Final Predictions for Every Orioles Spring Training Position Battle

The Baltimore Orioles are currently down to 44 players in camp, with the latest camp-casualty being infielder Danny Valencia, who was optioned to Triple-A Thursday.

While a good majority of those 44 players are either safely on the roster or are players who will undoubtedly be reassigned or optioned to the minors, there is still a group of players gunning for the last few roster spots.

There are roughly five roster spots still up for grabs. Three of those spots are reserved for the pitching staff, while two are destined for the bench. Here are the final predictions for those five roster battles.

5th Spot in the Rotation

Perhaps the most intriguing position battle in spring training for the O's has been the battle for the fifth and final rotation spot.

The battle is down to five pitchers: Jake Arrieta, Zach Britton, Brian Matusz, TJ McFarland and Steve Johnson.

Jair Jurrjens also had a shot to win the spot; however, he struggled this spring. Despite improvements as spring advanced and a solid performance in an intra-squad game, the former Braves All-Star allowed seven earned runs in 8.2 innings and will likely start in Triple-A.

All five of the remaining candidates have looked impressive in spring training, but Zach Britton's final start will likely relegate him to the minors. After a few solid outings to start out the spring, Britton allowed five runs on seven hits in only 1.2 innings against the Blue Jays.

The least likely of the remaining four to get the starting nod is Rule-5 pick TJ McFarland. Luckily for McFarland, however, since he can not be optioned to the minors without being returned to the Indians, he will likely be the second lefty in the Orioles bullpen.

If McFarland does go to the 'pen, that all but encrusts Brian Matusz into the starting rotation.

Despite struggling last season as a starter, Matusz seemed to have reinvented himself as a reliever. But after impressing late in the season and playoffs, Matusz was given the chance to regain his rotation spot this spring, and the 26-year-old lefty took advantage of the opportunity, allowing only four runs in 15 innings.

In reality, Jake Arrieta and Steve Johnson have pitched slightly better than Matusz this spring. But given the circumstances surrounding McFarland and the minute differences between the three (Matusz, Arrieta, Johnson), Arrieta and Johnson will likely be the odd men out.

Now, if the Orioles decide it is not worth holding on to McFarland, that would put Matusz in the 'pen and either Arrieta or Johnson in the rotation. But the most plausible scenario is that McFarland will stay.

Either way, if kept within the organization, all six pitchers mentioned on this slide will likely see some starts with the O's this season.

Last 2 Bullpen Spots

As previously mentioned, TJ McFarland seems to be destined for the bullpen.

The favorite for the remaining spot has to be Tommy Hunter.

Hunter has pitched well so far this spring but not as well as the other options, such as Arrieta or Johnson. The advantage that Hunter has over the other two is that he is out of minor league options. So if the O's decide they don't want to keep Hunter in the majors, they risk losing him on waivers.

The story of Tommy Hunter's 2012 was similar to that of Brian Matusz. He also struggled as a starter and excelled as a reliever. His performance earned him a one-year deal worth $1.86 million in the offseason.

As with McFarland, if the O's aren't worried about losing Hunter, another young pitcher could be given the bullpen role. But once again, it must be assumed that the O's will try to keep Hunter.

Utility Infielder

The battle for the utility infielder role is between two players: Alexi Casilla and Ryan Flaherty.

This is another case of being out of minor league options, as Casilla has none.

Ryan Flaherty has more potential and is probably better suited for the role. He has also performed well this spring, hitting .278 with three homers, including a walk-off. However, the Orioles organization would probably rather see the 26-year-old getting everyday at-bats in Triple-A than sporadic playing time in the majors. This could be the biggest reason why Casilla will probably make the team over Flaherty.

If Brian Roberts gets injured this season, which isn't much of a stretch, Flaherty will be called up and will likely start ahead of Casilla.

Once again, it just depends on how much GM Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter want to keep a player. If they aren't worried about holding on to Casilla, he is expendable and they do have a suitable replacement in Flaherty.

Final Bench Spot

Assuming the O's with go with 12 pitchers and 13 position players, there is one open spot remaining on the their bench.

Versatility will probably be a deciding factor for the final bench spot. As Roch Kubatko of MASN mentions, despite performing well is spring training, players like Lew Ford and Trayvon Robinson, who are purely outfielders, will unlikely make the team.

This leaves two viable candidates who played well this spring and can play both the outfield and first base: Conor Jackson and Steve Pearce.

Both Jackson and Pearce have been extremely impressive this spring, as both are averaging over .350 and Pearce leads the team this spring in both homers (four) and RBI (12). But despite Pearce having the slightly better numbers this spring, Jackson may be the favorite to win the bench spot.

Jackson once was a solid starting first baseman for a few good years with the Arizona Diamondbacks before a disease called Valley Fever derailed his career. But Jackson seems to have finally regained his swing that he lost back in 2009 when he became ill.

This past history and upside may be the deciding factor on who the O's keep, as Jackson and Pearce are otherwise very similar.