[外電] 5 burning questions for the Orioles
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5 burning questions for the Orioles
By Dan Connolly
Will the pitching keep up with the solid offense?
Anything is possible, but the club's apparent lack of quality starting
pitching looks to be its downfall. Jeremy Guthrie (left) is the ace, but he
has only two full major league seasons, and the No.2 starter, Koji Uehara,
has never pitched in the majors.
Alfredo Simon won a spot with a strong spring but has pitched in just four
major league games. Although Adam Eaton (career 4.89ERA) and Mark Hendrickson
(career 5.07 ERA) have experience, neither posted a sub-5.00 ERA the past two
seasons. Uncertainty in the rotation could spell another year of overuse for
a bullpen that's talented but susceptible to injuries.
Is Dave Trembley a lame-duck manager?
The simple answer is no. But history says that could change with the pressure
of another poor season. Team president Andy MacPhail inherited Trembley but
took off the interim tag in 2007 and renewed him for 2008 and 2009.
The club holds a one-year option to renew Trembley's contract for 2010, and
MacPhail is a patient man who understands Trembley is at a competitive
disadvantage in the American League East. But that hasn't saved previous
managers - there have been eight in Peter Angelos' 15 years owning the
Orioles.
When will we see Matt Wieters in an Orioles uniform?
Not soon enough for most fans, but the Orioles want their top catching
prospect to play at Triple-A. He will certainly stay there for at least
12days to guarantee he isn't eligible for free agency until after the 2015
season.
They could also keep him down beyond late May, which would prevent him from
qualifying for a fourth year of arbitration. That, however, doesn't seem to
be a major factor. The Orioles are likely to promote Wieters once he
establishes dominance at Norfolk. Best guess: Expect Wieters here by mid- to
late June.
How much patience will the Orioles have with Felix Pie?
Plenty. As they did with Adam Jones in center field last year and Nick
Markakis in right in 2006, the Orioles are willing to put Pie, 24, into left
most days this season. Because 2009 is considered a developmental year, and
with Pie considered an above-average defender, the Orioles believe they can
start him until he proves he can't be an everyday hitter. It would likely
take a disastrous first half for the Orioles to pull the plug on the Pie
experiment and try other options such as Lou Montanez or Nolan Reimold.
Are Aubrey Huff and Melvin Mora (right) midsummer trade bait?
Their contracts expire at season's end (though the Orioles have a 2010 club
option for Mora). The Orioles explored trading Huff in July but did not
receive any sufficient offers. It could be a different situation this year.
He would be a two-month rental for a contender looking for a hitter. If Huff
performs as he did in 2008 and the Orioles struggle, he'll probably be on the
move. Mora's situation is more complicated. He has a full no-trade clause, so
the Orioles would have to get his permission before dealing him. That's not
to say it can't happen, but it adds another hurdle to consummating a deal.
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重點提要：
1. 新球季投手群可預期的表現不樂觀。
2. Trembley並非無能之輩，但仍可能因戰績太差被免職。
(Angelos擁有金鶯的十五年內換了八個總教練)
3. Wieters大概會在六月中以後上大聯盟(原作者猜測)。
4. 球隊會耐心的培養Pie。
5. Huff和Mora都有可能被交易，但要視到時候的狀況而定。
(Huff的考量是他能否複製去年的成績、和屆時金鶯隊
的戰績；Mora則擁有NTC)
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