6BLACK E6 DAILY 02-11-07 MD RE E6 BLACK

Sunday, February E6 11, 2007 R x

OriolesSpring Training By Jorge Arangure Jr.

KEY DATES FIVE STORY LINES First - workout: Thursday Is Erik Bedard an Ace? Is on the Decline? First full-squad workout: Feb. 20 No Orioles starter has pitched better the past two seasons than Bedard. Last season he pitched a Mora was expected to snap of his early-season 1 Home opener: April 9 vs. Detroit career-high 196 ⁄3 and won a team-high 15 games. Bedard’s 3.76 ERA was the best for an funk last year as soon as he signed his three-year Orioles starter since 2004. His next challenge: to become the No. 1 starter, a role vacated by the contract extension. Instead, he posted his lowest recently traded Rodrigo Lopez, who had been the starter three of the past four batting average (.274) and on-base percentage (.342) SCHEDULE seasons. With some support, Bedard is capable of winning 20 since 2002. The Orioles gave him a $25 million ex- (All dates in March, all sites Florida unless games and perhaps moving into the top tier of American tension in part because the is a popular otherwise noted; all times p.m. Asterisk League starters. player in the community. But they also thought he’d be indicates games on MASN.) productive, even at 35. This season could tell whether Day Opponent Site Time Will the they miscalculated. Magic Finally Emerge? 1 Florida Jupiter 1:05 What Does Have Left? 2 Florida Ft. Lauderdale 1:05 Mazzone was supposed to dramatical- ly improve the Orioles’ pitching. The Orioles’ most significant offensive addition has 3* Washington Viera 1:05 Instead, the team ERA last year seen his numbers decline with age. Part of Huff’s al- 4 N.Y. Mets Ft. Lauderdale 1:05 (5.35) was worse than in lure is his versatility: He can play first and third base and left field. But what can he offer offen- 5 Florida Ft. Lauderdale 1:05 2005 (4.57). Mazzone’s supporters point out that sively? It’s unlikely Huff, 30, will ever match his 6 St. Louis Ft. Lauderdale 1:05 the team’s ERA should career highs of 34 home runs and 107 RBI from 7 Florida Jupiter 1:05 drastically improve now 2003. But a slight improvement on last year’s 8 N.Y. Mets Port St. Lucie 1:10 that Lopez (5.90) and season (.266, 21 home runs) should be enough (6.93) are to please the Orioles’ front office. 9* Washington Ft. Lauderdale 1:05 gone. They also assert 10 St. Louis Ft. Lauderdale 1:05 that Mazzone’s lessons Just How Good 11 Boston Fort Myers 1:05 usually take one season Is ? 12 L.A. Dodgers Ft. Lauderdale 1:05 to be appreciated fully by In the first half of last season Markakis his staff. Mazzone’s team .268 with two home runs. In the second 13 Florida Jupiter 1:05 ERA in Atlanta improved half, Markakis hit .311 with 14 home runs. 14 Florida Ft. Lauderdale 1:05 by more than a run from His true level of talent likely lies some- 15 Minnesota Fort Myers 1:05 his first year (4.58) to his where between the two. Never projected to second (3.49). be a huge threat, Markakis likely 16 Minnesota Ft. Lauderdale 1:05 will settle into the 20 to 25 home run range 17 Florida Jupiter 1:05 Nick Markakis, right, was much with an average near .300 as the starting N.Y. Mets Ft. Lauderdale 1:05 more productive in the second . 18* Boston Ft. Lauderdale 1:05 half of the season than the first. 19 Off BY GAIL BURTON — ASSOCIATED PRESS 20 N.Y. Mets Port St. Lucie 7:10 21 St. Louis Jupiter 1:05 40-MAN ROSTER NON-ROSTER INVITEES 22 L.A. Dodgers Vero Beach 1:05 Pitchers B/T Age *2006 W-L, ERA, SO DEPTH CHART Pitchers B/T Age 2006 W-L, ERA, SO Danys Baez Jose Acevedo 23 Boston Fort Myers 1:05 — R/R 29 5-6, 4.53, 39 (LA, Atl.) — R/R 29 Has 111 career saves CENTER FIELD Eight shutout innings in first start in Caribbean 24* L.A. Dodgers Ft. Lauderdale 1:05 45 Erik Bedard L/L 27 15-11, 3.76, 171 — Rob Bell R/R 30 Won seven straight last season Last pitched in majors in 2005 N.Y. Mets Port St. Lucie 1:10 34 Kris Benson R/R 32 11-12, 4.82, 88 LEFT FIELD RIGHT FIELD — Francis Beltran R/R 27 1 25 St. Louis Jupiter 1:05 Team has $7.5 million option for 2008 Nick Markakis Has pitched 61 ⁄3 innings in major league career Aubrey Huff Nick Markakis 26 Minnesota Fort Myers 1:05 25 Kurt Birkins L/L 26 5-2, 4.94, 27 Jay Gibbons — Fredy Deza R/R 24 Elbow injury led to late-season decline Jay Payton Has never pitched past 27 Florida Ft. Lauderdale 1:05 Jay Payton — R/R 32 4-2, 2.90, 45 (NYM) Jay Gibbons SECOND BASE — Cory Doyne R/R 25 28* Washington Viera 1:05 Career ERA of 3.40 Drafted by the Astros in 2000 St. Louis Ft. Lauderdale 1:05 56 Brian Burres L/L 25 0-0, 2.25, 6 Chris Gomez Chris Gomez — R/R 29 Late-season call-up surprised team Played in the for Canada Freddie Bynum Freddie Bynum 29 Washington Columbus, OH 4:05 35 R/R 25 9-10, 4.74, 157 — Jon Leicester R/R 28 30* Washington Norfolk 2:05 Has lowered hits allowed in each of his 3 seasons Career 4.80 ERA in the majors — R/R 27 0-0, 6.98, 14 — Radhames Liz R/R 23 31* Washington RFK Stadium 1:05 Claimed on waivers from Cleveland Hard thrower considered a top prospect 47 Jim Hoey R/R 24 0-1, 10.24, 6 — Victor Moreno R/R 27 Likely will start years in minors THIRD BASE FIRST BASE Pitched in the World Baseball Classic for Venezuela TEAM FACTS 47 Jim Johnson R/R 23 0-1, 24.00, 0 Melvin Mora — R/L 26 Unimpressive in one MLB start last year Prospect could jump to majors this year COACHES Aubrey Huff Aubrey Huff 81 Ryan Keefer L/R 25 STARTING — R/R 36 Sam Perlozzo, ; , Chris Gomez Chris Gomez Has yet to pitch in the majors PITCHERS RELIEVERS for Eric Gagne in bench coach; Sam Mejias, first base; Juan 29 L/L 22 6-6, 5.37, 98 — Chris Waters L/L 26 Samuel, third base; Terry Crowley, Out of options, so must remain in majors Erik Bedard Chris Ray 14 losses last season in the minors hitting. 36 John Parrish L/L 29 Daniel Cabrera Danys Baez Catchers B/T Age 2006 Avg., OBP, RBI Leo Mazzone, pitching; , Trying to recover from elbow surgery Kris Benson Chad Bradford — J.R. House R/R 27 .000, .000, 0 (Hou.) bullpen. 49 R/R 22 0-4, 15.10, 8 Adam Loewen Jamie Walker Once held national prep record for passing yards Despite struggles last year, still in team’s plans FORT LAUDERDALE STADIUM Scott Williamson — Ryan Hubele R/R 26 37 Chris Ray R/R 25 4-4, 2.73, 51 Teammate of Brandon Fahey at U. of Texas Built: Todd Williams 1962. Ranked 10th in AL in saves DESIGNATED — R/R 27 Seating capacity: Kurt Birkins 8,340. 43 Sendy Rleal R/R 26 1-1, 4.44, 19 HITTER Ramon Hernandez Three hits in 12 major league at-bats Dimensions: 322 feet to the left field Likely will start year in minors Jay Gibbons Paul Bako B/T Age 2006 Avg., OBP, RBI fence, 320 to the right field fence and — Jamie Walker L/L 35 0-1, 2.81, 37 Adam Donachie — Mike Cervenak R/R 30 401 to center field. 1.29 ERA in late innings of close games last year Kevin Millar Played at the University of Michigan Address: 1301 NW 55th St., Fort 53 Todd Williams R/R 35 2-4, 4.74, 24 Aubrey Huff — Brandon Sing R/R 25 Could be the long man in the bullpen Hit 32 HRs in the minors in 2004 Lauderdale, Fla. 33309. Infielders cont. B/T Age 2006 Avg., OBP, RBI cont. B/T Age 2006 Avg., OBP, RBI — Scott Williamson R/R 30 2-4, 5.72, 42 (ChC, SD) — Terry Tiffee S/R 27 .244, .306, 6 Children — Luis Hernandez S/R 22 31 Jay Gibbons L/L 29 .277, .341, 46 Only question is health Braves prospect signed as minor league free agent Will mostly DH; may play some first base Spent three seasons with the 14 and — Jaret Wright R/R 31 11-7, 4.49, 84 (NYY) Outfielders B/T Age 2006 Avg., OBP, RBI TICKET PRICES Adult under 15 Kevin Millar R/R 35 .272, .374, 64 — Aubrey Huff L/R 30 .266, .343, 65 (Hou., TB) Best year as starter in ’04 with Mazzone as coach OBP ranked second on team among regulars .299, 20 HRs, 63 RBI in his career against the Orioles — Roger Cedeño S/R 32 Box seats $20 $20 Catchers B/T Age 2006 Avg., OBP, RBI Stole 66 bases in 1999 with Mets 6 Melvin Mora R/R 35 .274, .342, 83 63 Val Majewski L/L 25 — Paul Bako L/R 34 .209, .261, 10 (KC) Lowest HR total (16) since 2003 Hit .260 in the minors while recovering from shoulder surgery — Jason Dubois R/R 27 Reserved grandstand $14 $14 Front-runner for backup job Attended Virginia Commonwealth 1 Brian Roberts S/R 29 .286, .347, 55 21 Nick Markakis L/L 23 .291, .351, 62 General admission $10 $5 — Adam Donachie R/R 22 9 of 10 HRs came after the all-star break Hit .403 in July — Cory Keylor L/R 27 Acquired in Will likely make the jump to Class AAA this year 10 Miguel Tejada R/R 30 .330, .379, 100 17 Corey PattersonL/R 27 .276, .314, 53 HOW TO GET TICKETS 55 Ramon Hernandez R/R 30 .275, .343, 91 1,080 consecutive games played 45 steals were a career high — R/R 28 .000, .000, 0 (SD) Career-high 91 RBI last year Career .373 OBP in minors On the Internet: www.orioles.com. — Eider Torres S/R 24 — Jay Payton R/R 34 .296, .325, 59 By telephone: Via Ticketmaster, Infielders B/T Age 2006 Avg., OBP, RBI Has no shot at making major league roster Hit .310 after the all-star break last year — Luis Montañez R/R 25 Third overall pick in 2000 draft 954-523-3309, 305-358-5885, 12 Brandon Fahey L/R 26 .235, .307, 23 Outfielders B/T Age 2006 Avg., OBP, RBI — L/R 26 .150, .190, 4 561-966-3309. Will face competition for utility job Freddie Bynum Acquired from Boston in the Javy Lopez trade — Ruddy Yan S/R 25 — L/R 26 .257, .308, 12 370 career minor league steals For more information: 954-776-1921 14 Chris Gomez R/R 35 .341, .387, 17 Also plays the infield (stadium box office). Had career-high 18-game last year 16 Jeff Fiorentino L/R 23 .256, .375, 7 *No statistics indicates the player spent ’06 in the minors Should be a fourth OF at some point Orioles Bank on a Rebuilt Bullpen Team’s Fortunes Could Hinge in Part on Three Free Agents Who Signed in Offseason

By Jorge Arangure Jr. was partly because of their dis- had accumulated names of relievers thought was the best for the club.” Washington Post Staff Writer astrous bullpen, which ended the who the team might consider, and at Duquette said that starters Kris season ranked next to last in the ma- the start of free agency, the Orioles Benson and Daniel Cabrera have — Less than two jors in ERA (5.25) and gave up the whittled their list to five top candi- called to thank him for the offseason months into the 2006 season, the most home runs in baseball (86). dates: Danys Baez, Joe Borowski, signings. realized they had Only one reliever who pitched more Chad Bradford, Justin Speier and Ja- Said Stockstill: “I guarantee that made a gross miscalculation in the than 10 innings (Chris Ray) had an mie Walker. Baltimore aggressively some of the criticism is coming from offseason: They had neglected to up- ERA below 3.00. Last season the pursued all of them, and signed teams who didn’t get [the players]. grade their bullpen. Orioles lost a whopping 18 games in three — Baez, Bradford and Walker . . . I don’t think you overpay for any- A team’s bullpen can dictate its which they led or were tied after the — at a total cost of $41.5 million one that turns out to be a quality fortunes for a season, and that was sixth . over the next three years. The price player for your club.” the case for the Orioles, who sank in One example of the Orioles’ in- tag seemed steep to some in base- Bradford has allowed just two the standings each time Manager eptitude: Journeyman Jim Brower, ball. home runs the past two seasons. Sam Perlozzo tapped his left or right who had some success with pitching “Did they give money to a Baez, a former closer, will set up arm to bring in yet another retread, coach Leo Mazzone in Atlanta, was setup guy and setup money to situa- Ray. Lefties hit just .238 against has-been or never-will-be. the Orioles’ most significant free tional guys?” one Walker, who also had an excellent “It was a combination of not cor- agent addition to the 2006 bullpen. general manager said. “Yes, but they 4.36 -to-walk ratio. Addi- 1 rectly evaluating the [2005] team,” He threw just 12 ⁄3 innings, allowing wanted to address that weakness for tionally, the Orioles signed Scott said John Stockstill, the Orioles’ di- 21 hits and 19 earned runs (13.86 ’07, and they felt that they had to Williamson, also a former closer, rector of minor league operations. ERA). pay the price. My biggest problem and Paul Shuey, who used to set up “They overestimated how good that “We were a little short,” Perlozzo with what they did was the length of for Eric Gagne in Los Angeles. Class team was in the beginning. . . . We said of his bullpen. “We were hoping the contracts for a group of players AAA Norfolk’s bullpen should also also probably over-evaluated some for better things. A lot of guys didn’t that are very volatile from year to be stocked because of all the reliev- of the players we had in the system. get the job done. Overall, it was diffi- year.” ers the Orioles signed. We counted on them too much. Over cult.” Said a general “I think the AAA team will have a the year we expected too much from Perlozzo often started worrying manager: “With fairly aggressive terrific team,” Orioles Executive them.” as early as the first inning if one of spending on the heels of prolonged Vice President said. The decision to drastically re- his starters began racking up a high losing, they still have questions Baltimore is cognizant that a re- vamp the bullpen, as the Orioles did pitch count, a scenario played out about corner offense. Also, their vamped bullpen won’t necessarily this offseason in a rash of free agent many times because of the young bullpen is not high-end. In the end, it lead to a division title, but it’s a start. spending, began in June 2006, at a starting staff. seems like a lot of spending for medi- Most teams don’t leap into the play- time when most teams are starting “That lump in your stomach came ocrity.” offs after having nine consecutive to prepare postseason scouting re- because that meant you’d need the The Orioles dismiss the criticism. losing seasons as Baltimore has. BY ELSA — GETTY IMAGES ports. bullpen in the fifth or sixth innings,” “I don’t pay any attention to it,” “As quickly as Baltimore fans

Danys Baez, above, Chad Bradford and Jamie Walker each signed for three By then the Orioles knew they he said. Orioles Vice President Jim Du- would like to see things happen, it’s years, totaling $41.5 million. Last season the Orioles’ bullpen had a 5.25 ERA. would not be in the playoffs, and it By June, Stockstill and his staff quette said. “We did what we a slow process,” Stockstill said. 6BLACK E6