Brad Komminsk

Chorye Spoone

Caleb Joseph

Steve Johnson

Pitchers

15 Tim Bascom

27 Pedro Beato

33 Zach Britton

32 Patrick Egan

Armando Gabino

7 Eddie Gamboa

31 Steve Johnson

Luis Lebron

36 Ryan Ouellette

10 Wilfrido Perez

38 Josh Perrault

35 Chorye Spoone

18 Ryohei Tanaka

41 Chad Thall

Catchers

26 Phillip Britton

17 Caleb Joseph

Infielders

3 Ryan Adams

Blake Davis

4 Paco Figueroa

16 Pedro Florimon

22 Joel Guzman

14 Brandon Waring

20 Robert Widlansky

Outfielders

Miguel Abreu

11 Matt Angle

2 Danny Figueroa

8 Tyler Henson

The pitching staff will be led by a trio of newcomers as Oliver Drake, Cole McCurry and Ryan O’Shea will all be a part of the starting rotation. The trio combined to win 22 games in Class-A Delmarva in 2009. Returnees Kenny Moreland, Nate Nery and Rick Zagone are in the running to round out the starting rotation.

The Keys bullpen will have a veteran feel to it with Brett Bordes, Brandon Cooney, Sean Gleason, Brett Jacobson and John Mariotti returning from the 2009 roster. Cooney could be the Keys closer as he saved six games for Frederick after being promoted from Delmarva in the first week of August. Newcomers include Jose Duran and Raul Rivero. Duran was selected by the Orioles in the Triple-A Phase of the Rule V Draft out of the Houston Astros organization.

Offensively the Keys will be talented with four of the Orioles’ first five picks in the 2008 draft penciled in to the Keys lineup. OF Xavier Avery (2^nd), 2B LJ Hoes (3^rd), OF Kyle Hudson (4^th) and SS Greg Miclat (5^th) will provide speed in the Keys lineup in 2010. The quartet combined for 106 steals with Delmarva last year.

OF Ronnie Welty, OF Jacob Julius, C Luis Bernardo and C Brian Ward come to Frederick for a first time. Welty, who will most likely play in right field for the Keys, led Delmarva in home runs (10) and runs batted in (67) in 2009. 3B Billy Rowell, C Wally Crancer, IF Buck Britton, IF Joe Mahoney, IF Bobby Stevens, IF Matt Tucker and IF Jason White return to Frederick.

Rotation:

Zach Britton (Starting Thursday – opening day)
Steve Johnson (Starting Friday)
Chorye Spoone (Starting Saturday – Komminsk said he looked really good during spring training.)
Ryohei Tanaka
Tim Bascom

The Baysox will use a closer by committee to begin the season. Wilfrido Perez will probably rest every other day as he recovers from bone chips in his left elbow, but he will be in the closer picture eventually.

The starting infield will probably be the following.

First base:

Rob Widlansky

Second base:

Ryan Adams

Third base:

Brandon Waring (Joel Guzman will see time)

Shortstop:

Pedro Florimon

The starting outfield will look something like this. Komminsk guessed that Matt Angle may be ready to play in June following his hamate bone injury.

Left field:

Tyler Henson

Center field:

Danny Figueroa

Right field:

A rotating cast that may include Joel Guzman, Paco Figueroa and Rob Widlansky

Starting Rotation:
Zach Britton
(Carolina Leauge pitcher of the year in 2009.)
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-03-24/sports/bal-sp.orioles24mar24_1_zach-britton-brian-matusz-development-director-david-stockstillhttp://masnsports.com/2010/02/zach-britton-self-proclaimed-u.html
http://masnsports.com/2010/02/its-not-brittons-time-yet.html
Steve Johnson
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/schmuck/2010/03/steve_johnson_returns.html
http://masnsports.com/2010/03/johnson-returned-to-orioles.html
Chorye Spoone
(Has had some command issues this spring.)
http://masnsports.com/2010/02/spoone-looks-forward-to-a-heal.html
Tim Bascom
Ryohei Tanaka
http://www.baseballdailydigest.com/2010/03/31/pacific-perspectives-2010-top-asian-prospects/

Bullpen:
Pedro Beato
Pat Egan
(He may not have the fastball for it, but his numbers indicate he may be closer material.)
Ryan Ouellette
Wilfrido Perez
(Could be the closer, but the walks are worrisome. Still, he’s one of the few solid lefty relievers in the organization.)
http://www.camdenchat.com/2010/3/10/1365871/potential-minor-league-callups
Eddie Gamboa

Catcher:
Caleb Joseph
(A gamer who will be fun to watch.)
http://masnsports.com/2010/03/josephs-last-day.html
http://masnsports.com/2010/02/caleb-josephs-perspective-on-a.html

First Base:
Robbie Widlansky
(Hit 31 doubles and led the Carolina League in batting average in 363 plate appearances with Frederick last year.)

Second Base:
Ryan Adams

Shortstop:
Pedro Florimon
(Was red hot during the first half of 2009 in Frederick, but cooled significantly. Florimon’s defense is a little shaky.)
http://www.camdenchat.com/2010/3/10/1365871/potential-minor-league-callups

Third Base:
Brandon Waring
(The Frederick Keys first even Carolina League MVP in 2009.)
http://masnsports.com/2010/03/next-challenge-for-waring-east.html
http://www.goupstate.com/article/20100313/NEWS/100319801/1088

Left Field:
Tyler Henson
(Could also see time at third base. Struck out every 3.7 at bats last year.)

Center Field:
Danny Figueroa
(Had a .444 OBP in 303 plate appearances with Bowie.)

Matt Angle (Starts Year on DL/extended spring training)
(Typical leadoff hitter skill set – .374 OPS and, organization-leading, 148 hits in 506 at bats and 42 stolen bases last year. Angle broke his hamate on April 2. http://masnsports.com/2010/04/angle-to-undergo-surgery.html)

Right Field:

Joel Guzman
http://masnsports.com/2010/02/stockstill-on-guzman-and-more.html

Bench:
Catcher:

Phillip Britton

Corner Infield and Outfield:

Drawing a blank after Angle injury.

Utility:
Paco Figueroa
(Will see time at second base and the outfield. Last year, Figueroa had a .391 OBP in 288 plate appearances.)

Other Baysox season previews:
http://baltimoresportsreport.com/2010/04/01/minor-league-preview-bowie-baysox/

http://oriolesprospects.com/2010/04/06/bowie-baysox-season-preview-2010/

Bowie Baysox first baseman Eric Crozier has experienced all three of those scenarios during his nine-year career in professional baseball. During a recent interview with Baseball Daily Digest minor league correspondent Paul Bugala, the Baltimore Orioles farmhand attributed much of his success and perseverance to recalling the joy he felt playing baseball long before it became a job.

On September 4, 2004, Crozier made a statement in his major league debut with the Toronto Blue Jays.

“I got my first Web Gem in my very first game,” Crozier said during a recent interview in Bowie. “I came in as a defense replacement for Carlos Delgado. It was a foul ball on the first base side. I think I dove about four rows up, fully extended and made the play. After the game, I got off the plane, turned my cell phone on and I had about twenty messages from everybody who had seen it. That was awesome. Everybody sees everything you do well in the major leagues and that’s a good feeling.”

Crozier made an unlikely climb from being the 1,234th pick in the 2000 First-Year Player Draft to being traded for long-time major leaguer Josh Phelps to making it to the big leagues himself.

“I’ve been playing every summer, since I was seven,” he said. “It was just a sport that came naturally to me. I also liked basketball, but I just thought more opportunities would come in baseball.”

Opportunities came for Crozier, but he had to earn them. The day of the 2000 draft was stressful and when his phone finally rang the call came from an unexpected source.

“My father’s a big Internet person, so he was actually the one who called me,” Crozier said. “And he said, ‘Did you see it?’ And I said, ‘See what?’ As soon as he said that, the other line rang and it was Cleveland and they told me I was drafted. I was an architecture major and I was finishing that up, but baseball is something that only comes around once in a lifetime. It wasn’t a hard decision at all.”

Crozier was the MVP of the High-A Carolina League with Kinston in 2002 where he played for his current manager Brad Komminsk. In 2004, he hit 20 home runs in 84 games with Triple-A Buffalo and then was traded to the Blue Jays for Phelps.

“Being traded kind of hurt a little,” Crozier said. “Given the season I was having, I thought I would be called up instead of traded. Sometimes I look at those guys in the big leagues in Cleveland and wish I was there with them. But fortunately, I at least had an opportunity to experience the big leagues and I have a lot of good memories from my time with the Cleveland organization.”

Crozier began the 2005 season in the Blue Jays organization and then spent time with New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds Triple-A affiliates. The following years brought more change and two trips to the Atlantic League. Crozier persisted, but found that new settings brought new challenges.

“Every time you move to another organization, you meet all new people and it seems like you have to prove yourself all over again,” he said. “Some people see you for a short period time and they may not have as much patience as the organization that groomed you. When you have that kind of pressure and you’re a person who cares about the game, it can almost work against you.”

However, part of the reason why Crozier continues to get opportunities is his maturity and disposition.

“I think through these tough times you have to be an example,” he said. “Being around this game for a long time, I could very easily throw stuff or bang stuff around, but you know what does that show. In being a professional, you have to handle the highs as well as the lows. And I think that’s what stays in the minds of people as you move on into other things.”

Crozier’s opportunity with Bowie came after he ranked among the Atlantic League leaders in several categories through early June of this year. Once again, when the call came it wasn’t exactly what he expected.

“The day after I found out I was going to be the starting first baseman in the (Atlantic League) All-Star game, my manager called me into his office and told me the Orioles had picked me up,” Crozier said. “It was a rush of emotions, because everybody in that league is looking for a second chance to go back to any affiliate to prove himself once again.”

In June of this year, Crozier had a 1.041 OPS in his first 39 at-bats with the Baysox. He hasn’t matched those numbers yet, but there’s no sense of frustration when Crozier reflects on his season.

“When you get hard on yourself, it makes those lows last longer,” he said. “I was just talking to (Baysox teammate Steve) Torrealba today he said, ‘Everyday, the sun comes out for a new day. And just make it a new day.’”

Crozier hopes to spend his ninth off-season in professional baseball playing in a winter league. And he understands that returning to the major leagues depends on channeling the joy he felt playing when he was a kid as much as anything else.

“That’s a feeling everyone wishes they could have on the baseball field. I’ve heard Derek Jeter mention it. I’ve heard Albert Pujols say it too,” Crozier said. “You know, it’s a kids’ game and when you can take it to that place mentally it helps you perform a lot better.”

Credit: Bill Vaughn

Like a lot of students, Orioles prospect Brian Matusz visited Washington, DC when he was in junior high. Like a lot of kids that age, he visited the monuments and the Smithsonians, but never imagined he’d return to the Mid Atlantic to help renew hope in the long-suffering Baltimore Orioles organization.

“In eighth grade I didn’t think baseball was something I was going to pursue my whole life,” Matusz said during a recent interview with Paul Bugala of Bowie Baysox Blog. “I just can’t believe how lucky I am to be able to play professional baseball.”

Of course, as the left-hander knows, luck can only take you so far. Success in professional baseball requires lots of helping hands and hard work. Matusz’s luck is backed up by plenty of both.

Like a lot of players, the Matusz began his journey to professional baseball in the shadow of his big brother.

“My big brother Chris was always better than me,” Matusz said. “He was the better baseball player and the better basketball player. I always looked up to him and I always will. He helped me out when guys would pick on me because I was the young guy on the team in high school. He was always there to back me up. I still talk to him after every outing and during the off-season he watches me throw bullpen sessions and helps me out.”

Like a lot of high school graduates, Matusz had to decide whether going to college or work was the best idea for him. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim picked Matusz in the fourth round of the 2005 amateur draft and offered him an opportunity to realize his dreams. In the end, Matusz decided he still had more to learn and opted for college.

“I’m sure it would have been real tough if I went pro out of high school,” Matusz said. “I don’t know if I’d still be playing baseball right now. You never know, being so young. I feel like I developed in college.

“In high school, I threw a fastball and curveball predominantly. I had a change up, but I threw it about four times in my high school career. In high school, I could throw a fastball by guys and there was no point in having a change up.”

Matusz attended the University of San Diego where he matured as a pitcher and a person.

“In high school you live at home with your parents. You’re not independent. But in college, I was independent. It was a five or six hour drive from home,” Matusz said. “I didn’t go there with any friends. I had to meet new people. I took a step out of my comfort zone and tried something new.”

His willingness to challenge himself and be open to new ideas also helped Matusz round out a repertoire of pitches that today is among the most polished in minor league baseball.

“Once you get to college, a 90 mile per hour fastball is pretty common,” he said. “So, a change up was one of the best things I could have learned during my freshman year. It felt natural, but I worked on it a lot with our pitching coach Eric Valenzuela. I felt like I could keep my arm speed consistent with my fastball and it ended up being very good in my sophomore and junior years.

“The slider was a pitch I worked on my sophomore year, right before the season. I tried to learn a cutter. I just messed around with it and it turned into a slider. It’s a different angle and look than the curveball. And when you have two breaking pitches to keep batters guessing, you’re in pretty good shape.”

By his junior year at University of San Diego, Matusz was a first team All-American and, according to the 2009 Baseball America Prospect Handbook, few pitchers entering professional baseball have had better secondary pitches. So when Baltimore selected Matusz with the fourth-overall pick of the baseball amateur draft, he was widely considered the best pitcher available.

“I put myself in a situation to get drafted high and now I’m with the Orioles,” Matusz said. “And I couldn’t be any luckier. This is a great place to be and I’m enjoying every day of it.”

After a good showing in the Arizona Fall League, Matusz learned some lessons about the importance of fastball command with the Frederick Keys of the High-A Carolina League at the beginning of the 2009 season. He started the year with a few short outings, but posted a 2.16 ERA through 66 and two-thirds innings and earned a promotion to the Double-A Bowie Baysox in June.

“A lot of the guys I’ve faced here (in the Carolina and Eastern Leagues) are the same guys I faced in college,” Matusz said. “I don’t focus on competition as much. I focus on what I can do for myself to succeed. It’s no secret. As a pitcher what you have to do is hit spots. You need to mix it up and keep guys off balance. It’s making adjustments to the hitters. And I’ve been lucky to have great catchers like Caleb Joseph and in Frederick and Adam Donachie in Bowie.”

At the Eastern League All-Star break, Matusz has allowed only 11 hits in 26 and a third innings in Bowie. He has yet to give up a home run and has struck out 32 batters. Matusz’s dominance earned him a spot in the 2009 Future Game and the Eastern League’s Pitcher of the Week honors for the week ending July 12.

“You can call all four pitches in any count,” Adam Donachie said after Matusz’s July 7 start. “The curveball is his out pitch right now, but the next time he comes out it could be his slider. Even a couple times today he used his change up. Later he was starting to get a little tired and his curveball was getting up. So, he went to his change up and it was still right there.”

Matusz is one of several promising young pitchers in the Orioles organization. Still, the lanky prospect knows his performance is all that he controls and consistency will get him to the major leagues.

“It’s just a matter of maintaining,” Matusz said. “The whole point of this first year is to get that five day rotation and go deep into the year. I’m locked in right now. It’s just a matter of time and getting my innings in.

“Getting to play baseball for a living is the best thing in the world. I talk to other people and if they’re lucky they’re going to work to sit at a desk. My job is throwing a baseball and having fun playing a game that I loved since I was a little kid. It’s an unbelievable opportunity. I think about it everyday.”

(Source: mlb.com)

Roch Kubatko of MASN is reporting that Brian Matusz will be promoted from Frederick to Bowie. The following is a Baysox Blog story about Matusz published on April 20.

(This story also appears at Baseball Daily Digest.)

Orioles prospect Brian Matusz showed the repertoire and poise that made him the first pitcher picked in the 2008 draft during his first home start for the High-A Frederick Keys on April 19. The left-hander scattered seven hits through six innings by setting up a sharp curve with a 91 to 94 mile per hour fastball, a slider, and a change up.

“During my first two starts, I was rushing things a little too much,” Matusz said after the Keys game on Saturday. “I’ve been a little too anxious and tried to do too much. Tomorrow I’m going to go out there, throw strikes and get ahead in the count and let guys put balls in play.”

The Orioles top pitching prospect threw 96 pitches, 67 for strikes, on Sunday. He seemed to gain focus as the game went along. Overall, Matusz had seven ground-ball and three fly outs and averaged 3.4 pitches per batter.

“My focus has been on throwing the fastball for strikes earlier in the count and trying to get ground balls earlier on,” he said. “My focus (on April 19) will be on the fastball. I’ll work it in and out on both sides of the plate.”

Matusz’s 11.34 K/9 is among the league leaders in the Carolina League and he has yielded one homerun in 15.2 innings. These excellent results and the 22-year-old’s knack for getting out of jams indicate he is making a smooth transition to professional baseball.

“(The difference between college and professional baseball) is different scenery,” Matusz said. “It’s still the same game. There hasn’t been a huge difference in the hitters so far. I’m just trying to get ahead in the counts and throwing strikes. That’s what I didn’t do in my first two starts, which is something I need to work on. I need to avoid getting deep into counts, which just makes it harder for me.”

The ease of Matusz’s transition may be explained in part by the responsibility he was given in college, where pitches are generally called by the coaching staff and not the catcher.

“In college I had the right to shake off whenever I wanted to. So, I did shake off a lot and I threw what I wanted to throw,” the University of San Diego alumnus said. “So, it hasn’t been a huge difference and luckily the catcher (at Frederick) Caleb Joseph is very smart behind the plate and we’ve worked together very well.”

After a fairytale 2008 season, Orioles prospect Jake Arrieta’s 2009 campaign was a much different story through the first week of May. A string of rainouts in April and early May and a groin pull introduced the first few clouds into the promising career of Baltimore’s number three prospect, according to Baseball America.

“The layoff was a huge factor and I strained my groin in my (April 26) start against (Philadelphia Double-A affiliate) Reading,” Arrieta said before a recent Bowie Baysox game. “It really affected my command. That’s why I went to some off-speed pitches early in the count, to try to get ahead. But I was missing away to lefties and they took advantage of the fastball late in the count. I just had trouble with my command. It’s something that when I’m fully healthy is never a problem for me.”

By his sixth start, the clouds parted and Arrieta regained the form that earned him 2008 Carolina League Pitcher of the Year honors, a spot on the Beijing Olympic team, and a non-roster invitation to the Orioles’ Spring Training. In his last two starts, the right-hander has picked up two wins, improved his earned run average from 3.80 to 2.70, and—as result—earned Eastern League Pitcher of the Week honors for the week ending May 17. The weather improved, but health was a bigger factor.

“I think the biggest thing right now is staying healthy,” Arrieta said. “I think that most people could see that I wasn’t 100 percent and it’s very frustrating to me to go out there that way. But I’m always going to pitch to the best of my ability.”

Arrieta is part of a bumper crop of pitching prospects in the Baltimore farm system that includes the fourth overall pick in the 2008 draft Brian Matusz, a 2008 Baseball America Double-A All-Star Chris Tillman, and the 2008 Eastern League strikeout leader David Hernandez. However, Arrieta’s experience and success on the big stages, whether it was at the Olympics or the 2008 Futures Game at Yankee Stadium, makes him stand out among his peers.

“I think all those experiences have prepared me for playing at the next level,” Arrieta said. “Being able to meet and play with all the different type of players has been a great experience so early in my career.”

Along the way, Arrieta has picked the brains of Hall of Famers George Brett and Rollie Fingers, but Baltimore Orioles right-hander Jeremy Guthrie made a particularly strong impression on him during Spring Training this year.

“Being the ace of the staff, I liked to watch him throw his bullpens and basically do everything that I do,” Arrieta said. “I liked to watch how he did those things. Just kind of watch what makes him successful.”

Through observation and trial, Arrieta is learning success at the next level is dependent on perfecting the finer points of the game, such as minding base runners.

“There are a ton of little things that go into pitching that are just as important as attacking hitters and trying to get strikeouts,” he said. “Controlling the running game is a huge part of the game and something that I take pride in. If I happen to walk a guy or give up a base hit, I don’t want to give him second base. I’ve always worked on having quick feet, changing my looks and perfecting my holds. That has helped me have a pretty good pick off move.”

Arrieta’s tenacity and meticulous approach to the game are just a few of the reasons why the forecast for Baltimore Orioles fans is sunnier than it has been in a long time.