Hope Springs Eternal – Again

Time is a flat circle. It’s 2016, and the Orioles’ outfield situation looks like this: Adam Jones, flanked by question marks. To their credit, the Orioles had a decent plan for addressing their outfield needs this offseason. Let’s review:

The Plan

Until somewhat recently, the Orioles looked to be getting Dexter Fowler to start in right field. Fowler isn’t a star, but he’s a bona fide MLB-caliber starting outfielder. Most likely, Fowler would have slotted atop the batting order, and brought stability to one of the corners.

For left field, the Orioles were content to throw enough slop to have something stick. First and foremost, they signed Hyun Soo Kim fom the KBO, in hopes that his game would translate to the majors. Kim, who was heralded for OBP capabilities and adequate fielding, was given a two-year, $7MM deal. Relatively small investment for a player the team was hoping would be a starter. The job was Hyun Soo Kim’s job to lose. What could go wrong? The guy had his own theme song!

The Backup Plans

If Kim failed to claim his spot, the team had some backup plans:

• Old “reliable” Nolan Reimold. If the guy can stay on the field, he has the possibility of being a MLB caliber outfielder. When he’s on his game, Reimold gets on base, and hits for power. He is also dependable in the field. But… he’s not always healthy. And he is not always on his game. Good thing we’re not depending on him, right?

• Mark Trumbo was acquired for Team Steve member, Steve Clevenger. Trumbo can hit the ball a country mile from the right side of the plate, but he is a man without a position, given the fact that the Orioles have plugged Chris Davis into 1B for the next seven years. At the time of his acquisition, Trumbo should have been considered the team’s every-day DH, with the added benefit of being able to spell Davis at first, and provide occasional innings in the outfield. His outfield defense has the opportunity to be a serious liability. Good thing we’re not depending on him, right?

• Rule 5 Draft pick Joey Rickard. Acquired from the Rays’ organization, Rickard was viewed as a candidate to compete for a 4^th outfield spot. Rickard can comfortably play all three outfield positions, and though he shows very little in the way of pop, Rickard put up exemplary OPB numbers across three minor league levels (High-A, AA, AAA). Rickard is a young player with promise, but has never been a top prospect. He’s also played exactly 65 games at AA and 29 games at AAA. To say he’s “untested” would be an understatement. Good thing we’re not depending on him, right?

• Christian Walker approached Buck Showalter and offered to switch positions. He saw that the outfield was his best chance to make the big leagues, considering that Chris Davis is blocking his path for the foreseeable future. Walker is not an outfielder. If he is to become one, he will need time to groom those skills, and should do so in the relatively low stakes of Norfolk. His bat may play in the majors, but we won’t know for sure until we see more of him. Good thing… oh screw it. I’m not depending on that.

• Dariel Alvarez is an outfielder. He… plays baseball. Maybe someday, he’ll be ready for the majors.

• Jimmy Paredes is not an outfielder. He… hits. Sometimes.

• Henry Urrutia is… a really nice guy. Really, super nice. I want him to succeed. Did I mention he’s super nice?

• Ryan Flaherty can play outfield in a pinch… he can play every day, as long as you don’t need him to hit. Flaherty is a super-sub because he’s great in short spurts. Playing him as a regular exposes his flaws.

Like 2015, the Orioles have no real answers at the corners. They have “maybes”.  Their solution to the outfield is a series of wishes and hopes. I certainly hope one – nope, make that two – of these backup plans are stable enough to allow the Orioles to field a competitive team.

As the national media picks the Orioles toward the bottom of the AL East, it is getting harder and harder to argue the point that this team is better than last year’s 81-81 squad, much less playoff worthy.

I hope things turn out well out there in the outfield. I hope Kim stays in the organization, and develops into a league-average outfielder. Or I hope that Joey Rickard blossoms into an every-day player. Or I hope that Nolan Reimold can finally have his day in the sun – man, it would be fun rooting for that guy through a breakout season.

In short, I hope that the Orioles didn’t waste their $200MM+ investment, and leave me with a team that fails to play meaningful games in September, as the Jones/Davis/Machado era goes into its sunset.

But hey, it’s still Spring Training. “Hope springs eternal,” right?

Right?