Of the 25 players who are figuring on making the Orioles opening day roster, most are obvious slam dunks, some are “just about sure” and a few are “has a pretty decent chance”.
I opened yesterday’s look at the 25 who will make it – in my opinion – with one of the most obvious slam dunks…catcher Matt Wieters.
I’ll stick with the slam dunk category for Day 2: Brian Roberts.
Here’s the lowdown on B-Rob:
Odds he’ll be on the roster at the start of the season: 100%
Odds he’ll be on the roster at the end of the season: 90%
Odds he’ll be an effective contributor in 2010: 95%
Odds his name will be mentioned at the trade deadline in late July: 80%
Summary: There’s an argument that no one in franchise history has had a better O’s career at 2nd base than Roberts. All he does every year is serve as one of the A.L.’s best lead-off hitters, plays a steady if not often-spectacular defensive game and continues to be a model of consistency that all young players in the O’s locker room should model themselves after. You can expect some team in need of a lead-off hitter to sniff around at the deadline and inquire about Roberts. It happens nearly every summer. The O’s would be reluctant to trade him for sure – and with his $8 million-plus salary, he might be tough to deal – but they’d probably at least LISTEN to the offer from a desperate team in July.
Quirky stat or two about B-Rob:
- Has upped his doubles total from the previous season in four straight campaigns, with 56 a season ago.
- Had 16 home runs last year. 4 at home and 12 on the road
- Hit .348 in games the O’s won last season – and .240 in losses.
Drew’s projections for Roberts in 2010:
* .290 batting average
* 13 HR
* 68 RBI
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