Orioles- 6/12/02

TEAM NEWS: 30-32 (3rd place AL East, 11 games back)

Rotation:
Rodrigo Lopez has been the sleeper of the staff. A 6-1 record with an ERA of only 2.51 and has held opponents to a .226 AVG. By now he should be owned in most leagues. In his last two starts he is 1-0, he's pitched 15.66 innings, surrendered only 4 ER, 13 H, 2 BB, and 7 K. He should help lower your ERA, but will not be a great source of Ks.

Jason Johnson (replaced Calvin Maduro now in DL with bone chips in elbow) is coming off an injury (broken finger in right hand). In his first game back, he pitched a decent, albeit not great game. He pitched 6 innings, allowing 4 R, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K in his return. This a probably a typical game for him. He is worth owning in AL-only leagues.

Sidney Ponson has the best stuff and greatest potential of any Orioles starter. Nontheless, he remains an enigma with only 3 wins in 13 starts. In his last two starts, he's pitched 16 innings, surrendered 4 ER, 9 H, 7 BB, and 8 K. As luck would have it, he didn't earn a win in either quality stars. Ponson is worth owning in all AL leagues and deep ML leagues and averages 4 to 5 Ks per start.

Soctt Erickson is not someone you want to own, this is his first year back from Tommy John surgery. He has not won in his last 8 starts, dating back to April and has given up four runs or more in each of his last four starts. His ERA will hover around 5.00 this year and he is not a good source of Ks. Stay away until next year.

Travis Driskill is a 30 year old rookie, but worth owning in AL-only leagues. He has a 3.62 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 9 games. He won't help out much in K's, but he's an Oriole so don't expect too much.

Infield:
1b Jeff Conine is the Orioles best player. He had slumped early in the year, but really turned it around in May and has good value in ML-leagues. He qualifies at multiple postions (1B, 3B, OF) which is adds most of his value. While batting only .258, Conine is making up for it with 27 R, 10 HR, 42 RBI, 3 SB, 12 BB, 39 K. He's worth acquiring if you can get him cheap and need a Utility player or a 3B.

2b Jerry Hairston/Brian Roberts- Jerry Hairston has not been in Mike Hargrove's doghouse after an extended slump to start the year. He has done much better in May, but with limited playing time. He's not worth earning until he has a full time gig, since his major contribution would be stolen bases.

Brian Roberts is all effort and grabbed the job from Hairston. He is worth owning in AL-only leagues as long as he has a full time job. He has stolen 6 bases in only 17 games and is batting near the top of the O's lineup. He is batting a only .254, but has shown some patience at the plate while drawing 7 walks and striking out only 8 times. Players with this speed should keep the ball in play and make things happen. Roberts also has 12 R, 1 HR, and 4 RBI.

SS Mike Bordick where did that 2000 Mike Bordick go? Bordick is nothing more than an average shortstop. I don't even want to mention his numbers, so steer clear.

3B Tony Batista has been a nice surprise as a Cal Ripken replacement. He was a steal off the waiver wire for the Orioles last year. He is especially valuable since he qualifies at SS in most leagues. Tony isn't going to win any batting titles with a .272 AVG. However, you shouldn't complain with 42 R, 16 HR, 41 RBI, 22 BB, 34 K, and 3 SB.

Outfield:

LF- Melvin Mora is an exciting player to watch and plays several positions. Should be owned in most leagues. He is having a good year with 36 R, 8 HR, 27 RBI, 26 BB, 43 K, 11 SB, and a .245 AVG. Once again, his versitility is part of his value.

CF- Chris Singleton was one of the O's big offseason acquisitions. He hasn't done all that much though. His current stats are 26 R, 3 HR, 23 RBI, 10 BB, 37 K, 8 SB, and a .248 AVG.

RF- Jay Gibbons has the most promise of any Orioles hitter. He has 40 homer potential and is already becoming a fan favorite, but needs some more ML seasoning. He isn't off to a bad start with 10 homers and has shown good patience at the plate with 26 BB and only 29 K. He's worth owning in most leagues as a reserve OF. Keep his name in mind for next year's draft.

DH- Marty Cordova was the other O's big addition. He has missed some games due to injury, but is not producing on par with his last season with the Indians. The jury is still out on which Cordova is the real one.

Bullpen:

This could be a closer by committee at any moment, but for now Jorge Julio is the guy to own. He has an electric fastball that hits 97 consistently, but has blown 4 out of 16 save opportunities. However, the other options aren't that promising. Buddy Groom is likely to pick up 5 saves this year, if you're desperate for saves.

Local Perspective:

The Orioles have cut their payroll by more than 50% in the last two seasons and have become a better team in the process. They have abandoned the idea of filling their club with expensive veterans and gone for a youth movement. The problem is the farm club isn't that deep. Hopefully, they'll improve their drafting so they can begin to field a contender.

Injuries:

Calvin Maduro- bone chips in elbow, 15-day DL.

QUICK VIEW:

Add/Trade For:
Julio- likely can be had cheap. Decent source of saves.
Conine- good cheap guy to get if your 1B/3B went down with an injury.
Batista- nice addition at SS for most teams.

Deal/Dump:
If you have more than one Orioles player on your team this isn't a good sign.

Correspondent's Note:
I am only the temporary O's correspondent, if you want to be the full time O's correspondent, please apply. If you need more information than this report provided please visit the Orioles Message Board or go to our online chat sessions for expert information. Do you have any ideas on something else that could improve the report? Please post your comment down below in the "Comments" link.