What are the O's to do with Pie?

The Orioles aren't confronted with many dilemma's they would like to have these days. Usually, they have to figure out which minor leaguer is the best candidate to be promoted in order to replace a struggling player on the big league roster. However, the Orioles are confronted with the opposite situation.

A few months ago, ESPN.com featured a piece on the O's young outfield (pictured) including Nolan Reimold, Adam Jones, and Nick Markakis. There's no argument that the trio make up one of the best young outfields in the majors. However, what ESPN did not account for at the time is the Orioles new-found depth in the outfield. With Felix Pie's increased playing time and opportunity to prove why he was once the Cubs number one minor league prospect, number 18 has suddenly burst onto the scene as more than just your everyday fourth outfielder.

Since his cycle game, Pie is batting .386 going 17 for 44 over that span of 15 games. What's most impressive is that his power numbers are drastically improving in just a short period of time. On August 12, his slugging percentage was stuck at an unimpressive .336. Since then, he's raised his slugging to .459, a 123 point increase in only a couple weeks! It doesn't appear that this recent hot streak is simply a fluke. A few weeks ago, the O's hitting coach Terry Crowley announced that he helped Pie make his swing more compact. Since working with Crowley, Pie has shown instant improvement which suggests he isn't just getting lucky.

So the dilemma the Orioles are in now is what to do with Pie. He's filled his role as the team's fourth outfielder very well but is he beginning to outgrow his role? With Adam Jones return to the lineup after a mild back injury, Pie is back on the bench except for Sunday games and the occasional spot start. I would expect Trembley to start letting Pie play more often than he has in the past. However, Nolan Reimold earned his spot in left field months ago so how does Pie factor into the O's future? I understand that Pie needs to prove himself over a longer stretch of time but it wouldn't surprise me if the Orioles have four legitimate young outfielders by the time the off-season rolls around.

Is it feasible to let Nolan Reimold take a shot at playing first base during spring training next year? He's only played one game at first in his professional career but the Orioles have been successful at converting players in the past. Melvin Mora was brought up as an outfielder and they were able to develop him into a solid third baseman, one of the hardest positions on the field. The Orioles gave Luke Scott, a career outfielder, an opportunity to play first base this season and he's filled in adequately for Huff's vacancy.

Or is it more feasible to let go of someone like Luke Scott in order to allow Reimold to be the DH next year? As much as I like Luuuuke Scott and his scorching hot streaks, I wouldn't be opposed to seeing him go. In the past, I would've been completely against trading Scott because he is only 31 and seems to have a decent number of productive years left. He also recently signed a contract extension. However, two or three years from now, do you see the 34 year old Luke Scott playing a bigger role than Nolan Reimold or Felix Pie in the O's future?

Andy MacPhail has stressed that the Orioles should have an inventory of young players. I couldn't agree more but at some point, the O's need to distribute their wealth and surplus of young players at certain positions in order to fill holes in the roster where perhaps they don't have players waiting in the wings. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the Orioles don't have incredible depth in their minor league system at first base. How about we give Reimold a shot at first and go from there?

The Changeover Begins...

We all knew it was coming, it was just a matter of when. The inevitable changeover in the Baltimore sports landscape from the last-place Orioles to the Super Bowl seeking Ravens is complete. With the Ravens first regular season game only a few weeks away, local sports fans are quickly forgetting about the O's and devoting their full attention to the Purple and Black.

As of now, the O's are in last place in the AL East and have the 3rd worst record in all of baseball at 51-75. The team is going through it's annual late-season swoon as they have only won one series since the All-Star break. Orioles fans and even team president Andy MacPhail had mild expectations for the season. Those lowly expectations are coming into fruition.

Fortunately, all hope is not lost for the O's. The young pitching staff is showing signs of potential dominance and the O's offense only has a couple glaring weaknesses. Chris Tillman, Brian Matusz, David Hernandez, and the former AL ROY contender Brad Bergesen have all shown how well they can pitch in the majors. They have also shown how there is a lot of work to be done before the staff becomes respectable. The light at the end of the tunnel that everyone speaks of is visible for the birds. For now, that light is being blocked by a different type of bird, a Baltimore Raven.

Baltimore's proudest and most elite sports team is proving that they have the capability to bring another Lombardi Trophy to the city. In their first two preseason games, the Ravens have showed what they're capable of when their first team is on the field. I know not to look too far into preseason results (the Detroit Lions were 4-0 last year in the preseason), however, the Purple and Black have dominated nearly every stat category in their first couple games. The Passing attack looks formidable even without a star wide receiver. The running game looks solid and it appears Ray Rice has the tools to be a exceptional primary back. The defense is a year older but doesn't appear to have lost their intensity even with the departure of Bart Scott and the injury to Terrell Suggs. The only unresolved spot on the team is the kicker, a position which doesn't usually make or break an entire team. I'm confident the Ravens will resolve the kicking dilemma one way or another.

There's a lot to look forward to this year with the Ravens. Joe Flacco has a year under his belt and Ray Lewis stays with the Ravens to lead one of the most dominant D's in the game today.

As for the O's, their time will come, just not this year. Let's Go Ravens!