Barry - Is there any reasoning behind the players they use in these BP sessions? We know Marrero is highly thought of by the Nationals, should we read anything positive into Davis' inclusion? Or is it more random?

I would guess that since this is an off day, all the major-leaguers are not at the complex, and they probably used Marrero and Davis because maybe they aren't playing in the minor league game today?

question in Barry's chat earlier asked who the pitcher for the O's was that opened Camden Yards. It was Rick Sutcliffe, who was in his first season with the O's after spending the previous 7 with the Cubs (in fact he only pitched in 18 games the season before coming to the O's and only 5 the season before that).

Personally, I think they'll give the ball to Bergmann, unless he either 1) gets hurt between know and then (knock wood), or 2) completely loses it on the mound between now and then (knock wood).

reposted:

OD pitcher is not about "the story line" nor "honor" nor "the face of the franchise." it's about aligning a pitching staff to get the most wins. if manny thinks OP is our best shot at winning on OD and thereafter, i'd believe him. it's what he gets paid for.

Actually, Opening Day in the first day of a new stadium on national television is a special occasion that will not be repeated in our lifetime. The pitcher who pitches that game will have to manage his emotions as well as battle the other team. If the pitcher pitches well it will be a huge psychological burst for the club and the city. Yeah, life will go on if we lose and the pitcher stinks and if we finish above .500 then it will quickly fade from memory. However, for that one night the starting pitcher will be the "face" of the franchise for all to see and it will be an "honor" to throw that first pitch.

I know it's still over a week until opening day, but I'm so excited that I had to check out the forecast. According to accuweather.com, March 30 will be sunny with a high of 57 and a low of 40. March 29 will be sunny and 56/33. So it looks like both nights' games will be on the cool side, but not terribly cold. I'm sure the forecast will change daily between now and then, but at least it gives an idea of the general trend. Usually if there's going to be a major disturbance or cold spell, it will show up on the forecast well ahead of time.

Barry sort of made the anti-Perez opening day point for some of us. He said nobody has really **earned* opening day by virtue of their (not so) winning records.
So that being the case, if all pitchers are of relatively equal caliber, why *not* pick the pitcher for sentimental reasons?

I think one thing that everything can agree on, Nats and Redskins fans alike, is that the O's are a 1st-class organization and the Nats would be lucky to have the quality of ballplayers the O's put on the field night-in and night-out.

John Patterson is pitching the first game in Philly. WHY??? Opening day/new stadium is an honor,why can't Patterson pitch on March 30th?? If not Patterson, then Chico should start if he makes the team. If not Patterson & Chico, then the honor goes to Bergmann or Redding. The honor should not go to a newcomer, Odalis Perez!

Back to the trade discussion thread, what about trading with Detroit? They need BP help as we helped them understand. They are in "Win now" mode. They have 2 SS prospects in the Baseball America Top 10. From the BA website:

2. Cale Iorg, ss Born: Sept. 6, 1985 • B-T: R-R • Ht: 6-2 • Wt: 175
Drafted: Alabama, 2007 (6th round) • Signed by: David Chadd
Background: Iorg's father Garth and uncle Dane played in the major leagues, and his brother Eli is an outfielder in the Astros system. Cale hadn't played since hitting .280 as a freshman at Alabama in 2005, taking two years off to go on a Mormon mission to Portugal. The Tigers drafted him in the sixth round and signed him for $1,497,500.

Strengths: Iorg has the body frame and actions of a natural shortstop. He's an instinctive player with enough power to hit between 15-20 homers per year in the majors. He has a smooth swing and should hit for average as well. He's a plus runner who showed an average to slightly above-average arm during workouts last summer.

Weaknesses: He has the tools to be an everyday shortstop, but it's unclear how long it will take Iorg to compensate for the long layoff. The Tigers hoped he would gain experience in Hawaii Winter Baseball, but a hamstring injury in early October forced him to miss almost all of the season.

The Future: Detroit believes Iorg's solid bloodlines and good makeup will offset his inexperience. He should begin his first full pro season in low Class A.

2007 Club (Class) AVG OBP SLG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB
GCL Tigers (R) .182 .308 .182 11 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 6 0
Lakeland (Hi A) .278 .316 .389 18 0 5 2 0 0 5 1 5 0
and

8. Danny Worth, ss Born: Sept. 30, 1985 • B-T: R-R • Ht: 6-1 • Wt: 180
Drafted: Pepperdine, 2007 (2nd round) • Signed by: Tim McWilliam
Background: Others may have received more acclaim, but no one in the Tigers' 2007 draft class made a greater immediate impact than Worth. He signed for $378,000 as a second-round pick, became the starting shortstop in high Class A and finished his pro debut with a late promotion to Double-A.

Strengths: Worth is a consistent, confident defender with reliable hands. A natural shortstop, he has an average arm that plays up because of his quick release and above-average range. He's not flashy but makes all the routine plays. A gap hitter, he has a quick bat and a good sense of the strike zone.

Weaknesses: Worth has limited power, projecting to hit some doubles but not many homers. Like many young hitters, he's susceptible to good breaking balls. His speed is maybe a tick below-average, though he looks faster on the bases because of good instincts.

The Future: His ceiling is comparable to that of Jason Bartlett, as a smooth-fielding shortstop who bats in the bottom third of an American League lineup and hits around .270 without much power. Worth will return to Lakeland or Erie to begin 2008 and could move quickly in a system that lacks depth at shortstop in the upper minors.

2007 Club (Class) AVG OBP SLG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB
Lakeland (Hi A) .251 .325 .363 171 22 43 9 2 2 21 18 39 6
Erie (AA) .429 .438 .714 14 4 6 2 1 0 4 1 1 1

What would it take to get one of them for the future of the Nats? Especially Iorg. Perhaps a deal can be reached??? Perhaps even a package?

i dunno, i always thought baseball was about winning games, and "honor" and "history" come afterward...

as for "one thing that everything can agree on" it is that one should not feed the trOlls...

Natty Bumppo, you and I agree that baseball is about winning. Usually, you put your best pitcher on opening day because a)that gives him the most chances for starts in the season and b) there is still prestige in being the #1 pitcher on the staff and playing in the first game of the season. I just have doubts that Odalis is the best pitcher on the staff at present. On the other hand he may be the best pitcher and I have just not seen the evidence of it yet. From what I have seen this spring Redding has shown the best chance to win on opening day (especially after blanking the Tigers for 5 or 6 innings yesterday).

Pure speculation, but I think the Opening day starter will be Bergmann. I assume the Nats want Hill to pitch once or twice preseason and they want to give the other starters an extra day's rest before their first start.

Here's how it works out. It's been announced Perez goes tomorrow, then JP Friday. I think the Nats did not announce their Saturday starter becuase they want to see if Hill recovers OK from today. If he is OK, its him, if not, it'll be Chico. Redding Sunday, Bergmann can go Monday 3/24 and have 5 days before OD. Perez Tuesday 3/25 (normal rest), Patterson Wednesday 3/26 (normal rest) as he set up now. Hill, if he feels well, or Chico can go the last game in Florida on Thursday 3/27, and Redding or Chico/Hill can go on 3/29.

That sets up Bergmann for OD, either Patterson for game 2 on normal rest or Perez with an extra day. Off day 4/1, then Patterson (with 2 extra days) or Perez 4/2, Redding (1 extra day) 4/3, then #1, #2 , Hill.

@O's Exec

That's a joke, right?

"i dunno, i always thought baseball was about winning games, and "honor" and "history" come afterward..."

Actually, MLB is about making money and choosing a homegrown starter will help old fans feel good and hopefully build fans for the future.

Not saying Bergmann should necessarily get the start, just pointing out the baseball-playing gorilla in the room.

Neither of the Detroit SS prospects sounds more advanced than Desmond, who will probably start the year in Harrisburg. Worth sounds a lot like Dessmond. I think the goal is to find someone who could fill in this year if 2 out of the 3 are gone and who looks like a successor next year when FLopez and CGuzman are gone.

natsscribe, O's Exec is a troll. Ignore him, or just correct his grammar. Either way, we're starving him out.

My gut tells me that Hill will start the season on the 15 day DL and I think it would be the best decision.

Why rush a guy who has a long history of arm problems? I don't see how he can get ready in the next 11 days. Bergmann or Redding is the OD starter.

JP could be but, he will chip a nail or stub a toe in the next 10 days and be taken out of consideration.

Yes, I agree with Section 506, Ignore the TrOll. Don't make eye contact and he will eventually go away.

good point about detroit being a possible match. with zumaya and rodney on the mend, and todd jones(!) a closer, we may play well together. they'd probably want to force inge as part of any deal.

and they could also be completely cleaned out by the atlanta (renteria) and marlin (cabrera/dtrain) trades. their new top 10 may not be very good indication or future prospects. i wonder if they'd want to include inge as part of a deal.

I agree with O's Exec. Of all organizations that have ever lost a game by the score of 30-3 in any sport, the Orioles are by far the classiest.

On another note, for those who have been wondering about the exhibition game tickets for 20-game plan holders, I got mine in the mail today. It came in the same generic white envelope with a California return address that single-game tickets are mailed in.

i'm sure they *would* want to include inge. they want out of the 19m they owe him over the next 3-4 years. but why would he come here to be in the exact same spot he's stuck in detroit, behind a franchise 3B, stuck being a utility guy? and why would we want to pay him 4-5m/year to do that?

If Inge is part of the deal and they pay a big portion of the salary, great! We can trade him for assets to the Dodgers or someone else who needs a 3B.

Otherwise, I'm not sure that make sense.

Umm, if such a market was available, why wouldn't they just trade Inge to the Dodgers themselves?

I've been thinking about Detroit as a trade partner for a few weeks, but I simply assumed they didn't have much else to offer after their offseason moves.

Thanks for posting the prospects. That's the kind of thing I was looking for. They certainly need bullpen help, and Bowden has that coming out of his ears.

In the spirit of ST Off Day Speculation, the first person who can draw up a plausible three-way trade between the Dodgers, Tigers, and Nationals wins.

(I don't know what they win, though.)

And did anyone else catch Barry's point about MI prospects? He said in the chat that the Nats would love a SS or 2B prospect that could play within a year or two, someone who could possibly bridge the gap between this season's lot and the really young prospects.

Did someone say Alexi Casilla?

Oh wait, that was me.

Hey, give O's Exec a break. He's a wannabe.

Detroit cant trade either Iorg or Worth until 1 year after they both signed. Both are 2007 draft picks. Iorg signed late, Worth early.

They could be included as players to be named later though, which offers six months, I believe, from the date of the trade to be sent to the new team.

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