Baltimore Orioles
What scares me as a Pittsburgh native is not that the firesale of Baltimore's veterans gives them a better outlook for the future, but that even in the team's current disheveled state they aren't that bad. Okay, only by fantasy standards, as if the eventual departure of Brian Roberts obeys the definition of eventual, they will have only a handful of draftable players.
Lineup
- Brian Roberts
- Luke Scott
- Nick Markakis
- Aubrey Huff
- Ramon Hernandez
- Adam Jones
- Melvin Mora
- Kevin Millar
- Luis Hernandez
- Jeremy Guthrie
- Adam Loewen
- Daniel Cabrera
- Troy Patton
- Garrett Olson
Thoughts...
There isn't much to be happy about really, save for Nick Markakis. He's among the new gang of Tier 3 outfielders, and stands out among them as likely to improve upon already formidable 2007 numbers. He's good for 25 HR and 20 steals on a team that has little incentive not to swing for the fences or swipe the ill-advised bag. As a second outfielder he's great, especially if you're already looking at a balanced team, and hence worthy of a fifth round pick. However, he's going in the fourth round right now, ahead of guys like Chris B. Young and Torii Hunter, which I think is a mistake. Without many RBI opportunities nor guys behind to drive him in, the five-category outfielder may only hit for three.
Adam Jones is among a "rookie" class of guys like Justin Upton, Felix Pie, and Cameron Maybin. I like him more than the last, but I think he needs another year to develop. Look for Delmon Young 2007 type numbers. The last outfielder, Luke Scott, should be going well before Jones (but he's not). Scott has shown a knack for power playing in a platoon while in Houston, so I consider him a poor-man's version of Josh Hamilton (lower upside, lower risk). Considering him in 4+ outfield leagues or as a bench option.
Brian Roberts is more likely a Cub next season than an Oriole from what the rumormongers are saying, and this will help his value. Either way, 50 SBs seems a bit high, though 40 would be in reach. If you're set to take a 2B early, I recommend taking Phillips or B. J. Upton a round earlier.
Don't draft any of the pitchers. Not even Daniel Cabrera, whose greatest attribute is his symbolic similarity to Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn from Major League. If you really need a late round sleeper, you could do worse than Guthrie. Just not much worse.
Labels: Team Analyses
posted by Zachary Piso at
7:56 PM
2 Comments:
any word on where Matt Albers fits into the O's lineup? He went in the Tejada deal and has quite a bit more "Big League Seasoning" than Patton and has at times looked really good. Before the big trade went down, I actually wasn't disappointed with potentially having him in the Houston rotation.
This is completely non fantasy related though. I wouldn't draft Albers or Patton without drinking very heavily first.
This is from the Orioles website...
Patton, a command-and-control southpaw, was viewed by many as the key to the Tejada trade. He shot through Houston's organization and got some time at the big-league level last year but may need more seasoning at Triple-A. Patton is highly comparable to Garrett Olson and will be competing with him for a job in Spring Training.
It looks like they will be fighting it out in Spring Training, and based on the sites opinion I imagine he has a decent shot but is definitely the first option when someone goes down. If I hear anything about either of them once Spring Training reports start coming out, I'll post something here.
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