Nice to see an objective opinion of what the O's have done. None of
the new guys have any fantasy value.Except if you have a fantasy
about them being productive.I have a bad feeling Koji is going to be
a BP pitcher because all his pitches are the same speed.Hendrickson
could wind up taking Walkers place or be a starter out of
desperation.The thing is McPhail has a blanket excuse if these guys
don't work out. "They were worth taking a chance on and we didn't
give up much for them." Just like he said he knew Patton needed
surgery when they traded for him.That belies the fact he was in
spring training for a while last year.

--- In BaltimOrioles@yahoogroups.com, "hbc_7840" <fang_guy@...> wrote:
>
> This is from a Yahoo Hot Stove fantasy baseball helper. But it's
> basically an analysis of the Orioles new players. In particular,
> check out what they say about Koji. Sounds as though he will be
gone
> by the all-star break.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
-
>
> Sat Jan 31, 2009 4:35 pm EST
>
> Hot Stove Helper: It's raining in Baltimore, really need a Wieters
> By Andy Behrens
>
> Baltimore Orioles
>
> No matter what you think of Baltimore's offseason moves, you can't
> accuse the team of inactivity. The Orioles have acquired young
> players (Felix Pie), old players (Gregg Zaun), foreign players
(Koji
> Uehara) and domestic players (Mark Hendrickson). We still can't say
> exactly what their rotation will look like beyond Jeremy Guthrie,
and
> we don't know the bullpen hierarchy just yet. But if you're an O's
> fan, you should be pleased about the following things:
>
> • Nick Markakis is locked up at a reasonable cost through his age-
30
> season;
>
> • Daniel Cabrera is now someone else's headache;
>
> • Chris Ray is returning from Tommy John surgery;
>
> • Matt Wieters, the best hitting prospect in baseball, will soon be
> your catcher.
>
> The 22-year-old Wieters hit an astonishing .355/.454/.600 across
two
> minor league levels in 2008, and he actually improved when he made
> the jump to Double-A. He's a switch-hitter who belted 27 home runs
> while mauling both right-handers (.340) and left-handers (.392).
He's
> skilled behind the plate, too.
>
> The soon-to-be 38-year-old Zaun isn't a serious challenger to
> Wieters; instead, he's more of a placeholder/caddy. Zaun signed a
> relatively modest one-year deal ($1.5 million) with a team option,
> and he hit .237/.340/.359 over 245 at-bats last season. He's not
> going to be relevant in fantasy leagues. Even in larger two-catcher
> formats, Zaun projects as a liability.
>
> This feels a bit like last year's Longoria/Aybar situation. Wieters
> could begin the season in the high minors, yet still deserve a
roster
> spot in mixed leagues. He's currently the seventh catcher selected
in
> an average draft at Mock Draft Central (ADP 126.8). Wieters'
fantasy
> ceiling is just extraordinarily high. The O's cleared his path to
the
> majors with this move...
>
> Ryan Freel, acquired via trade
>
> Veteran catcher Ramon Hernandez went to Cincinnati -- along with a
> small pile of money -- in exchange for the oft-injured Freel and a
> pair of minor league infielders, Justin Turner and Brandon Waring.
> The farmhands aren't on the fantasy radar, and Freel figures to
> occupy the less-relevant portion of a platoon in left-field. His
> fantasy value is largely speed-dependent, and he's returning from
> hamstring surgery. He's not draft-worthy. Presumably the O's have
> also acquired Farney Freel, though he's not in the player pool.
>
> Felix Pie, acquired via trade
>
> If Pie continues along the Corey Patterson career arc, he'll be
> hitting leadoff for Cincinnati by 2011. For three straight seasons,
> from 2005 to 2007, Pie ranked among Baseball America's top 50
> prospects. He's hit just .223/.284/.331 in 287 plate appearances
with
> the Cubs, however. He should get an extended look with the 68-win
> Orioles. Pie has experienced no success whatsoever against left-
> handers (.299 career OPS), so he's an obvious platoon candidate. He
> wasn't an effective base-stealer in the minors (63 percent success
> rate), but he's gone 11-for-12 with Chicago. Pie is entering his
age-
> 24 season and he hit .304 with four steals during Winter League
play.
> There's clearly hope, despite the recent history. The platoon
should
> help his average and he's certainly a nice defensive outfielder.
> Still, you need to think of him as an AL-only flier. He's not draft-
> worthy in most mixed leagues. Luke Scott likely shifts to DH for
> Baltimore.
>
> The O's shipped walk-machine Garrett Olson to Chicago in the Pie
> trade, then the Cubs quickly sent Olson to Seattle in the Aaron
> Heilman deal.
>
> Koji Uehara, signed for two years, $10 million
>
> Uehara has demonstrated freakish control throughout his 10 seasons
in
> Japan (6.68 career K/BB), but he'll turn 34 in April and he's
hardly
> in his prime. Here's what our friends at East Windup Chronicle had
to
> say about him last September:
>
> Uehara has been bouncing back and forth between the bullpen and
> rotation, making his future MLB role uncertain. In his seven games
at
> home this year, he's sporting a 5.87 ERA.
>
> Uehara, who is most often compared to Brad Radke, is famous for
> having pinpoint command of his fastball, cutter, fork, and slider,
> but is losing velocity and separation according to multiple
sources.
>
> Not exactly a strong endorsement. The right-hander could enter the
> season as Baltimore's No. 2 or 3 starter, and the absurdly low walk-
> rate will help his WHIP. But he's not a workhorse; Uehara hasn't
> pitched 190 innings since 2003. Don't expect a high K total or a
> useful ERA for mixed league purposes.
>
> A few other Baltimore additions: Because he's a giant left-hander,
> Mark Hendrickson will be paid $1.5 million. He's 34 years old and
his
> career ratios are poor (5.45 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 1.91 K/BB). Like Zaun,
> he appears to be a placeholder until young talent is MLB-ready ...
> Shortstop Cesar Izturis signed a two-year, $5 million deal. He
gives
> the O's a reliable glove and he's capable of swiping 20 bases. But
in
> fantasy leagues, you can't rely on players like Izturis for steals.
> You may think you're getting cheap stolen bases, but in fact you're
> getting a player who's devastatingly bad in four categories.
Izturis
> is a .260/.299/.331 hitter who won't be involved in run-scoring ...
> One final note: The O's acquired low-ceiling starter David Pauley
> from Boston in exchange for low-ceiling reliever Randor Bierd.
>
> ---
>
> Photos via AP Images
>
> Related: Fantasy Baseball, Hot Stove Helper
>