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

Akron Aeros

http://www.indiansprospectinsider.com/2010/04/opening-day-minor-league-rosters.html

Erie SeaWolves

http://www.goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100404/BASEBALL01/304049862/0/RSS

Harrisburg Senators

http://natsfarm.com/2010/04/04/harrisburg-rosters-set/

New Britain Rock Cats

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3985509

New Hampshire Fisher Cats

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3984628

Portland Sea Dogs

http://www.pressherald.com/sports/sea-dogs-brimming-with-talent_2010-04-03.html

Reading Phillies

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3985147

http://phuturephillies.com/2010/04/04/reading-roster-announced/

Richmond Flying Squirrels

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/minors/minors_baseball/article/SQUI05_20100404-223206/335171/

Trenton Thunder

http://www.trentonian.com/articles/2010/04/06/sports/doc4bba2c85dd828435308080.txt

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/

Tickets are $10 each and the raffle goes until Friday, January 29. The Baysox will announce a winner on Friday, February 5.

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.”