The injury bug seems to have made its way through Sarasota. Orioles’ outfielder David Lough and shortstop J.J. Hardy will begin the season on the disabled list.
Lough has been dealing with hamstring and back injuries, while Hardy suffered a strained muscle in his left shoulder. The duo will join catcher Matt Wieters (Tommy John surgery) on the bench to start the 2015 season.
So how could the Orioles roster look when they take the field in Tampa Bay on April 6? Here’s what I’m thinking:
C – Caleb Joseph
1B – Steve Pearce
2B – Jonathan Schoop
SS – Ryan Flaherty
3B – Manny Machado
LF – Alejandro De Aza
CF – Adam Jones
RF – Travis Snider
DH – Delmon Young
They’d be pretty righty heavy, only Flaherty, De Aza and Snider hit from the left side, but there aren’t many other options left for Showalter at this point. Jimmy Paredes and Everth Cabrera are switch hitters, but they’d likely be replacing lefties (De Aza/Snider and Flaherty) in Showalter’s lineup.
Left handed hitters have had only slightly more success against Chris Archer, the Rays opening day starter, over his career:
Despite Cabrera out-hitting Flaherty this spring, I still expect to see Flash at shortstop because of his defensive abilities at the position. He played 27 games there last season.
