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February 19, 2008

Transaction Analysis

AL East NRI Review

by Christina Kahrl

BALTIMORE ORIOLES Team Audit | Team DT Cards | Team Articles | Team Statistics

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Total NRIs: 19
Ex-Famous People: RHP Steve Trachsel. As that great reductionist Tuco Ramirez might observe, you either love having him around, or you don't. As I said on Sunday, I'm just glad he's in somebody's camp, albeit grateful that it isn't one of a team I have any attachment to.
Prospects Just Getting a Taste: RHPs Chris Tillman and Kameron Mickolio, C-S Matt Wieters, 3B-L Mike Costanzo
The Failure of My Rival Is My Opportunity: RHPs Ryan Bukvich, C-S Ben Davis, C-R Chris Heintz, CF-S Chris Roberson, OF-R Luis Terrero. Davis and Heintz are your standard-issue extra catchers with plenty of experience, but both might entertain some measure of hope that Guillermo Quiroz doesn't inspire confidence in his bid to back up Ramon Hernandez. Bukvich is a bit of a long shot in a crowded field bidding for bullpen work, but you could have said the same of him last year, and he wound up getting more time with the White Sox than he ever got when he was with the Royals and still semi-prospect-ish. Roberson and Terrero are both hoping to somehow luck into whatever it was that broke Tike Redman's way last year, and catch a break in center. Clearly, Adam Jones's success or failure means everything to their slender opportunities.
Now or Never: MI-S Eider Torres was claimed off of waivers from the Indians a year ago, then safely removed by the Orioles from their own 40-man. He's a speedster who can play a passable short and a good second base, but it's the former quality that might mean something, as the “incumbent” at short is the weak-sticked Luis Hernandez, the sort of rival that the equally punchless Torres (.267/.307/.338, or a .228 Equivalent Average at Norfolk last year) might have a shot at besting if he has an especially good camp.
Rehabbing Pitchers: RHPs Ryan Keefer and Roberto Novoa have both been seen as prospects in the past, but Keefer lost much of 2006 and all of 2007 to elbow problems (ending in surgery), while Novoa is recovering from a “humeral head fracture” at the proximal point of the arm, right at the point where it connects with the torso, which is why he had to be shut down with what was more generically referred to as a “tight shoulder.” Both make for interesting sleeper types as far as people who could contribute in the big-league bullpen at some point this season, especially Novoa if he has anything like his former velocity.
Not Dead Yet: UT-R Oscar Salazar and RHP Esteban Yan are both interesting veterans to see showing up somewhere. Yan went to Japan last year, and did semi-adequately pitching for Hanshin, posting a 4.61 ERA in slightly more than 100 IP; it's sort of amusing that he was apparently called for a career-high 12 balks in the NPB—what, was his delivery just not funky enough? Salazar's just fun for me to remember, because ten years ago he was a Venezuelan import in the A's organization who seemed likely to hit enough to make it up, but whose position was always a bit of a question mark. He wound up bouncing around waivers, and then to the Mexican League, before resurfacing as a semi-regular infielder at Bowie last season. He still doesn't really have a position, but he is back in affiliated ball, and this will be his second O's camp.
Obvious 40-man spots to target: RHPs Danys Baez and Chris Ray should both be headed for a spring and summer spent on the DL recovering from surgery, so that's two spots that should open up right off the bat. However, the Orioles have a stack of guys with middling ability and upside who are out of options, and may or may not make the team: on the pitching staff alone, there's Greg Aquino, Jon Leicester, Dennis Sarfate, and Fernando Cabrera, while Quiroz and utilityman Freddie Bynum are similarly option-less. That can help cement several of these guys in place, but the combination of a good camp and the sheer mathematical improbability that they keep all of the players without options might make for some sort of opportunity for somebody from among the NRIs.
The Ones Who Will Stick: Trachsel seems relatively likely given the weak rotation, with Torres making for an interesting challenger until the Orioles trade for Juan Uribe or sign some alternative.