23 replies to this topic

[SportsGuy]

http://www.baltimore... ... 8500.story

[Mackus]

Not sure I believe that it didn't affect his preparation. Obviously more concern now for Roberts, who was already a long shot to do anything productive this season.

I just hope they have the balls to not let him come North if he's not the best 2B. It wouldn't take much to be the best 2B, considering who else is in camp, but if it's clearly not Brian, then they shouldn't break camp with him as the starter.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Yeah, MikeB posted this in the Player Talk forum last night.

Roberts said he is back to full-strength (whatever his full-strength is at this point).

[SportsGuy]

Cut him...please.

No need to have him taking up a roster spot, causing issues, etc...

[You Play to Win the Game]

Cut him...please.

No need to have him taking up a roster spot, causing issues, etc...

I'm willing to give him one last chance in the spring to see if there's anything left. There's really no harm in doing that... and you don't really accomplish anything in cutting him prior to ST. I do agree that if he clearly is useless in the spring, they need to not bring him north.

[Mackus]

I'm willing to give him one last chance in the spring to see if there's anything left. There's really no harm in doing that... and you don't really accomplish anything in cutting him prior to ST. I do agree that if he clearly is useless in the spring, they need to not bring him north.

I agree with this.

Give him ST. I don't think we owe it to him, but I don't think it hurts the team in any way (if we were talking about Schoop a year from now with Brian taking time from him, for example, that'd be different). There is still, however long of the odds, a chance that he's the best 2B on the team so might as well take ST to find out if there is anything left in the tank that would benefit the team.

I don't, as I think almost all of us agree, give him any regular season time to continue to try and find it if he hasn't been able to look productive in Spring Training. It'll be a tough decision if he has a .280/.330/.360 type line in ST. Then you'll have to base the decision on how your coaches think he looks more than numbers.

[Adam Wolff]

Yeah, I don't see what the harm is in seeing what he's got in spring training. Let's face it, 2nd base is a huge hole, so even a marginal Roberts could be the best option. It would be really nice if Brian could put together a healthy season. It's been tough to follow how his career has gone over the last few years.

[SportsGuy]

Sure, you can bring him to ST...problem is, if he is healthy, there is a 99.9% guarantee that he goes north with the team.

[You Play to Win the Game]

I agree with this.

Give him ST. I don't think we owe it to him, but I don't think it hurts the team in any way (if we were talking about Schoop a year from now with Brian taking time from him, for example, that'd be different). There is still, however long of the odds, a chance that he's the best 2B on the team so might as well take ST to find out if there is anything left in the tank that would benefit the team.

I don't, as I think almost all of us agree, give him any regular season time to continue to try and find it if he hasn't been able to look productive in Spring Training. It'll be a tough decision if he has a .280/.330/.360 type line in ST. Then you'll have to base the decision on how your coaches think he looks more than numbers.

Agreed. Even if he puts up decent #'s (A la Jake Fox), I still want the coaches feeling good about how he looks (discipline, contact, pop, speed, etc.) if they bring him up. I certainly won't be crying if he has a "good" spring on paper, but doesn't make the cut. Although, if he does, he probably will.

[bmoreb]

I've been beating on Roberts all off season, almost felt bad for it. I've been advocating signing Kelly Johnson, not because he's superman, just because he's had past success and he's young and a free agent.

Another surgery, REALLY!
Retire, just retire

[RichardZ]

I've been beating on Roberts all off season, almost felt bad for it. I've been advocating signing Kelly Johnson, not because he's superman, just because he's had past success and he's young and a free agent.

Another surgery, REALLY!
Retire, just retire

Johnson is going to be 31 soon so I'd put him between young and old. However, when I think of Kelly Johnson, I think of Ryan Flaherty. I think you could get similar production from Flaherty this year, if you look at Johnson's last couple of years.

[bmoreb]

It would be awesome if Flaherty was the guy.

[RichardZ]

It would be awesome if Flaherty was the guy.

After last season, I thought he would be. Now, he's not going to get a chance until and IF Roberts and Casilla fail and then he has to worry about Schoop coming up behind him.

[You Play to Win the Game]

It would be awesome if Flaherty was the guy.

Yeah, I'd be lying if I didn't say that he's kind of a secret baseball crush of mine. I'm really hoping he has a great spring and can be the late bloomer type.

[Mike B]

I'm willing to give him one last chance in the spring to see if there's anything left. There's really no harm in doing that... and you don't really accomplish anything in cutting him prior to ST. I do agree that if he clearly is useless in the spring, they need to not bring him north.

I agree with this. No reason to cut him now. I think we all believe BRob is done or close to it, but no reason not to give him a chance to prove us wrong.

[Can_of_corn]

I agree with this. No reason to cut him now. I think we all believe BRob is done or close to it, but no reason not to give him a chance to prove us wrong.

Except that SG is right. If Roberts makes through ST in one piece he will make the team and be the starter. He put up -1 WAR last season in only 17 games and Buck had him out there everyday at second, leading off. He only stopped playing him because he was hurt.

If this team thinks it is a contender it can't throw Roberts out there for a month of the regular season.


And folks, remember what Lowell and Arod looked like on defense after hip surgery, and they were not playing second.

[Mike B]

Except that SG is right. If Roberts makes through ST in one piece he will make the team and be the starter. He put up -1 WAR last season in only 17 games and Buck had him out there everyday at second, leading off. He only stopped playing him because he was hurt.

If this team thinks it is a contender it can't throw Roberts out there for a month of the regular season.


And folks, remember what Lowell and Arod looked like on defense after hip surgery, and they were not playing second.

Maybe Buck realized 17 games after 2 years off was a small sample size. I think BRob is done but letting him try to fight back in ST is a no harm situation IMO.

[Mike B]

Another thing. If the Orioles are going to be unwilling to cut him, as you say in season, they are certainly not going to cut him now.
I think Brian goes on 60 DL if he is not performing or playing in ST.

[bmoreb]

Hopefully he'll just retire if he can't play. He could come back and be Buck's bench coach like last season.

[Can_of_corn]

Maybe Buck realized 17 games after 2 years off was a small sample size. I think BRob is done but letting him try to fight back in ST is a no harm situation IMO.

Roberts looked good a grand total of one game last year. He was done and hurting the team by being out there. He is now a year older and coming off multiple offseason surgeries.

If this team is a contender it can not afford to have a sustained period of sub-replacement play from Roberts. If they are planning to going back to being a 69 win team then sure, let him suck it up for a month or two.