Baltimore Orioles' Initial Depth Chart for the 2015 Season
The Baltimore Orioles' roster underwent a huge transformation already this offseason, even though no major additions have yet to be made.
Instead, the Orioles are now without the services of corner outfielders Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis, who signed with the Seattle Mariners and Atlanta Braves respectively to deals that the Orioles could easily have matched.
The Orioles will need to get pretty creative in how they go about filling in glaring holes that exist on the roster now, particularly in the outfield.
The lineup has taken a major hit, losing both its leadoff man and heart-of-the-order hitter, but the return of catcher Matt Wieters and third baseman Manny Machado from their injuries and rehabilitation should help to keep Baltimore's offense among the top 10 in the game.
Here is how the Orioles' depth chart will look, at this current time, for the 2015 season.
Catcher
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Starter: Matt Wieters
After undergoing ulnar collateral ligament replacement, also known as Tommy John surgery, in mid-June of 2014, it is still expected that Wieters will start on Opening Day, since he was given a nine-month recovery timetable.
Wieters, who was on his way to a career year, hit for a .308 batting average and five homers through just 26 games played at the start of the season.
He will look to get back to that level of play in hopes of cashing out with a big free-agent contract next winter.
Backup: Caleb Joseph
Caleb Joseph did an admirable job filling in for Wieters once he went down with injury.
Joseph was a minor leaguer in Baltimore's organization for six years prior to receiving a call-up early in 2014.
Joseph, who hit for just a .268 average while in the minors, is not known for his prowess with the bat, and few could have predicted the thump he provided for the Birds at the end of the lineup.
Despite finishing around the Mendoza Line, Joseph was able to notch nine homers in 82 games played, which included a streak of one homer per game for five straight games in early August.
Backup: Steve Clevenger
Although Steve Clevenger spent a majority of his games played in 2014 in the minors, the lefty started off relatively strong at the dish in the opening months at the major league level.
Clevenger hit for an average of .246 and reached base at a .314 percentage throughout March/April and May.
Despite being a more polished hitter than Joseph, Clevenger found himself as the odd man out last year to be one of the two catchers once Wieters went down due to his struggles defensively.
If Wieters is unable to start the season, it's expected that Clevenger will be the No. 2 catcher.
1st Base
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Starter: Chris Davis
Chris Davis will begin the 2015 season while still suspended, as he has one game remaining on the 25-game suspension that was handed down after he tested positive for amphetamines late last season.
Despite hitting below the Mendoza Line for the first time since 2010, Davis still cranked out 26 homers, which is his third-highest total of his career.
If Davis can fall somewhere in the middle of his 2013 and 2014 campaigns, fans will be satisfied with the production at first base.
Backup: Steve Pearce
Steve Pearce had a breakout season for the Birds in 2014, recording his highest on-base percentage among seasons with over 50 games played and completely destroying his old career high of four homers in a season.
Pearce may have been playing over his head last season, but it could be that he finally turned a corner during his age-28 season.
Backup: Christian Walker
Christian Walker, who was named the Orioles' minor league Player of the Year, had a fantastic 2014, playing across three levels in the organization.
Walker hit for a .288/.357/.489 slash line and collected 26 homers in AA and AAA in 2014 and even got his first one out of the way at the major league level.
Walker should continue to develop into a solid on-base player in the majors with the expectation to hit around 15-20 home runs per season.
2nd Base
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Starter: Jonathan Schoop
Jonathan Schoop had an underwhelming 2014 season, yet there were several positives to take away from his first full exposure at the major league level.
For one, Schoop is only a 23-year-old, meaning he's got plenty of time to hone his plate recognition and selection after striking out in more than a quarter of his at-bats last season.
The power is there, however, and with the scarcity of right-handed power in the majors currently, Schoop should develop into a valuable asset, especially since he is a middle infielder.
Backup: Ryan Flaherty
Ryan Flaherty continues to be a valuable asset who can play multiple positions for the Orioles for wherever they may need him.
Flaherty was asked to step in and man third while Machado was injured in the onset of the season and when he went down again with another knee injury toward the end of the season.
Flaherty will never be a game-changer in the lineup, but the potential for a long ball at the eight or nine slot keeps opposing pitchers on their toes at all times.
3rd Base
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Starter: Manny Machado
Manny Machado only played around half a season's worth of games for the Orioles in 2014, yet he surprisingly nearly matched his home run total from the season prior, in which he played in all but six games.
The fact was that Machado was turning all of those doubles he collected in 2013 into long balls, which is why he will most likely hit the 20-homer mark for the first time in his career this upcoming season.
Add in Machado's elite defensive ability, and he could once again be one of the most valuable players in the game on both sides of the ball.
Backup: Jimmy Paredes
Jimmy Paredes, who was acquired from the Kansas City Royals in July for cash considerations, wound up being one of the most valuable depth players for the Orioles last season.
Paredes only collected two homers for the Orioles, but surprisingly, he was only one of three Orioles who finished the year with a batting average north of .300.
Paredes, who has plenty of major league experience under his belt, is still only 26 years old and still has the capability to improve.
Expect him to perform as a solid backup with a more than capable bat presence in the Baltimore lineup.
Shortstop
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Starter: J.J. Hardy
Hampered by both a hamstring injury and back injury in 2014, J.J. Hardy still managed to churn out a solid season at the plate while retaining his status as the best defensive shortstop in the AL by picking up his third straight Gold Glove award.
Hardy's power took a turn for the worse last season, as he ended with single-digit homers for the first time since 2010, but the added value defensively masked any decline in his offensive ability.
This was certainly the prime reason the Orioles signed him to a three-year extension at the conclusion of the season.
Left Field
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Starter: Alejandro De Aza
After being acquired by the Orioles in a deal that sent two minor league right-handers to the Chicago White Sox in return for his services, Alejandro De Aza went on be a huge piece of the Orioles' push toward the playoffs in September.
The lefty veteran was constantly slotted near the top of the order and provided a solid on-base percentage of .341, and he displayed incredible speed, collecting three triples while with the Orioles.
After swiping 17 bags in 2014, the Orioles may have to look no further than De Aza as their leadoff man for this upcoming season.
Center Field
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Starter: Adam Jones
It was another ho-hum year for Orioles superstar Adam Jones, as the center field slugger belted out a near 30 homers (29), drove in a near 100 RBI (96) and hit for around the .280 batting average range (.281) for the sixth straight year.
Jones has been a model of consistency for the Birds, collecting four Gold Glove awards in the past six years and collecting 25 or more round-trippers in each of the past four seasons.
Aside from this past season, Jones has improved seemingly across the board since 2010, but still it's hard to improve on a 2013 season in which he hit 33 homers and drove in over 100 runs for the first time in his career.
Jones will solidify the heart of the Orioles' lineup this season and continue to provide more than solid offense on top of solid defense.
Right Field
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Starter: David Lough
One of the few threats on the basepath for the Orioles last season, David Lough only appeared in 112 games and was utilized primarily as a late-inning defensive substitution.
Lough ended the year with a pedestrian .247 batting average but managed to improve significantly in the second half, obtaining a slash line of .351/.387/.544 during that time.
Granted, it is a small sample size considering he only made 64 plate appearances in that time, but it is encouraging to note that he took advantage of the limited number of at-bats he received.
Now, as it stands, Lough will receive full-time at-bats and should represent a solid on-base steal threat at the bottom of the order.
Designated Hitter
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Starter: Steve Pearce
Steve Pearce was covered in the first base slide but should be the starting designated hitter for the Orioles to start the season.
The fact is that slotting Pearce in the lineup with Chris Davis gives other teams even more power to fear and extra protection for other Baltimore hitters.
Pearce should hit at least 20 homers this season and hit for a solid average with full playing time to start out.
Starting Pitcher
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Ace: Chris Tillman
Chris Tillman was the unquestioned ace of the staff throughout the season.
He tallied over 200 innings and struck out 150 batters for the second consecutive season while leading the Orioles' starting rotation.
While not a true ace like some clubs are lucky enough to have, Tillman represented the best chance of winning when he took the mound.
No. 2: Wei-Yin Chen
Wei-Yin Chen took a solid step forward after an injury-plagued 2013 season, achieving a career-low ERA of 3.54 and pitching for 185.2 innings.
Chen, being the only lefty of the rotation, is an extremely valuable asset for the Orioles and has been receiving "very high" interest, according to Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun.
Chen ended the season as the team leader in wins with 16.
No. 3: Kevin Gausman
With a strong spring training Gausman should supplant Bud Norris as the No. 3 starter out of the gate.
Gausman, who was called up to the parent club in mid-May, went on to win seven games in 20 starts and struck out 88 batters in 113.1 innings.
Gausman's WHIP total was alarming (1.315), but added work with control and development should lead to confidence and a lower total soon enough.
No. 4: Bud Norris
Bud Norris had a very solid season for the Orioles as a middle-of-the-rotation pitcher.
In 165.1 innings pitched last season, the righty struck out 139 batters and won a career-high 15 games.
In addition, Norris also finished the 2014 season with a career-low ERA of 3.65.
Look for Norris to yet again provide more than solid value from the heart of the rotation.
No. 5: Miguel Gonzalez
Always the pitcher to be overlooked because of his quiet nature, it can be argued that Miguel Gonzalez was the most effective pitcher the Orioles had last season.
Gonzalez achieved a career-low ERA of 3.23; however, he may have just been a product of good luck. His FIP (fielding independent pitching) total, which measures a pitcher's effectiveness at preventing home runs, walks, hit batters and causing strikeouts, was a concerning 4.89.
Relief Pitcher
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Closer: Zach Britton
Zach Britton had one heck of a breakout season for Baltimore in 2014 after taking over the closer's job from Tommy Hunter in mid-May.
Britton finished up with a sparkling 1.65 ERA, which is extraordinary considering he never completed a season previously with anything less than a 4.60 ERA.
In the end, Britton only surrendered four homers in 76.1 innings and gave up just 46 hits as well.
Britton will be the leader of a bullpen that needs to continue to be a strength of the club even after the departure of Andrew Miller.
Setup: Darren O'Day
It was a career year for Darren O'Day as well, which is truly shocking considering there wasn't much room for improvement from the previous season's 2.18 ERA.
Alas, O'Day managed to best even that on his way to compiling a 1.70 ERA and a staggering strikeout-per-nine ratio of 9.6.
O'Day flourishes in the setup role, which was the main reason manager Buck Showalter decided to go with Britton instead of O'Day to step into the vacated closer's role last season.
Seventh Inning: Tommy Hunter
Tommy Hunter struggled early on when he opened up the season as the team's closer, but he was able to finish out the season with a sub-3.00 ERA and a solid WHIP of 1.104.
Despite Hunter's affinity to serve up the long ball in the past, the flamethrower only let up four total in 2014.
Hunter should continue to serve as a bridge from the middle relievers over to the back of the bullpen for the Birds this upcoming season.
Lefty Specialist: Brian Matusz
Brian Matusz took a step back from his performance in 2013 this past season, doubling his home runs given up total from '13 and giving up a slightly higher number of hits in about the same amount of innings pitched.
Matusz's value as a lefty specialist declined in 2014, considering his batting average against lefty hitters in '14 was .223 as opposed to a jaw-dropping .168 from 2013.
Ryan Webb
Ryan Webb's inaugural season with the Orioles never really stood out when looking back on it. The 28-year-old righty finished with a sub-par 3.83 ERA and was never truly dominant on the mound, striking out just 6.8 batters per nine innings.
Although his SO/9 ratio was the highest of his career in 2014, Webb will need to limit hits if he is to get by without getting outs the hard way.
Ubaldo Jimenez
Ubaldo Jimenez sputtered right out of the gate for the Orioles in his first season after signing with the club in the offseason.
Jimenez's control issues were a problem all year, as the wild-throwing righty walked a total of 77 batters in 125.1 innings. On top of that, he gave up 14 homers on the year.
The club is finding it extremely difficult to find suitors to take on Jimenez's contract, and the only option right now is to stash him away in the bullpen, unfortunately.
Brad Brach
Brad Brach was a pleasant surprise for the club in 2014 and provided solid production from the middle of the bullpen.
Brach managed to post career lows in ERA (3.18) and WHIP (1.171). He even managed to pick up seven wins in his relief efforts, which tied starter Kevin Gausman's end-of-season total.
Brach is in the prime of his career at age 28 and should continue to see more improvement going forward.
T.J. McFarland
Rule 5 selection T.J. McFarland had a successful year in 2014, but there are areas of improvement in his game.
For one, McFarland needs to limit hits surrendered. In his past two seasons, McFarland has given up at least eight more hits than innings pitched.
Also, McFarland is underwhelming in the strikeout department. After finishing with a 7.0 SO/9 ratio in '13, he ended with a meager 5.2 ratio this past season.
Although relying on a defense such as Baltimore's to help out a pitcher is fine, there's only so much a defense can do to help.
Eddie Gamboa
Eddie Gamboa was added to the Orioles' 40-man roster earlier this month and will be an intriguing player to watch in his first major league season if he breaks camp with the team.
The 29-year-old knuckleballer has spent his entire career thus far in the minor leagues and has the chance now to make an impact with his parent club.
Last season across the Double-A and Triple-A levels for Baltimore, Gamboa achieved an 8.6 SO/9 ratio and surrendered just eight homers in 108.2 innings pitched.
Gamboa will be either hit or miss, but if he hits, he should be pretty entertaining to watch.
Stats provided by Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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