2010 Position Players Preview

Good day to all! My favorite day of the year has arrived: Orioles’ Opening Day. I’ve been waiting for this since the season ended back in October. To celebrate, here is the 2010 preview for position players:

Catchers

Matt Wieters:

2009 Statistics – .288 AVG 9 HR 43 RBIs

Matt Wieters arrived in Baltimore last May with much hype. The organization’s top prospect was the preseason choice for Rookie of the Year for many in the media. Wieters struggled early on last season, but was able to turn it on after the All-Star break. The O’s catcher hit .362 with 3 HRs and 14 RBIs in the month of September, ending his rookie season on a high note. Wieters proved he can hit, and hit against the pitching of the AL East. With the hype off Wieters, and close to 100 games of experience already (he played in 98 last season) I feel that Wieters will continue his development in 2010. Look for him to hit over .300 with between 15-25 homeruns and close to 100 RBIs.

Craig Tatum:

2009 Statistics (With Cincinnati Reds) – .162 AVG 1 HR 6 RBIs

This move was a bit of a head scratcher to me. Tatum was claimed off of waivers in November from the Cincinnati Reds and has only played 26 games in the majors. He won the backup catcher’s job over Chad Moeller because of his defense. I personally would have chosen Moeller for this job because of his knowledge and experience, and how that would help our young pitching staff. I’m not in charge of putting the roster together though, so it will be Tatum to begin the 2010 season. Don’t expect much from him at the plate, possibly hitting around .200, a few HRs and RBIs. Tatum’s biggest contribution will be behind the plate with his defense.

Infielders

Garrett Atkins:

2009 Statistics (With Colorado Rockies) – .226 AVG 9 HR 48 RBIs

Atkins had a down year in 2009 as his numbers fell to well below his averages of .305, 25 HRs and 110 RBIs that he hit from 2006 to 2008. Atkins signed a one year deal with the Orioles several days after being let go by the Rockies in search of a fresh start. The Orioles are hoping that with help from hitting coach Terry Crowley Atkins will be able to return to the hitter that was one of the most feared between 2006 and 2008. I think this will be another one of Crowley’s successful projects, and while Atkins may not be able to put up the dominant numbers he did in the past, I think he will be a solid contributor to the Orioles lineup.

Cesar Izturis:

2009 Statistics – .256 AVG 2 HR 30 RBIs

You know what you’re going to get with Izturis. He is a former Gold Glove winner who will play solid defense up the middle, but won’t give you much at the plate. Izturis will need to do little things such as bunt and move runners over to make his contributions offensively. I would be shocked if he didn’t have another great season defensively.

Brian Roberts:

2009 Statistics – .283 AVG 16 HR 79 RBIs

Roberts scares me quite a bit. He is the catalyst of the Orioles’ offense, the spark the gets things going. Without him in the lineup the Orioles have struggled to score runs in the past. He missed most of spring training this year with a herniated disk in his back. I don’t think that is an injury that will just go away, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Roberts spent a significant amount of time on the disabled list this year, which also happens to be the first year of his new 4-year $40 million contract. I hope I am way off on this, but my gut feeling tells me it will be a tough year for Roberts.

Miguel Tejada:

2009 Statistics – .313 AVG 14 HR 86 RBIs

The Orioles resigned Tejada to play 3B after he spent the past two years with the Houston Astros. It will be an interesting season for Tejada as he makes the adjustment from shortstop to third base on the go. I think that Tejada will be ok, but don’t be surprised to see Miggy struggle and make some errors early in the season. At the plate, Tejada’s power numbers may be down, but he is still hitting for a high average and driving in runs. He was an All-Star for Houston both years there, mostly because of his bat. He will start the year as the Orioles’ cleanup hitter, but rather than homeruns Tejada will use doubles to drive in his runs. The Orioles are hoping Miggy can keep the hot corner warm until power hitting prospect Josh Bell is ready.

Ty Wigginton:

2009 Statistics – .273 AVG 11 HR 41 RBIs

Wigginton is a very versatile player off the bench. Last year he played every position in the infield except catcher, as well as left field for the Orioles. This versatility will help Wigginton get at-bats off the bench, as well as allow him to make some starts to spell the starters. Wigginton is the type of player who needs to consistently get at-bats to be a contributor offensively. This year I see Wigginton putting up similar numbers as he did last year.

Julio Lugo:

2009 Statistics (With Boston and St. Louis) – .280 AVG 3 HR 21 RBIs

Lugo was a late addition to the roster as he was acquired from the Cardinals the last week of spring training. Initially, this trade didn’t make much sense to me as the Orioles already had Robert Andino penciled in to the utility role, which has now been taken over by Lugo. But as I think about this trade even more, I believe the O’s traded for Lugo as an insurance policy for Brian Roberts. Maybe the Orioles, like me, don’t see Roberts lasting an entire season. Either way, he will play solid defense for the Orioles, and isn’t terrible at the plate.

Outfielders

Adam Jones:

2009 Statistics – .277 AVG 19 HR 70 RBIs

At the beginning of the season last year, Manager Dave Trembley stated that Jones would be the most improved player, and he didn’t disappoint. He got off to a hot start and made the All-Star team before dropping off in the second half and ultimately had his season cut short with an injury. Jones was also able to break through and win a Gold Glove Award. This year, Jones needs to continue to improve at the plate. He seemed to be swinging for the fences after the All-Star break, something he will need to cut down on in 2010. He also needs to be more disciplined and cut down on strikeouts. If he can stay healthy, I see Jones having another All-Star caliber season. Look for him to hit 20-25 homeruns and drive in almost 100 runs.

Nick Markakis:

2009 Statistics – .293 AVG 18 HR 101 RBIs

After a 2007 season in which Markakis hit .300, 23 homeruns and 112 RBIs, he has seemed to regress. While coming close, Markakis has yet to top the numbers he put up in his second season in the majors. I think that as the young players in the lineup continue to develop and get better, so will Markakis’ numbers. Look for Markakis to hit around 20-25 homeruns and over 100 RBIs, but he will also hit about 45 doubles as well, which in some cases are just as good as a homerun. Another underrated aspect of Markakis’ game is his defense. He is not afraid to lay out for a ball and has good range in RF. His arm is phenomenal, and he saves runs not only by throwing runners out, but also keeping them from even testing his arm. Markakis will have a good all around season, and I think this will be the year he finally wins a Gold Glove.

Nolan Reimold:

2009 Statistics – .279 AVG 15 HR 45 RBIs

Reimold was a nice surprise for the Orioles when he was called up early in the season. He showed good potential at the plate, and was able to make adjustments as the rest of the league adjusted to him. An Achilles injury ended his season prematurely, and has also slowed him down this spring as he is attempting to recover from surgery. This may have cost him his starting spot, and Manager Dave Trembley has hinted that he may use a platoon in LF with Reimold and Pie. If Reimold is able to overcome the injury from last season, and the soreness he has experienced following surgery for it, he will once again be a solid contributor in the Orioles offense. I could see him hitting around .280 with 15 or 20 homeruns and about 70 RBIs.

Felix Pie:

2009 Statistics – .266 AVG 9 HR 29 RBIs

Like Atkins is this year, Felix Pie was a Terry Crowley project in 2009. Pie came over from the Chicago Cubs as a highly touted prospect with great numbers in the minor leagues, but he could never put it together in the majors. Pie got off to a horrible start, but after working more and more with Crowley, he improved as the season went on. With a great spring training, paired with Reimold’s recovery, Pie will most likely be the Opening Day starter in LF. He will get his fair share of at-bats, and will most likely platoon in LF with Reimold. I think Pie will improve on his numbers from last season, and get closer to the player the Cubs thought they had several years ago.

Luke Scott:

2009 Statistics - .258 AVG 25 HR 77 RBIs

Luke Scott is the streakiest hitter I have ever seen in the game of baseball. When he is hot, he is on fire and unstoppable. When he is cold, he can be pretty bad. Scott led the Orioles with 25 homeruns last year. The batting average was right on par with his career average, and his 77 RBIs were a career high. Scott will be used this year mostly as a DH, but he could also see some time in LF. I think we will once again see Scott bring the power numbers and hit over 20 homeruns, and get close to 80 RBIs. He will probably hit around .255 though due to his streakiness.

Well, there’s your preview for positional players. I know I cut it a little close to game time, but at least I got it out there. I’m going to be interested in looking back at this post in October after the season has ended and seeing how I did with my analysis and predictions.

As a team, I don’t see the Orioles ending their run of losing season unfortunately. I do see the Orioles improving a great deal though. It will be exciting to see the continued development of last year’s rookies, and possibly the emergence of the next round of Orioles prospects making it to the big leagues. My final prediction: 76 Wins-86 Losses.

Go O’s!

Randy Biggs

Baltimore Sports Blog