[新聞] Around the Horn: Middle infielders
From http://0rz.tw/b03E4
After trading Tejada to Astros, O's hearing offers for Roberts
Perhaps no other area of Baltimore's ballclub reflects the changing times
better than the middle infield, where the Orioles have already traded one
lineup stalwart and seemed poised to deal another.
Shortstop Miguel Tejada is already an ex-Oriole, and second baseman Brian
Roberts has been involved in several trade rumors this winter.
Roberts and Tejada were two of the most visible Orioles in recent seasons,
which may explain the team's willingness to shift gears and rebuild.
Baltimore has played through 10 straight seasons of losing records and has
finally decided to start from scratch, an endeavor that puts Roberts -- one of
the longest-serving members of the team -- in jeopardy of getting dealt.
For now, though, Roberts is still the resident leadoff man. The switch-hitter
set a career high with 50 stolen bases last season, en route to his second
All-Star berth. Roberts delivered 59 extra-base hits from his perch at the top
of the lineup and played in 156 games, the second-highest total in his career
and the largest since 2004.
Perhaps most importantly -- to the Orioles and to his future -- Roberts
demonstrated that he's fully over the gruesome elbow injury that prematurely
ended his 2005 season. While it's true that he played without pain in 2006, the
extra-base power that made him such a prominent player in '05 didn't really
return until last season.
Now, following that triumph, Roberts is dealing with quite a turbulent winter.
He was named in the Mitchell Report and subsequently admitted to using
performance-enhancing drugs once in his career, and he's heard his name bandied
about in trade rumors ever since the season ended. And, if he sticks around, it
won't get much easier.
As things stand, the Orioles seem set to start an all-defense option at
shortstop. Luis Hernandez, who played well last year in Tejada's absence,
appears to be the front-runner to nail down the full-time job.
There's only one problem: Hernandez, an adequate fielder, has hit for a
sub-standard average (.250) and on-base percentage (.299) in his Minor League
career.
Baltimore manager Dave Trembley, an old-school fundamental type, isn't
concerned about offense at shortstop. He just wants a solid glove there, and
he's confident that you can play that way in the American League East.
"The club's going to be built around pitching and defense," he said after the
Tejada trade. "I wouldn't have a problem with a guy like Hernandez playing
shortstop, a guy that's a solid defender and could do some things situationally
with the bat."
Hernandez did exactly that in his big league trial, batting .290 in 30 games.
He hit just .242 at Double-A Bowie earlier in the year, though, and has only
had 106 at-bats at the Triple-A level. Hernandez may be hard-pressed to produce
more than reserves Brandon Fahey and Freddie Bynum, either of whom could press
him for playing time.
Bynum stuck with the Orioles virtually all year and only got 96 at-bats, which
is an indicator of how seldom Baltimore elected to start him. Trembley prefers
to use Bynum as a rover who can play all over the field and pinch-run late in
games, and he likes Fahey as an end-of-the-bench insurance policy in case a
middle infielder gets hurt.
"I like Freddie Bynum as a utility guy because of his versatility," Trembley
said earlier this winter. "He can play all three spots in the outfield, and he
can play second and short. I think Fahey's in the same position."
There are no other attractive alternatives in the high levels of Baltimore's
organization, but there's always the chance that the Orioles will land a
shortstop in a trade sometime before they convene for Spring Training.
There are still a few question marks, but one thing is certain: Baltimore is
moving away from star power in the middle infield and inching towards enacting
a new blueprint for building a competitive team.
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