28 October 2013

Making the Orioles a Champion in 2014: Bench

One thing can be said for the 2013 Orioles - they didn't use their bench. The below chart shows for each American League team the number of games started and defensive innings played by a player other than the player(s) with the most starts:

Team

C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
Total
BAL
Games
35
7
102
6
3
51
204
Innings
252.0
75.3
912.7
63.0
36.0
433.3
1772.3
BOS
Games
51
39
3
72
43
127
335
Innings
450.0
356.7
56.0
656.3
360.7
1181.3
3061.0
CHI
Games
85
86
62
55
5
123
416
Innings
767.3
802.3
570.7
515.0
54.3
1201.7
3911.3
CLE
Games
81
61
16
79
35
94
366
Innings
728.7
531.0
149.0
744.3
341.7
804.3
3299.0
DET
Games
66
11
46
17
59
118
317
Innings
626.0
139.0
437.3
228.0
527.0
1055.7
3013.0
HOU
Games
95
105
17
13
105
242
577
Innings
612.7
952.3
178.3
127.7
941.0
2166.0
4978.0
KC
Games
36
9
100
36
6
145
332
Innings
333.0
76.0
1395.3
318.7
60.0
1324.7
3507.6
LAA
Games
60
48
44
80
24
141
397
Innings
536.0
427.0
414.3
740.7
254.7
1325.3
3698.0
MIN
Games
89
50
21
44
35
247
486
Innings
791.7
455.0
195.0
414.7
350.7
2210.0
4417.0
NYY
Games
64
48
9
129
93
143
486
Innings
603.0
416.3
97.0
1162.0
839.0
1262.3
4379.7
OAK
Games
91
74
49
7
47
164
432
Innings
789.0
650.3
587.0
79.0
428.7
1536.3
4070.3
SEA
Games
114
41
72
4
83
217
531
Innings
1035.3
380.7
636.7
40.0
763.0
1991.7
4847.3
TB
Games
76
20
46
18
14
188
362
Innings
714.7
186.3
446.7
175.0
144.0
1744.0
3410.7
TEX
Games
52
34
39
17
18
155
315
Innings
458.3
287.3
368.0
173.7
174.7
1333.7
2795.7
TOR
Games
47
84
113
61
70
190
565
Innings
1022.3
367.7
623.7
40.0
750.0
1766.7
4570.3

The Orioles non-regulars started over one hundred fewer games than any those of any other team; their regulars played over 1000 more innings than the regulars of any other team. No catcher on any other team started more games than Matt Wieters; no first baseman or shortstop started more games than Chris Davis or J.J. Hardy; only one third baseman (Seattle's Kyle Seager) started more games than Manny Machado, and no outfield trio started more games than Nate McLouth - Adam Jones - Nick Markakis. If you're a glass half-full type, this is good news - the Orioles stayed healthy and have durable players. If you're a glass half-empty type, this is bad news - the Orioles didn't trust their bench and the regulars wore out.

For any given game, eight starting position players are needed. The Orioles carried at least twelve and sometimes thirteen pitchers on the 25-man roster. There was a designated hitter in almost every game; I've already written about what I think the Orioles should do at designated hitter for 2014. The rest of this article will focus on the remaining three or four bench roster spots. Like every team, the Orioles kept a backup catcher, a backup infielder who can play shortstop, and a backup outfielder on their bench. The other spot could be said to be filled with the most useful available player.

The following discussion will be light on specifics because the contributions of almost all candidates are approximately equal and almost impossible to project. With the exception of Ryan Flaherty, the bench players played 30 or fewer offensive games and 20 or fewer defensive games. If the Orioles are looking for players to play that little, the actual abilities of the available players are virtually indistinguishable, less accurately measurable, and less determinant of actual performance. I will be making general recommendations without identifying specific players.

The most-used bench player for the 2013 Orioles was Ryan Flaherty. I've discussed Flaherty in my articles on the Orioles' second-base position, but here I'm going to consider him a part of the bench. Flaherty played almost as much as Brian Roberts at second base, but did so when Roberts was injured and unavailable. When Roberts was available, he played and Flaherty returned to a reserve role. I expect that in 2014 Flaherty will remain with the Orioles, as either the regular second baseman or as part of the bench. Flaherty is a very valuable bench player. He hits left-handed with some pop; he can play second base and third base well enough, and he's capable of playing first base, shortstop, and corner outfield in an emergency. I would keep him in that role, and not try to make him a regular.

The role of backup infielder who can play shortstop was occupied by Alexi Casilla. Casilla was claimed on waivers from Minnesota because of his speed and defense, primarily at second base. He didn't hit but did play a good defensive second base. If Casilla were a young player, with team cost-control, he'd be worth bringing back in this role. Unfortunately for him, he's not; he has a $3 million club option which should and will almost certainly be declined.

The Orioles will have to go outside the organization for that backup middle infielder, because there's no one in the organization who can or should do the job. Neither Buck Britton nor Zelous Wheeler, two infielders who played some middle infield at Norfolk, can play shortstop adequately. Jonathan Schoop has too much potential to waste as a 30-game backup. And while Yamaico Navarro played adequately at short and second, and even hit fairly well, he's erratic.

For most of 2013, the role of backup oufielder who can play center field was occupied by Chris Dickerson. Dickerson was signed as a free agent after the Yankees released him in January, and after a few April games in Norfolk was recalled to Baltimore. He stayed with the Orioles through mid-July and, after six weeks in Norfolk, came back to Baltimore for September. Dickerson showed left-handed power and good outfield defense.

While Dickerson appears to be a capable backup outfielder, he wasn't a good fit for the Orioles. He's a left-handed hitter whose skills are power hitting and outfield defense. The Orioles' corner outfielder were left-handed hitters McLouth and Markakis, so Dickerson couldn't get playing time spelling them against tough left-handed pitchers. The Orioles' offense was a home-run hitting offense, so Dickerson didn't offer a different look. And the Orioles didn't have much need for a defensive replacement in the outfield.

Because Adam Jones has been so durable - he's played in at least 149 games in each of the last four seasons - having a fourth outfielder who can play center field is less critical, especially because Nate McLouth could play center field in a mid-game emergency. The Orioles' fourth outfielder should be a right-handed hitter (who can spell McLouth and Markakis occasionally) whose offensive game is based more on line-drive hitting and getting on base. L.J.Hoes would have been ideal, but unfortunately he's with the Astros now.

The Orioles backup catcher role was mostly Taylor Teagarden. Offensively, Teagarden was terrible in a very small sample - 62 plate appearances. Defensively, Teagarden caught 162 innings and was just about league-average, as far as I can tell. It's worth speculating that if Teagarden had played more, not only would he have played better but Matt Wieters would also have played better. Teagarden was outrighted to Norfolk in September so his roster spot could be given to another backup catcher, Chris Snyder, a 32-year-old who had had some good years with the Diamondbacks.

The Orioles acquired Steve Clevenger from the Cubs in the Scott Feldman trade. Clevenger is a left-handed singles hitter who didn't hit when given a chance with the 2012 Cubs. Defensively, Clevenger doesn't throw well and is error-prone. Really, about all I can say about the Orioles' backup catcher role in 2014 is that they'll need a backup catcher and they should probably play whoever it is more than they played Teagarden in 2013.

In 2013, the Orioles rode their regulars until they dropped. There's no reason to believe that the Orioles will change their approach; it seems likely that they will continue to hope for 150+ games from each regular. If that indeed will be their approach, then the Orioles don't need to invest a lot of money in their bench. I believe their bench should consist of a steady infielder with a good glove; a right-handed hitting outfielder whose offense isn't the home run; and a backup catcher capable of spelling Matt Wieters when Wieters would be at a disadvantage. It's impossible to identify who those players should be. It's more important that the Orioles use them slightly more than exactly who they are.

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