We're about two hours into spring training and the writers already are arguing amongst ourselves about the projected starting rotation, which isn't easy to project when there really are only two guys in it.
Obviously Jeremy Guthrie is set and the Orioles have committed to Japanese pitcher Koji Uehara, even though a lot of major league teams projected him as a reliever. Everybody is assuming left-hander Mark Hendrickson will be in the mix -- which is probably a fair assumption -- but there are at least 12 pitchers (including non-roster guys) vying for the remaining three spots.
Early predictions are a tricky business, as evidenced by my inclusion of Braden Looper in my first projected rotation a few weeks ago. Haven't seen Braden around the clubhouse, so I guess he missed his chance. I'll replace him with Rich Hill, which isn't exactly a stretch, though there's plenty of reason to wonder if he can rebound from last year's injury issues and control problems.
So here's my new projected starting rotation:
Jeremy Guthrie
Koji Uehara
Rich Hill
David Pauley
Mark Hendrickson
What's yours?