October 6, 2009
Infielders
Player Key stat Grade Skinny
Robert Andino 58 starts C+ Serviceable as backup and really stepped up after Izturis' appendectomy.
Aubrey Huff 13 homers C- Just never got going and eventually was traded for Single-A reliever.
Cesar Izturis 8 errors B- His defense stabilized a position that was a revolving door in 2008.
Melvin Mora 48 RBIs C- It's unfortunate that productive Orioles tenure ended with such a down year.
Brian Roberts 56 doubles A- Proved once again that he's one of the most dynamic leadoff men in game.
Ty Wigginton .400 slugging pct. C- Struggled defensively and wasn't power threat that team had hoped.
Outfielders
Adam Jones 19 homers B Breakout All-Star campaign curtailed by injury, bad second-half slump.
Nick Markakis 101 RBIs B- Final numbers solid, but they're down from '08 in too many categories.
Felix Pie . 266 avg. B Made more progress through course of season than any other Oriole.
Nolan Reimold 15 homers A- Rookie pretty much exceeded every expectation club officials had for him.
Luke Scott .208 avg. in 2nd half C Set career highs in homers and RBIs but tailed off badly.
Catchers
Matt Wieters .288 avg. B Had no chance of meeting bloated expectations, but got better and better.
Gregg Zaun 49 starts C+ He did nice job handling pitchers, mentoring Wieters before trade to Rays.
Starting pitchers
Brad Bergesen 13 quality starts A Rookie was team's best pitcher until come-backer ended his year.
Jason Berken 6-12 recordD Love his guts and competitiveness, though he knows it's a results business.
Adam Eaton 8.56 ERA F The numbers don't lie in this case: Stopgap starter was overmatched.
Jeremy Guthrie 35 HRs allowed C- Pitched 200 innings, but O's needed quality, not just quantity
David Hernandez 5.42 ERA C- Rookie's rocky finish put 2010 rotation spot in serious jeopardy.
Rich Hill 7.80 ERA Inc. Said he dealt with shoulder problems all year, so it's unfair to judge results.
Brian Matusz 5-2 record A- Started season at Single-A; ended it by dominating Yankees in Bronx.
Chris Tillman 5.40 ERA B- Have to take into account age, how dominant he was at Triple-A.
Koji Uehara 12 starts Inc. Effective when healthy, but that wasn't often enough for Orioles' liking.
Relief pitchers
Matt Albers 3 demotions D+ Consistency, conditioning questions dogged him all season.
Danys Baez 59 games C+ How quickly we forget that he nearly didn't make Opening Day roster.
Brian Bass 5.79 ERA in 2nd half C- Figured in some nice wins but staggered toward finish line.
Mark Hendrickson 4.37 ERA B+ Who expected him to emerge as one of O's most reliable pitchers?
Jim Johnson 6 blown saves C+ Shouldn't be judged only on rocky stint as closer, but that left bad taste.
Cla Meredith 3.77 ERA C It will be interesting to see how he fits into bullpen going forward.
Chris Ray 7.27 ERA F Perhaps it was too much, too soon for him after '07 Tommy John surgery.
George Sherrill 20 saves A- Bullpen completely imploded after he was traded to Dodgers in July.
NOTES: Only position players with more than 100 at-bats and pitchers with more than 25 innings as Orioles this season were graded. Grades are based on performance relative to each individual's role on the Orioles' roster. They are not intended to rate players in relation to one another or to other teams. Inc.- incomplete.