The Orioles were smart in re-signing 31-year old switch hitting Brian Roberts to a new deal after bringing up his name in trade talks over the winter. Roberts played in 155 games for the Orioles last season and he was 181 for 611 (.296 avg, .828 OPS) with 107 runs scored, 9 homers, 57 RBIs and 40 stolen bases. It doesn’t stop with just his offense as Roberts only made 8 errors in 154 games at 2B while showing above average range. Look for Roberts to have another outstanding season in 2009 for the Orioles.

37-year old righty swinging Chris Gomez was brought back to the Orioles as a free agent. Gomez played in 90 games for the Pirates last season in which he was 50 for 183 (.273 avg, .655 OPS) with 26 runs scored, 1 homer and 20 RBIs. If something happens to Roberts and Gomez is pressed into extended duty at 2B the Orioles’ defense would suffer. Gomez made 2 errors in 18 games at 2B last season while showing poor range.

25-year old righty swinging Donnie Murphy will battle Gomez this spring a spot on the bench. Murphy played in 46 games for the A’s last season and he was 19 for 103 (.184 avg, .575 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 3 homers and 13 RBIs. Murphy’s biggest problem with a bat in his hands is making contact as he whiffed a stunning 38 times last season. In 10 games at 2B for the A’s last season Murphy didn’t make any errors while showing slightly below average range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: A

With the departure of Kevin Millar as a free agent, the Orioles will be going with 32-year old lefty swinging Aubrey Huff at 1B. Huff played in 154 games for the Orioles last season and he was 182 for 598 (.304 avg, .912 OPS) with 96 runs scored, 32 homers and 108 RBIs. Huff didn’t make any errors in 24 games at 1B last season but he’s not the best fielder around. Still, his bat will more than make up for any problems he has in the field.

31-year old righty swinging Ty Wigginton will also likely get some playing time at 1B in 2009. He played in 111 games for the Astros last season mostly as a 3B. He was 110 for 386 (.285 avg, .876 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 23 homers and 58 RBIs. Even though Wigginton doesn’t have much experience playing 1B he would likely still be a better defender there than Huff.

37-year old righty swinging Chris Gomez can play all over the infield and he can handle 1B if the need arrises. He played in 90 games for the Pirates last year and he was 50 for 183 (.273 avg, .655 OPS) with 26 runs scored, 1 homer and 20 RBIs. Gomez played in 5 games at 1B for the Pirates last season without making any errors.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: B

22-year old switch hitting Matt Wieters is the future for the Orioles. But, is the future in 2009 or later? We will find out this spring. Wieters played in 130 games in A+AA ball last season and he was 155 for 437 (.355 avg, 1.054 OPS) with 89 runs scored, 27 homers and 91 RBIs. He also shows great plate discipline as he walked 82 times while only whiffing 76 times last season. The Orioles will patient with Wieters if he doesn’t look ready this spring.

37-year old switch hitting Gregg Zaun will either backup Wieters or start this season for the Orioles. He played in 86 games for the Blue Jays last season and he was 58 for 245 (.237 avg, .699 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 6 homers and 30 RBIs. Zaun threw out 12 of 52 (23%) basestealers while Jays’ pitchers had a 3.81 ERA with him behind the plate. This was a good signing for the Orioles as Zaun can help out both the pitching staff and Wieters when he arrives in town for good.

27-year old righty swinging Guillermo Quiroz will be in a three way battle for the backup job if Wieters isn’t ready. He played in 56 games for the Orioles last season and he was 25 for 134 (.187 avg, .528 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 2 homers and 14 RBIs. Quiroz threw out 7 of 37 (19%) basestealers last season, but, Orioles’ pitchers had a 5.59 ERA with him behind the dish.

34-year old righty swinging Chad Moeller also will get a chance to compete for a roster spot this spring. Moeller played in 41 games for the Yankees last year and he was 21 for 91 (.231 avg, .641 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 1 homer and 9 RBIs. Moeller threw out 7 of 22 (32%) basestealers last season and Yanks’ pitchers had a 4.20 ERA with him behind the plate.

31-year old righty swinging Robby Hammock is also in camp with the O’s this spring. Hammock played in 18 games for the D-Backs last season in which he was 8 for 41 (.190 avg, .506 OPS) with 4 runs scored and 2 RBIs. He was only 1 of 12 (8%) throwing out basestealers, but, D-Backs pitchers liked to throw to him as evidenced by their 3.10 ERA with him behind the plate.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR 2009 SEASON: WITH WIETERS STARTING: B
WITH WIETERS IN THE MINORS: D

The Orioles have designated 25-year old lefty swinging 1B/3B Scott Moore for assignment. Moore played in 4 games for the Orioles last season and he was 1 for 8 (.125 avg, .722 OPS) with 1 run scored, 1 homer and 1 RBI. He has played in 39 games in his major league career in which he was 23 for 98 (.235 avg, .665 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 4 homers and 17 RBIs. It will be interesting to see if Moore clears waivers or if the Orioles can swing a trade and get something for him.

The Orioles have been pretty busy since the 2008 season. The Orioles have signed Cesar Izturis to take over as the starting shortstop for the Orioles which should give them some defensive stability which they didn’t have in 2008. Ty Wigginton was signed recently and he will get a lot of at bats as he moves around the field of play and DHs. Gregg Zaun was signed to either mentor Matt Wieters or start ahead of him this season if he needs more seasoning in AAA. Ryan Freel came over in a trade with the Reds while Felix Pie came over from the Cubs and they could platoon in LF unless Luke Scott plays there instead of DHing. Chris Gomez also returns to the Orioles to help out off of the bench and that was a solid move for the team. Brad Hennessey, Mark Hendrickson, Koji Uehara and John Parrish were brought in as free agents to compete for starting jobs this season. Lefty Rich Hill and righty Dave Pauley were acquired in trades over the winter and they to will be trying to make the starting rotation.

OFF SEASON GRADE FOR THE ORIOLES: C

The Orioles have brought back 31-year old lefty reliever/starter John Parrish on a minor league deal. Parrish pitched in 13 games (6 starts) for the Blue Jays last season and he was 1-1 with a 4.04 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. He has now pitched in 174 games (16 starts) in his major league career and he is 13-13 with 1 save, a 4.54 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP. The Orioles must have been impressed with the improved control that Parrish showed with the Blue Jays last season. He will likely get a chance to compete for a job in the Orioles’ starting rotation in 2009.

The Orioles have signed 31-year old righty swinging 3B Ty Wigginton to a 2-year, $6 million dollar contract. Wigginton played in 111 games for the Astros last season and he was 110 for 386 (.285 avg, .876 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 23 homers and 58 RBIs. He has now played in 784 games in his major league career and he is 734 for 2,715 (.270 avg, .790 OPS) with 350 runs scored, 110 homers, 384 RBIs and 32 stolen bases. Look for Wigginton to move all around the field as he’s very versatile with the glove and he can hit. This was a good move for the Orioles.

The Orioles have signed 27-year old lefty Brian Burres for assignment. He didn’t last long on the market as the rival Blue Jays claimed him off waivers. Burres pitched in 31 games (22 starts) for the Orioles last season and he was 7-10 with a 6.04 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP. He has now pitched in 79 games (39 starts) in his major league career and he is 13-18 with a 5.88 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP. Based on how Burres pitched with the Orioles you would think that they wouldn’t miss him too much. But, with him going to the Blue Jays he could come back to bite them on the butt in the future.

The Orioles have acquired 28-year old lefty starting pitcher Rich Hill from the Cubs for a player to be named later. Hill pitched in 5 games (all starts) last season for the Cubs and he was 1-0 with a 4.12 ERA and a 1.58 WHIP. He has now pitched in 64 games (57 starts) in his major league career and he is 18-17 with a 4.37 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. This was a great move for the Orioles who are desperate for starting pitching. The Orioles should pencil Hill in as the #3 starter heading into spring training.

The Orioles have acquired 25-year old righty starting pitcher David Pauley from the Red Sox for 24-year old righty reliever Randor Bierd. Pauley did not fare well with the Red Sox last season working in 6 games (2 starts) in which he was 0-1 with a 11.68 ERA and a 2.27 WHIP. But, Pauley did pitch pretty well in AAA last season appearing in 25 games (all starts) in which he was 14-4 with a 3.55 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. The Orioles are hoping that a change of scenery will do Pauley some good and they have open spots in the starting rotation for him to compete for. Pauley has pitched in 9 games (5 starts) now in his major league career and he is 0-3 with a 9.53 ERA and a 2.29 WHIP.

Randor Bierd pitched in 29 games (0 starts) as a rookie for the Orioles last season and he was 0-2 with a 4.91 ERA and a 1.83 WHIP. He also allowed 48 hits in only 36.2 innings of relief last season for the Orioles.