15 Orioles
TANKERS
SCOUT'S TAKE
KEY QUESTION
How ugly are things going to get? Guys like Alex Cobb and Andrew Cashner can't get knocked out in the second inning, because there's nothing behind them. The bottom of the rotation is filled by guys who aren't big league starters. They need patience: It'll get really ugly.
BUST CANDIDATE
We all had high hopes for Dylan Bundy, but in giving up 41 home runs last year, he became way too predictable. He needs to sequence his stuff differently, because he's not the kid who was throwing 100 when he signed.
BUYER BEWARE
For some reason Chris Davis won't go back to the hitter he was when he hit 53 homers, stayed on the ball and went the other way. He's making a lot of money, but at some point you just have to say, Get out of our clubhouse.
LAST LICKS
DJ Stewart was not a good first-round pick. If you look at his body, he's like John Kruk—he can't play anywhere defensively.... They're bad, but there's been good energy in camp. Credit Brandon Hyde. He's learned from Joe Maddon and is good with young players. They're going to need all the encouragement they can get.
THE PAYOFF PITCH
THERE'S NO good way to spin the Orioles. They were one of the worst teams in baseball history last year at 47--115. Baltimore was the first team to win fewer than 50 games since the 2003 Tigers. There's a good chance they will be even worse in 2019. If you're looking for a reason to tune in, though, there's Richie Martin. The righthanded-hitting Martin was the first pick of the 2018 Rule 5 draft, taken from the A's three years after going No. 20 in the amateur draft. A star at Florida, Martin hit .300/.368/.439 last year at Double A Midland, with 25 steals. He's 24, and thanks to a strong spring, he is likely to beat out Alcides Escobar and start the season at shortstop. Last season, Martin's average jumped from .234 to .300 If Martin is in the season-opening lineup, he'll be the first Rule 5 pick to start on Opening Day since Baltimore outfielder Joey Rickard did it in 2016.
OVER UNDER
60.5
Under a new manager and a new GM, the O's, after the poorest season in team history, are still in teardown mode. With their fallow farm system, their rebuild will take a while.
LINEUP
CF Cedric Mullins
.235/4 HR/.359 SLG
2B Jonathan Villar
.260/14 HR/35 SB
LF Trey Mancini
.242/24 HR/58 RBI
DH Mark Trumbo
.261/17 HR/44 RBI
1B Chris Davis
.168/16 HR/49 RBI
3B Renato Núñez
.258/8 HR/.419 SLG
RF DJ Stewart
.250/3 HR/.550 SLG
SS Richie Martin
.300/6 HR/25 SB*
C Chance Sisco
.181/2 HR/.269 SLG
BENCH
IF/OF Alcides Escobar
.231/4 HR/8 SB
OF Joey Rickard
.244/8 HR/.413 SLG
*Minor league stats
FANTASY BREAKOUT
Once blocked by Zach Britton and Brad Brach, MYCHAL GIVENS, who thrives by limiting hard contact, is in line for the saves.
ROTATION
RH Dylan Bundy
8 W/5.45 ERA/9.6 K9
RH Alex Cobb
5 W/4.90 ERA/1.41 WHP
RH Andrew Cashner
4 W/5.29 ERA/1.58 WHP
RH David Hess
3 W/4.88 ERA/6.4 K9
BULLPEN
CL Mychal Givens
9 S/3.99 ERA/1.19 WHP
RH Miguel Castro
3.96 ERA/1.45 WHP/5.9 K9
LH Paul Fry
3.35 ERA/1.27 WHP/8.6 K9
MANAGER
Brandon Hyde