game and fields the position a lot better than Pie does.
I'd also like to see Matusz pitch deeper into the game than Guthrie and Millwood did. We've been satisfied with their starts, but 5 innings is gonna kill the bullpen all year long.
Zach, Pie is much better in left t han Reimold. Mark is right both those balls (doubles by Longoria and Pena) should have been caught. I think Pie would have had them and last night it cost Guthrie 2 runs. Reimold is a good athlete and can run, but he is not instinctual as an OF'er and takes bad routes to balls. If he is slowed by the achilles then he is even more of a liability in the field.
The starting pitching has been good so far. If Guthrie pitches like that most nights, we will all be happy with his year.
I've got to disagree with you on the Pie/Reimold thing. I don't think Pie gets to those balls. He's faster for sure, but his reaction time isn't as natural as Reimold.
I do agree with you on Guthrie, it was a big improvement. Just don't want to see the bullpen get burned out again this year with 5 inning starts.
Guthrie went 6 and 1/3 last night and could have lasted longer had those balls been caught. But you are right the team needs more innings out of the starters.
I've got to disagree with you on the Pie/Reimold thing. I don't think Pie gets to those balls. He's faster for sure, but his reaction time isn't as natural as Reimold.
I do agree with you on Guthrie, it was a big improvement. Just don't want to see the bullpen get burned out again this year with 5 inning starts.
Roebrts is not a great run producer and he is off right now. Would have helped had he had 10-15 more ab's in the spring. He has been up 3 times in clutch situations so far this year. He has hit the ball hard right at people twice and last night got a good pitch to hit from Soriano, but missed it. He will be better if the back holds up.
I have been diagreeing with people about the Atkins baserunning play. I think it was right for him to go on that play. He has to read where the ball was hit. Longoria was right next to the bag, it was sharply hit right at him. If Atkins does not run he could have been tagged out trying to get back to the bag, or it could have been a double play ball. No way he can anticipate Longoria bobbling the ball. So he has to force a play at home. To me it was better to have 1st and 2nd with 1 out than Atkins on 3rd with 2 outs.
I can agree that he could have tried to take the catcher out, or get in a run down to allow the runners to advance, but I don't know that he had time to react. Seemed like by the time the catcher had the ball Atkins was already starting to slide.
Zach
You can't see that Reimold is stiff and uncomfortable out in the field? Really?
I haven't heard one person say that Pie wouldn't have gotten those balls. Even if he's not an instinctive (which is arguable because Reimold isn't really either) his natural speed more than makes up for it.
I absolutely see that. What I'm saying is that Pie is definitely faster, but lacks the fundamentals in left field to have run down those balls.
Completely disagree Zach.
He lacks fundamentals like throwing the ball to the right cut off guy or running from 2nd when the ball is hit to short.
I wholeheartedly believe he would've gotten to those balls. He's done it before.
I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then. I know Nolan isn't 100% healthy. Everyone sees it, but I cringe seeing Pie run down fly balls.
Nolan Reimold is not completely healthy- after the game even he admitted that he is having trouble with "that first step" when chasing down a ball. There is no way he is healthy right now. Roberts, for his part, has already been told that they are trying to avoid playing him three days in a row. That is not the sign of a player who is back to normal. I love the optimism, but I can't buy what you are selling there.
And what about an even bigger burning question: Will Mike Gonzalez be a decent closer?
Agreed Sheila
It's not a knock on Nolan. The fact is that he is an average at best fielder when he's 100% which he clearly isn't.
And it shows.
Reviewing your notes along with people's comments on them:
Roberts – it's basically still spring for him, let alone its a poor spring. i want lugo in tonight thats all i kno is roberts is fine health wise but not at the plate hes sick and needs to recover.
Reimold – his excuse last night with that is a load of crap, and he knows it and he knows we know it. give hime 3 months i dont care but hes not good in left, he knows he wont be there soon enough. pie would have caught both. crawford had one of them to get himself i forget now off of who but he ran it down and caught it. reimold is healthy and he knows he will never get those balls. they were both catchable and he has no excuse. i forgive gonzalez more for manning up to his problem, not reimold who will rely on this injury and milk it for all its worth. not good.
Tejada – hitting still isnt up which is critical, but in terms of 3rd, people are already so high on him. ive seen the nice plays hes made and kudos to him for them and i love seeing em all, i just wont be able to judge completely until i see him go after a bunt. before he does that, i cant tell him hes been great. hes been good defensively. no more than average overall because of poor hitting except the one bloop single rbi
atkins – dude looks fine at first and showed finally a glimpse into his slugging last night in the 9th. of course, though, it was a 95 mph ball high in the zone perfect for any hitter who has seen it all like he has. not impressed with anything so far. only that after 2 games theres been no errors
pie – hes fine hell be fine we need him out there! the dude hit freakin like .340 in spring and is fast and could make those catches i still say he should be every day left field with reimold and scott switch with dh and when pie needs off then reimold in. but pie is the guy he really is.
update – reimold dh tonight scott in lf theyre giving scott a chance because reimold lost his last night. pie will be in reserve pinch role as he was last night. im hoping he can play tomorrow at home, instead of reimold. who knows
lugo also starting in place of izturis tonight. watch out for his cleats! haha
I don't know if Pie is the answer in left field. Everyone on this thread besides Zach seem pretty high on him but he still hasn't proven anything to me. Does he have the capability? Possibly, but he is raw and not very disciplined.
The Lugo acquisition appears to be a very prudent move at this point since BRob is out to a poor start. Lets hope Lugo can be a spark for Roberts or Izturis.
Atkins has been unimpressive to date. He looks out of sorts at first even though the announcers stated he has played the position prior to going to Co. Reimhold and Atkins could be in competition before too long.
Weiter has looked good to date. In the future he should be at first and let someone else do the catching. He
doesn't seem to have the footwork to make a consistent strong throw to second. At some point in the next couple of years, he will be a first bagger.
Lets keep our fingers crossed tonight they the O's come home with one W.
Pole, Wieters is fine behind the plate. He gives the O's something very few big league teams have: a 4 tool catcher. He has a cannon. Can his footwork improve? Sure, but he is incredibly fluid for a 6'5" guy, and better defensively than most.
I love Reimold but his fielding is suspect when healthy, let alone with a bum heel.
I'm not that high on Pie at all.
The point is right now Pie in LF is a far better option than Reimold.
I don't know how that's really debateable.
I am high on Pie in the field, i have seen great stuff out of him making the running catches and just solid with running down balls in the gaps. his arm isnt horrible either. whatever it may be, hes better than luke and reimold out there
atkins, ive watched both games twice now lol and both times watching atkins he looks fine at first i think. my issue was, if anyone else noticed, they zoomed in on him during one if his at bats and he looked to be having eye trouble like squinting and uncomfortable. hope thats ok.
wieters- hes the catcher. hes not a vmart type to transition, let him grow in the spot, which he is. u could tell when in the 4th last night he went to guthrie twice. first to switch signs with man on 2nd then next to slow the pace down. hes becoming a leader to all. let him gel there and become the catcher of the future. they barely ever come around its been said he is a rare one so let it be how it is
I think Atkins will have a better season this year than last. I hope his bat comes around…if it doens't people are going to be calling for his head.
if atkins doesnt get better, look for reimold to 1st and atkins traded for prospect or cash nothing big tho
Mark,
From our previous threads you should understand that everything is debateable. Where would you put Reimhold? Is he someone who should go back to the minors? Should they bring Montanez up? What is the answer to LF?
All
I'm not saying Weiters is a lost cause behind the plate but if memory serves me correctly, he didn' do well throwing out runners. That stat is the difference between a good catcher and a great catcher. My assumption is that in a few years, it might be better to move him to first so he can maixmize his batting stats. Catching is a grinder on the body. The only catcher I can recall being a great hitter was Piazza and at some point he was moved to first as well.
I know your big on putting Wieters at first base since he is 6' 5\”. I can understand that. But even Piazza moved there later in his career. I don't think it's something that needs to be done too quiclky.
moeller is the one who sucks. wieters was ok, he threw out 21 steals, 24% of all which is not bad. especially when he threw crawford out twice in one game
my response:
answer to left now is pie. i think reimold can be held as 1b for the future then snyder can be used in a trade for a big bat midseason or offseason. pie tho for this year and next or that could be your big move with snyder and reimold go to 1st, then eventually within 2-3 years or so waring comes up he has shown tons of promise. givens too. we have those few prospects for in 3 years in the of. i dont think reimold stays tho.
montanez is aaa really. utility at best, but hes not a hitter enough to be an every day guy, but then again he fields better than reimold still
A agree with 621. At this point, Pie is probably the best solution but I don't think he has the baseball savvy to be THE answer. He's a filler until a better solution can be found.
I always kind of thought Montanez was never given a chance. I remember him as being a solid hitter, I don't recall much about his fielding. I guess more than anything, I'm trying to think of possibilities in left.
I'm also not saying Weiters needs to go to first now. I'm saying that needs to be the thought because this guy could be someone to build the team around. You will get more out of him at first than behind the plate, plus his career will be longer. Just a thought.
wieters i guess could be a vmart type, i retract that, but i still think give him a few more years to progress just at catcher then think of making a change if its not perfect where it is.
montanez i like since, as i mentioned in a past thing, i was on the field with him lol. hes pretty quick too. i have no problem giving him a chance and even sending reimold to minors for conditioning mainly with speed or the switch to 1st. who knows. ill give it a few weeks till a change is made
pie could be it in the future, but we never give him the chance. im sayin this is the year, why not test it out, make him an every day lf and see how it turns out
false. reimold cant field! has he not proven that thru last night and spring. i saw him in sarasota and he did the same stuff. he isnt good for it!
btw is there a feed for tonight? if not anybody can follow me on twitter for my constant updates with opinions im @indiansfan621
Pole is correct in all his assumptions but most of you, I said most, are making Reimold out to be some guy that has been around for awhile and is a solid player. The guy doesn't even have 2 years in and he's your answer for everything. Heck, your all now putting him at 1st base for Atkins and Reimold isn't even a 1st sacker. But you know what? I can see the O's doing that since they like to put guys at positions that they never played!
Roberts is done,.. Plain & simple… A real manager would not play the guy but its the Orioles and they are going on his past stats. The guy has an injured back which will not get better especially for a guy who has to bend, twist & dive. Put Lugo in there. This is not a team that can wait on any player.
And you got Indiansfan621 trading Snyder for a big bat??? WTF??? What has Snyder done to warrant a team trading a Manny Ramirez or Mark Reynolds or Adrian Gonzalez or Prince Fielder or Justin Morneau for him? That is so freaking clueless!
Like I said before, Guthrie, Millwood, Atkins, Tejada, Lugo & Scott are only here for 3 1/2 months then they will be traded. And Trembley will be gone soon also…
I agree. Reimold isn't a first baseman and the Orioles said that isn't happening. Let's rule that out.
But Roberts isn't done. He's still looking for that first hit, but I don't think it's as huge of an issue as everyone is making it out to be. We'll see how Lugo does tonight. Good acquisition as I noted above.
wow negativity to the max.
to respond first to the personal comment. i was speaking totally situational in terms of if they convert reimold to 1b since he is struggling in of. if they stick with him in lf, then we keep snyder. so chill. totally all situational.
roberts is done? this is like spring for him. give him some time people. if he cant produce in the next few games ok but its been 2! only 2! ortiz sucked thru 2 and the red sox didnt bench him, cuz they knew hes fine, and roberts is too. his back is fine now, how else would he be making complete swings with no pain if he wasnt fine. that comment about him is so unnecessary, you sound like all the red sox fans who wanted to bench ortiz. and just like them, you sound rediculous saying it. i agree to put lugo in his spot for a game or 2 for rest, but not more than that.
as for your last comment. wow. it all depends on record. but, im not going to try to argue that because im sure you think we are the 88 os goin 0-21. have some hope dude.
621,
2488 is an Orioles Hater. Don't pay any attention to him.
2488 has been here for the good and the bad. He has just seen some numerous idiot moves by the front office so he's a little irratible but he makes some good points.
Reimhold hasn't really shown anything so he needs to produce this year or sell paint at Home Depot. He showed some promise last year but this team has been on a 12 year streak that needs results now, not hope for the future.
Roberts is getting older so this team needs to start to prepare for a successor. His position on this team needs to be re-evaluated and possibly adjusted.
I don't know about 2488's comments on the players but I do want Trembles our of the equation. He's a temporary solution because the front office has no vision on where they want to go with this team. I like McPhail but I thought they should have gotten rid of Trembles last season.
Pole, I agree with you on the Trembles – not sure what the FO was thinking.
Criticism of this franchise is beyond fair, everyone understands it, but in the few times they do something right – see Bedard and Tejada trades – you also have to acknowledge when they do something right. When you are constantly criticizing but not acknowledge the things they have done right, you lose credibility.
he shows streaky imporvement at best (reimold, without the h btw lol). id give him chances at dh to get the hitting down he could be a future slugger. or 1b where hes not expected to be gold glove. outfield is always expected to be gold glove caliber.
roberts, yes, hence justin turner the future 2b!
trembley i love. he is known by guys in the league and teams say hes the best and i kno it. he really knows his stuff and does what he can as manager. he goes with what macphail gives, so give him some slack. if its june and we are losing 40 games already then look it over, but then june and july bring much easier schedule than may so see how we grow those months, i think thats key, then to see how they hold up in september, worst month ever if you look at schedule lol
also, in terms of the original article written lol, you didnt address mike gonzalez. thats a big one. horrible spring with injury and low velocity. then he didnt do so good tuesday if i may say so myself. i think thats a big q to add to the list.
STD
What rock did you crawl out from under of?!? Go back to the beach and put some sun lotion on your boyfriend Sabastian.
Do have to agree with 621. Gonzo was a disappointment first time out. Lets hope he improves or this team is screwed.
He'll be fine. First outing jitters.
i give gonzo the ball right back tho. its one time. if it happens once more, think. twice more, change. but if the os can hold a damn lead tonight and not keep up the 0-2 when scoring first stat which i realized and it sucks then give gonzo the ball. lets win this on by big numbers and prove our offense under matusz. perfect pitcher tonight to prove ourselves under.
Yeah, you can't take away the closers job on opening day! C'mon now.
miggi feels horrible.
Pole – Agree, these people all think the O's minor leaguers are great. Indiansfan8b6r thinks Reimold is this great player and the O's should find him a position. And now thinks he's a slugger??? This is why these people irritate me. They go with whats told to them and think the managements word is gold. How has that worked out these past 12 years?
Indiansfan4h7Gw, let me tell you Roberts is done. I have a bad back and my softball days were done when I got it. I was playing "A" softball as a 3rd sacker for Lindale Licquors and once the back went so did my game. Roberts is done…
And now STD doesn't like when there is an opposing view so he wants everyone not to listen to the Poleman and myself. Just like a Democrat!
Indiansfan2bQ75 – Are you on the hippie lettuce? Huh? Tell me now because your comments about Trembley sound like they are from someone drinking a narcotic Slurpee. Trembley is known around the league and teams say he is the best???… That is just so idiotic I don't know what to say… Look just lay down and go to sleep you will be ok in the morning…
I see lots of hope but not much reality.
What has Reimhold done? What has Pie done? What has Wieters done. What has Matusz done? What has Bergesen done? What has Hernandez done?
These guys have done nothing for any lenght of time. We can talk when results start to occur on a regular basis. Until then this is just wishful thinking which has been going on for the last 12 years.
Nolan says "I may be a crappy outfielder, but how u like me now BSR?"
Great we have two DH's, Reimhold and Scott!!!
btw roch kubato on the os broadcast just went on about how reimold should become a great 1b.
Oh man! Than its a done deal if Kubato says it! If Kubato says Reimold should be a great 1st sacker then start shining up the HoF plaque!
You fall right into what I'm saying of you all buying into what is told to you by the O's…
Pathetic!
its nothing told to us! its what we see ourselves!
btw it was joe angel not roch
Yeah I heard Joe say that.