Orioles Playing Time Battles: Hitters

We’ve started our annual Depth Chart Discussions, re-branded as Playing Time Battles for 2016. You can catch up on every team we’ve covered in the Playing Time Battles Summary post or following along using the Depth Chart Discussions tag.

With Chris Davis back in the fold, the Orioles have a surprisingly settled roster. Presently, the battles are all constrained to the outfield and designated hitter role. Davis should claim first base full time while Manny Machado, Jonathan Schoop, and J.J. Hardy will start whenever healthy. Adam Jones has center field on lock down, but his flanks are up for open competition.

Corner Outfield

Left and right field could belong to anybody, even a player not currently on the roster. The Orioles were among the finalists for Yoenis Cespedes, offering a five-year contract that he ultimately spurned in favor of the Mets. The club probably won’t burn their top draft pick to sign Dexter Fowler. However, I could see them signing one of Austin Jackson, Marlon Byrd, David DeJesus, Alex Rios, or Shane Victorino. The trade market also has a few names.

For the nonce, Mark Trumbo is the regular right fielder. It’s clear the club would get the most out of Trumbo as a designated hitter. The roster just isn’t deep enough yet to go that route. Trumbo is a reasonable rebound candidate at the plate, but the O’s will have to suffer some lousy defense (Trumbo in the outfield reminds me of Brad Hawpe, although Hawpe was measurably catastrophic). The middle of an AL East lineup is a good place to be for a hitter. Playing 99 games at Camden Yards, Yankee Stadium, and the Rogers Centre won’t hurt.

There’s no question Trumbo will be in the lineup, even if he probably shouldn’t play in the outfield. He’s in this discussion because the other candidates for starting reps are Nolan Reimold, Henry Urrutia, Dariel Alvarez, and Hyun Soo Kim.

Reimold is a familiar name to fantasy owners. He’s flashed value in several seasons. Injuries derailed the prime of his career. Reimold is an adequate defender with a league average bat. At his best, he can be a useful fantasy power bat. He’s very rarely at his best. If you’re not in an AL Only format, you should not be drafting the 32-year-old. I have trouble imagining the Orioles not finding a better option to start. You don’t pay that much for Davis to then punt a corner outfield spot.

Kim was signed earlier in the offseason to a two-year, $7MM contract. The 28-year-old Korean star secured a provision that prevents the Orioles from demoting him to the minors. He’ll be on the Opening Day roster – probably as a starter. Kim, a left-handed hitter, is coming off an impressive 2015 campaign in the KBO. He hit .326/.438/.541 with 28 home runs and 11 stolen bases.

The KBO is a notoriously hitter friendly environment – Eric Thames melted the competition. In other words, Kim is not going to post superstar numbers in the majors. The speed is fringy and can’t be relied upon. The power should show up. If he starts – and I expect he will – he could hit 15 home runs with an upside around 25 blasts. As with Trumbo, he’s fortunate to play 90 games at Camden Yards and Yankee Stadium – two of the best environments for left-handed power. There’s upside here, but it comes with a ton of variance.

Cuban prospects Alvarez and Urrutia are running out of time to claim a regular role. Neither player is young. Urrutia is nearly 29 while Alvarez is 27. Urrutia is said to have plus raw power, but it doesn’t show up in game action. He’s recently improved his contact skills. A breakout isn’t impossible, but he looks like a fourth outfielder to me.

The club seems to like Alvarez more, and he also has flashed better fantasy skills. In 541 Triple-A plate appearances, he hit .275/.305/.424 with 16 home runs and seven stolen bases. From what I can gather, he’s an aggressive hitter. His ability to continue putting a high rate of balls in play will determine whether he’s a poor man’s Jones or a completely unrosterable player.

Designated Hitter

As I mentioned, this should be Trumbo’s job. Until it is, Jimmy Paredes and Christian Walker seem like the best fits. The Orioles could also hit the free agent market for Pedro Alvarez, Justin Morneau, or others.

Paredes had a breakout 2015 season with a .275/.310/.416 slash, 10 home runs, and four stolen bases in 384 plate appearances. Despite his success, he also demonstrated ridiculous contact problems that he barely survived with equally ridiculous aggression. Without a true defensive home, Paredes doesn’t really look like a major leaguer.

Walker is one of the top first base prospects in baseball. That’s one way to describe him. First base “prospects” usually play other positions which can elevate guys like Walker up the list. His profile reads a little fringy for the majors.

In the minors, he’s shown 20 home run power, adequate contact skills, and adequate plate discipline. How those abilities interact with major league pitching will determine if he’s a league average first baseman or a Quad-A bat. With Davis entrenched at first base long term, Walker’s early opportunities will come as a DH. The team may be better off trading him while he has that prospect sheen.

Catcher

Matt Wieters is the starting catcher. As you know, he’s pretty good at the baseball playing thing. Caleb Joseph is the backup. He’s considerably less talented than Wieters. For very active owners who stream Sunday catchers, Joseph should often be one of the better options on the board.