Orioles Q&A with Jeff Zrebiec

Bob, New York: Did the Orioles make a wise decision in optioning Hayden Penn to Triple-A Norfolk? What are the chances he'll return to the starting rotation at some point this season?

Jeff Zrebiec: I do think it was a wise decision. It's tough to look at a reassignment to minor league camp as anything more than a demotion, especially when you're Penn, whose been knocking at the door of the Opening Day rotation for about three years now. But I think what the Orioles did, and more specifically when they did it, sets Penn up perfectly to earn a callup and get his shot early in the 2008 season. He pitched pretty well this spring, but he was still a good ways behind a couple of the other fifth starter candidates. That's understandable considering he didn't pitch much at all last year because of the surgery to remove the bone chips from his right elbow. He also wasn't going to be able to get enough innings in major league camp to get adequately stretched out. So the Orioles sent him down early enough to give him the opportunity to get his innings in. If he does that and he pitches well, he'll probably be at the top of the list of guys the Orioles will summon when they need another starter. And they will need another starter at some point this season. They'll need several of them. It's up to Penn now. He needs to show some consistency and he'll force the Orioles to give him a chance. The same goes for Garrett Olson, who was reassigned March 18.

Nancy, Baltimore: I know that catcher Ramon Hernandez reported to spring training in better condition this year. Has that translated yet into him playing better defensively?

Jeff Zrebiec: It's been tough to tell. To be honest with you, I can't recall too many instances where he's been tested to make a play defensively. He wasn't particularly sharp defensively today (March 18). And I remember a couple of other plays that he didn't make this spring. But as far as I've seen, he's been pretty solid otherwise. I think Hernandez is going to have a very good year. He readily admits that he felt he was letting his teammates and the organization down last season by not being able to play the full year with the injuries. I just don't see that happening again.

Doug, Mercersburg, Pa.: I have read that pitcher Dennis Sarfate is out of options. Could you explain how many options a club has when they sign a player to a professional contract and also what counts as using an option? Do trades count or is it just moving between different levels of an organization?

Jeff Zrebiec: It's a pretty complicated procedure to simplify, but here's an attempt. The option rule specifies how many times a player can be sent to the minors without having to go through waivers and be exposed to other clubs. In general, each player gets three options (though a player may have four depending on his years in professional baseball). One thing misunderstood by a lot of fans is that one option is good for a full year. So a player can be shuttled up and down from the minors to the majors continually during a season and that only uses one option. However, once a player is "out of options" like Sarfate, the club would have to subject him to waivers (meaning any team could claim him) before sending him to Triple-A.

James, Catonsville: Any updates on the Orioles trying to acquire a middle infielder, given Luis Hernandez's struggles so far in spring training?

Jeff Zrebiec: Nothing yet James. If this long-awaited and debated Brian Roberts deal finally gets done, and I think we all expect it will in the next 10 days or so, the Orioles will essentially fill two needs and create one. Ronny Cedeno, who has been in the Chicago Cubs' proposed package for Roberts since Day One, would become the Orioles' everyday shortstop, pushing either Luis Hernandez or Brandon Fahey -- the two current Orioles competing to be the Opening Day shortstop -- to the utility spot. I think both players are more suited for that role at this point of their careers. The Orioles would then need to find a starting second baseman. It's possible that they also get Eric Patterson back from the Cubs, though I haven't heard his name mentioned much recently. The Orioles have already made a potential list of available second basemen, and I think when the Roberts trade goes through, it will be quickly followed by a minor deal to find a veteran replacement for him. Houston's Mark Loretta and the Chicago White Sox's Juan Uribe are the two names that I hear most, but there are others out there.

Donald: Keeping in mind the possibility of a Roberts trade, if you had to pick the Oriole most likely to make the All-Star team this year, who would it be?

Jeff Zrebiec: Tough call because it's not exactly a secret that the most deserving players don't always go to the All-Star game. Clearly, Nick Markakis has developed into the Orioles' best all-around player. I think he will make several All-Star teams before his career is over, but I'm not sure it will happen this year. First of all, he's a notoriously slow starter and it's very tough to be selected for the team when you struggle for the first month or so. And secondly, the American League outfield is stacked -- Manny Ramirez, Grady Sizemore, Magglio Ordonez, Curtis Granderson, Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Hunter, Ichiro, Carl Crawford, Alex Rios just to name a few. That's a tough list to crack. That's why I'll predict Melvin Mora will be the Orioles' lone representative. I know spring training doesn't mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things, but Mora has been the Orioles' best position player here by far. He looks quick and smooth defensively. And offensively, he's seemingly getting the barrel of the bat on the ball every time he's at the plate. He's hitting the ball over the fence, driving it to both gaps and hitting behind base runners. It's been impressive. Obviously, he'll level off, but I think he's determined to have a nice bounce-back year and prove that reports of his demise were way overblown.

Related topic galleries: Ramon Hernandez, Juan Uribe, Manny Ramirez, Chicago White Sox, American League, Major League Baseball, Contracts

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