NumerOlogy

As the Birds fly north for tomorrow’s exhibition finale vs. the Nationals at the new stadium in D.C., the roster is 24/25ths set. It pretty much shakes out as I speculated on Monday. Brian Burres will be the fifth starter, with Matt Albers in the long relief role. Rocky Cherry was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a shoulder strain, though it’s not certain he would have made the team if he were healthy. I miscounted the position players; if the Orioles don’t eat Jay Gibbons‘ contract there is no room for either Scott Moore or Tike Redman (Chris Roberson will definitely start the season at Norfolk). The O’s hand on Gibbons might be forced now that MLB has put his 15-day drug suspension on hold pending further negotiations with the players’ association. Andy MacPhail and company were counting on the suspension to buy them some time. I realize that $11.9 million is a lot of money to burn, but it’s my opinion that it would be better spent getting Gibbons, his poor defense and declining bat, and his performance-enhancing drug taint off of the team, thereby opening up a spot for a more versatile and deserving player like Moore or Redman. But then, it’s not my money. Blah blah blah.

It just wouldn’t be a Spring Training wrap-up if we didn’t have another appearance by the multipurpose #18. The invaluable Roch Kubatko reported on the preponderance of 70s and 80s on the field for the O’s in yesterday’s road game in Viera, FL against the Nationals. The team gave most of the starters a break and took a bunch of players from the minor league camp on the five-hour round trip instead. He notes that a rare low number was worn by outfielder Adam Stern, who wore (what else?) #18. Yesterday was something of a cameo for Stern, who did not get an invite to the major league camp this year after spending the bulk of 2007 in Norfolk. He did have a cup of coffee with the O’s as a late-inning defensive replacement last April, wearing #40.

I don’t like to talk about those damned Yankees on this site, but this one involves uniform numbers and a former Oriole, so I felt obligated to mention it. Infielder Morgan Ensberg was given #21 when he came to Yankees camp in February, becoming the first New York player to wear it since former outfielder Paul O’Neill retired in 2001. When Ensberg learned that he’d made the Opening Day roster, he insisted upon switching numbers out of respect for O’Neill and his ongoing popularity with the Bronx faithful. Former O’s reliever LaTroy Hawkins plans to suit up in #21 in Ensberg’s place; he intends it to be a tribute to Pirates Hall-of-Fame outfielder (and Oriole killer) Roberto Clemente, who died in a plane crash ten days before Hawkins’ birth in 1972. Incidentally, another ex-Bird wore #21 throughout his career to honor Clemente: outfielder/malcontent Sammy Sosa.

I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty antsy for some games that count in the standings, and not just because it’ll give me a chance to update the All-Time Roster. It’s been a long winter.

Play Ball, and let’s go O’s!

The picture accompanying this post comes from the Baltimore Sun, which ran an amusing story last Thursday about Opening Day starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie (pictured on the right). Apparently he got tired of staring at Nick Markakis‘ golf bag, so he pulled it out of the outfielder’s locker, filled it with baseball equipment and towels, and carried it out to the field. Guthrie served as Nick’s caddy, even going so far as to wear a spare #21 Markakis jersey. My eyes could be failing me, but it looks like Nick’s bag may even be in Orioles colors, which would be a nice touch.

Speaking of jersey oddities, Mike Costanzo became the latest Oriole to wear the normally-vacant #18 last Friday. It seems that although Mike showed up for a road game against the Cardinals in Jupiter, his #66 jersey did not. When he entered the game at first base in the middle innings, he wore #18, just as Ramon Hernandez had done in a similar situation earlier this Spring. I know that college basketball teams are required to have a spare “blood jersey” in case of an accident, but has #18 become the O’s “amnesia jersey”?

Unfortunately for Costanzo, that was his last appearance for the Birds in the foreseeable future, as he was subsequently reassigned to minor league camp. Other recent cuts include outfielder #25 Luis Terrero, pitcher #54 Lance Cormier, and catcher #65 Omir Santos. Costanzo’s willingness to play anywhere on the field and his powerful bat made a good impression, but he needs some experience at AAA. Hopefully he’ll get to do some more catching at Norfolk and work on making more consistent contact; a late ‘08 callup to Baltimore is not out of the question.

With fewer than 40 players left in major league camp, let’s take a closer look at the fight for the last few available roster spots. Assuming that the Orioles go north with both in-house shortstop candidates (Brandon Fahey and Luis Hernandez, the latter of whom is out of options), infielder Scott Moore and outfielders Tike Redman and Chris Roberson seem to be the threesome jockeying for the last spot on the bench. One of them will get a reprieve, as Jay Gibbons begins the season by serving a 15-day suspension for his indiscretions with Human Growth Hormone. Further complicating matters is the possibility that Brian Roberts and Jay Payton could be traded, bringing in someone like Ronny Cedeno to start in the middle infield. Then there are the rumblings of a veteran middle infielder being picked up (Felipe Lopez, Mark Loretta, and Juan Uribe being the most frequently mentioned). Whew!

Fortunately, the pitching situation is a little more clear-cut. The battle for the fifth slot in the starting rotation seems to be down to Matt Albers and Brian Burres, with Jon Leicester fading fast. The loser of that competition will almost assuredly be the long reliever in a seven-man bullpen, joining veterans George Sherrill, Jamie Walker, and Chad Bradford. Three newcomers have also been sufficiently impressive: Rule 5 draftee Randor Bierd, former Diamondback and Brewer Greg Aquino, and ex-Astro Dennis Sarfate. Assuming my math is correct (a dangerous assumption), that adds up to seven pitchers, leaving Rocky Cherry as the odd man out. That would be a shame, since he’s only surrendered one earned run in Grapefruit League play, but it stands to reason that he won’t be stuck in Norfolk all year long.