Baltimore Orioles Grades for Every Player in April

So far, so good for the Baltimore Orioles. With the first month of the 2013 season now in the books, the O's record stands at a respectable 16-11.

While the Orioles remain third in the AL East, behind both the Red Sox and Yankees, it's hard to complain about their early season success. Expectations coming into the season were the highest they've been in years, and the O's have met those expectations as they've won each of their last four series and have won six out of eight series overall.

As with all teams, some Orioles' players have had a successful start to the season, while others have been disappointing. Here are the April grades for every player on the O's roster.

Matt Wieters

Grade: C-

Stats: .227 Avg., 4 HR, 15 RBI, 11 R

Wieters has struggled some with the stick so far this year, especially from the left side where he's only averaging .167. But behind the plate there may not be any better.

So far Wieters is 8-for-12 at catching runners stealing, which is double the next most runners caught.

The 26-year-old is starting to heat up a bit from the hitting prospective, as he's hit in three straight and driven in five in that span.

Chris Davis

Grade: A

Stats: .348 Avg., 9 HR, 28 RBI, 19 R

Davis has slowed down a bit since his torrid start to the season, but that pace was slightly unsustainable.

He's still tied for the lead in the AL in home runs and RBI, and is second in the majors in both slugging (.728) and OPS (1.171).

While some regression is still likely, a career year is still in the making for Davis, who easily has the power to hit 40 homers.

Ryan Flaherty

Grade: D-

Stats: .125 Avg., 1 HR, 3 RBI, 6 R

Despite very mediocre numbers, Ryan Flaherty continues to get the majority of the starts at second over Alexi Casilla.

Half of Flaherty's hits have been for extra bases, but he only has six hits in 52 at-bats.

The 26-year-old's grade would have been an F if not for his glove work at second, as he has yet to commit an error this season.

Manny Machado

Grade: A-

Stats: .304 Avg., 2 HR, 16 RBI, 17 R

Not much more can be asked of the 20-year-old Machado.

He continues to be excellent in the field and he's greatly improved at the plate.

Other than running into a triple play against the Yankees, Machado has played well beyond his years, and any signs of a sophomore slump seem to be non-existent.

J.J. Hardy

Grade: C-

Stats: .202 Avg., 3 HR, 15 RBI, 9 R

Throughout April, J.J. Hardy was hovering around the Mendoza-line. Still, he came up with some timely hits.

From the fielding prospective, Hardy has been great, but does have three errors against him.

It may be the success of batters in front of him, or the fact that he's no longer at the top of the lineup, but the fact that he's struggled to begin the year seems marginalized.

Nate McLouth

Grade: A

Stats: .346 Avg., 2 HR, 8 RBI, 22 R

So far, Nate has been great.

McLouth has been the quintessential lead-off man for the O's, as he's tied for third in the majors in runs scored and tied for second in stolen bases at eight, despite sitting against lefties on most occasions.

Adam Jones

Grade: B+

Stats: .327 Avg., 4 HR, 20 RBI, 22 R

It's been all fine and dandy for Adam Jones at the plate, as he's gotten a hit in all but four games.

In the field, however, a couple of fly balls where the 27-year-old may have been a little too nonchalant may have cost his team a game or two.

Still, Jones is entering his prime and is on pace for a career year.

Nick Markakis

Grade: B-

Stats: .277 Avg., 3 HR, 13 RBI, 16 R

Markakis had a very average April. He didn't put up outstanding numbers, but there was nothing to complain about.

His average is a bit lower than his career .295 average, but he is a notoriously slow starter. So if this is a slow start, it's a sign of good things to come.

Nolan Reimold

Grade: D+

Stats: .211 avg, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 9 R

While the Orioles' main designated hitter hasn't been awful, he's been far from impressive.

Reimold did come up big against the Dodgers on April 20, as he hit a solo-shot and drove in the game winner on a two-run double.

The 29-year-old has stayed healthy after missing most of 2012, but seems to be working out some kinks still, as he's struck out 22 times in only 71 at-bats.

Steve Pearce

Grade: D

Stats: .179 Avg., 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 R

A timely two-run homer against the Rays on April 18, which broke him out of an 0-for-15 slump to start the season, has been the highlight to Pearce's season so far.

After making the club out of spring training, there were some hopes that Pearce could be a major contributor to the O's this season. But those hopes are all but gone.

Pearce has only 28 at-bats this season, 21 of which of come against lefties, and he has yet to play the field.

Alexi Casilla

Grade: D+

Stats: .219 Avg., 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3 R

As with every other player who hits near the bottom of the lineup, Alexi Casilla's numbers have left much to be desired.

Casilla has been at the wrong end of the time share at second base with Ryan Flaherty, which has limited him to only 32 at-bats on the year.

He's been a non-factor with the bat, but has been solid with the glove and has yet to commit an error

Jason Hammel

Grade: B+

Stats: 4-1, 6 GS, 35.2 IP, 21 K, 3.79 ERA, 1.26 WHIP

If it wasn't for a misplayed fly ball in his second start of the season and a blown lead by Pedro Strop in his fourth start, Jason Hammel may have been 6-0 in April.

While this year's Opening Day starter hasn't dominated in any start so far, he's been decent-to-good in each.

The strikeouts haven't been there like they were last year, and he's given up five homers already, but Hammel's other numbers remain solid, especially the four wins.

Wei-Yin Chen

Grade: A-

Stats: 2-2, 5 GS, 32.0 IP, 16 K, 2.53 ERA, 1.00 WHIP

One outstanding outing in Chen's last start against the A's in Oakland, in which he went a strong eight innings, allowing no runs and conceding only a couple of hits and a couple of walks, greatly influenced his seemingly brilliant line. While the Taiwanese 26-year-old has been good, he hasn't been quite as good as his numbers may show.

He continues to be a pronounced fly ball pitcher, but has only given up two homers and his HR/FB ratio is at an unsustainable 3.4 percent. This includes 17 fly-ball outs in pitcher friendly O.co Coliseum in his last start.

But still, Chen's numbers are impressive. He's holding opponents to a .211 batting average, and has given the O's a chance to win if every game he's pitched thus far, as he's had four quality starts in a row.

Miguel Gonzalez

Grade: C+

Stats: 2-1, 5 GS, 29.1 IP, 17 K, 4.60 ERA, 1.50 WHIP

The problems start for Miguel Gonzalez when he gets to the the 75 pitch mark. While most pitchers struggle more as they tire, Gonzalez completely falls apart.

Through his first 75 pitches, Gonzalez is holding batters to a .229 average and has a 2.66 ERA.

After 76 pitches, the opposition holds a .423 average and Gonzalez's ERA rises to 12.71.

While Gonzalez has been solid and has yet to allow more than four earned runs in a game, he must improve in later innings.

Chris Tillman

Grade: C

Stats: 5 GS, 1-1, 26.2 IP, 25 K, 4.73 ERA, 1.61 WHIP

After an abysmal outing against the Twins, in which he didn't get out of the fourth inning, Tillman has recovered nicely and pitched well in his last couple of starts.

The 25-year-old has been nowhere near as dominant as he was at points in 2012, but he's still much improved from his 2009-2011 performances. He also leads the Orioles pitchers in strikeouts.

Tillman's job in the rotation is safe for now and he should continue to improve as the season advances.

Jake Arrieta

Grade: D-

Stats: 1-1, 4 GS, 19.0 IP, 15 K, 6.63 ERA, 1.63 WHIP

When a pitcher holds the opposition to a .224 batting average, his numbers should be much better than Arrieta's are.

He's got the stuff to be an all-star pitcher, but Arrieta just can't get out of his own head. Just when everything seems to be fine, he always seems to lose command of pitches and everything blows up.

The 27-year-old has been dealing with anxiety issues, which seems to be the main cause of his total lack of command at times.

After four mediocre starts, none of which he went further than five innings, the O's sent him down to Triple-A Norfolk to try and get things straightened out.

T.J. McFarland

Grade: B

Stats: 0-0, 5 G, 11.1 IP, 14 K, 2.38 ERA, 1.41 WHIP

The 23-year-old, Rule 5 draft pick has been solid in his long relief role so far this season.

McFarland's first appearance as an Oriole remains his best, as he went 3.1 innings in relief of Chris Tillman on April 6, only allowing a single hit while striking out five.

Despite the fact that he's a lefty, he's been strictly used as a long reliever thus far. But if the current merry-go-round with the Orioles' fifth rotation spot continues, McFarland may get a start sooner or later.

Tommy Hunter

Grade: B+

Stats: 0-1, 1 SV, 9 G, 13.2 IP, 10 K, 1.98 ERA, 0.88 WHIP

After starting off on a sour note, Tommy Hunter has quietly put together a very nice April, including six straight scoreless outings.

The homerun continues to be the 26-year-old's arch-nemesis, as he's allowed three solo homers. But those three runs are the only runs Hunter has allowed.

As a reliever, Hunter has gotten his fastball to the upper-90s. His role may increase if he continues to impress.

Troy Patton

Grade: B+

Stats: 1-0, 11 G, 11.2 IP, 5 K, 2.31 ERA, 1.20 WHIP

Other than allowing a two-run to Seth Smith in the debacle that was the series finale against Oakland, it's been smooth sailing for Patton.

The lefty has been a solid contributor to the O's 'pen the last couple years and should continue to be the rest of the season.

Pedro Strop

Grade: F

Stats: 0-1, 11 G, 8.0 IP, 8 K, 7.88 ERA, 1.88 WHIP

The biggest disappointment in the Orioles' bullpen in April was Pedro Strop.

Strop has been very wild so far. He's allowed six walks, hit a man and has thrown three wild pitches.

While he showed signs of fatigue late last season, Strop pitched well for the Dominican Republic in the WBC and seemed poised for a strong 2013. But that has not been the case, as his command is just not there.

Brian Matusz

Grade: A-

Stats: 1-0, 12 G, 12.1 IP, 12 K, 2.92 ERA, 0.73 WHIP

Much like fellow lefty Troy Patton, other than serving up a two-run homer to Yoenis Cespedes in the series finale against the A's, Brian Matusz has been terrific.

He has prospered as the lefty in a one-two punch with co-setup man Darren O'Day.

Since moving to relief late last season, Matusz has inherited 24 base runners. All have been stranded thus far.

The 26-year-old wants to get back in the rotation, but he's just been too good in the relief role to move.

Darren O'Day

Grade: A

Stats: 2-0, 14 G, 13.2 IP, 13 K, 0.66 ERA, 0.88 WHIP

The submarine-righty made one mistake in April, which resulted in a solo homer by James Loney on April 18. Other than that, O'Day has been near-perfect

There's not much that needs to be said about O'Day. He gets people out and does it by throwing a nasty slider from an unorthodox angle.

He's tied for the team lead in holds at four, along with Brian Matusz.

Jim Johnson

Grade: A

Stats: 1-2, 10 SV, 14 G, 14.0 IP, 12 K, 0.64 ERA, 1.00 WHIP

Johnson's a perfect 10-for-10 on save opportunities, as he's well on his way to repeating his 2012 performance of 51 saves.

The 29-year-old is off to the best start of his career, and as long as he stays healthy, he should make another All-Star game appearance.

Others

Chris Dickerson

Grade: C+

A three-hit performance on the last day was all the veteran contributed to the O's in limited at-bats in April.

Taylor Teagarden

Grade: D+

The Orioles were 2-2 in games caught by their backup catcher, who was hit-less on the season before a dislocated thumb.

Zach Britton

Grade: F

After not making the team out of spring training, his lone start against Seattle was not the impression Britton wanted to make.

Josh Stinson

Grade: D-

Four homers in 5.2 cost the 25-year-old his shot at a second start with the Orioles anytime soon.

Brian Roberts

Grade: F

Oy vey. The oft-injured Roberts made it three games before finding himself back on the DL. He was hitting well before the injury, but health is what determines Roberts' grade.