Five questions: Baltimore Orioles
by awm9a March 30, 2010
http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/five-questions-baltimore-orioles5/
1. Just how good is the young pitching?
金鸟的年轻手臂有多棒？
Since taking the helm in 2007, Andy McPhail, the Orioles' president of
baseball operations, has lived by the mantra, “Grow the arms, buy the bats.”
Young pitching has become the name of the game in Baltimore and is the key
to the team’s eventual return to contention.
总管Andy McPhail在2007年掌权之后，奉行“养手臂、买棒子”的原则，年轻投手已经
是Baltimore的代表，同时也是让金鸟重回竞争行列的关键。
编按：关键是在准备带领金莺20连霸的Matt Wieters好吗？没有他的优异配球，这些年
轻人是能投出多好的成绩啊...
In 2009, six rookie starting pitchers combined for 94 Orioles starts. They
ranged in talent from fringe major leaguer (Jason Berken) to future stud
(Brian Matusz) and they were one of the most exciting things about the
Orioles last year.
在2009年，6个菜鸟投手贡献了94场的先发，天分从载浮载沈的Jason Berken到明日之星
Brain Matusz都有，这大概是去年金鸟最振奋人心的消息了。
They were also the worst. The Orioles starting pitching finished the season
at the bottom of almost every statistical category. Least innings pitched?
Check. Most home runs allowed? Check. Name a stat and the ‘09 Orioles
starting pitchers were probably at the bottom of the list. A comparison of
the Orioles' rotation to that of the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays leaves a lot
of reason for concern, but there is hope. Matusz, Chris Tillman and Brad
Bergesen are the keys to that hope. All made their major league debuts in
2009 and all had moments of success that gave the Orioles a glimpse into what
their future might look like.
但也是最坏的消息，先发投手群在各项统计资料中都几乎垫底，局数吃最少但被干了最
多砲，跟同区的北佬、瘦袜、闪光比真是差多了，但现在曙光乍现了，Brain Matusz,
Chris Tillman and Brad Bergesen都在2009年在大联盟登版，同时也都丢了几场好球，
让金鸟迷们看见的未来的希望。(20连霸的希望啊!!!)
Matusz received the call to the big leagues on Aug. 4, just 14 months after
being drafted. He struggled a bit, but grew stronger with each start, with
his last of the season being a domination of the New York Yankees in Yankee
Stadium. Although still technically a rookie (and ranked the fifth best
prospect in 2010 by Baseball America), Matusz is arguably the best starter on
the team and shows signs of getting better.
Matusz在去年8月4号升上大联盟，这仅仅是签约之后的第14个月而已(08年第一轮第4顺位)
虽然起步有点踉跄，但随着每次先发实力也越来越坚强，尤其在去年最后一次登版时，在
洋基球场完全压制了钻石打线。尽管仍然具备新秀身份(Baseball America将他排在Rookies
NO.5)。Matusz可以说是阵中最好的先发投手了，同时也代表球队的实力正在提升。
Tillman, who ranked as the 22nd best prospect in baseball in 2009, will be
just 21 on Opening Day 2010 and has already made 12 major league starts. He
dominated Triple-A before making his debut in July and has shown flashes of
brilliance mixed with his frustrating tendency to leave his fastball belt
high and right over the plate. There is the slight possibility that Tillman
will begin 2010 in Triple-A to work on the issues he faced last season, but
he will most certainly be seen at some point this season. Tillman and Matusz
have been given kudos by scouts, national media, baseball writers and the
Orioles brass. If they can live up to potential and expectations they, along
with the stable of pitchers the Orioles are grooming in the minors, will be
what leads the Orioles back to respectability.
Tillman，2009年新秀排名第22的投手，虽然在今天开幕当天才21岁，却已经在大联盟有
12场先发经验了，在屠杀3A一阵子之后，7月时升上大联盟，虽然展露出他的天分，但却
老是把快速球投到腰带右上方的位置被痛击，所以开季时大概会回到3A去重新调教，但
今年一定有机会会再看到他回大联盟的。Tillman Matusz早已在球探、媒体、棒球作家
和金鸟球迷当中建立起名声，但唯有他们将潜力与期待化作实绩，再搭配上农场中其他
的年轻手臂，才能带领金鸟重返荣耀。
2. Will MacPhail actually buy the bats?
MacPhail老大，说好的大棒子呢？
Despite all the good MacPhail has done since joining the Orioles, he has yet
to sign an impact free agent, leading to concerns among some that he is too
conservative to obligate the amount of money it would take to land one. It
bothered some Orioles fans when he failed to sign Mark Teixeira before the
2009 season and Matt Holliday this offseason. The fact in those two instances
is that the Orioles would have had to throw so much money at either of those
players to bring them to Baltimore that it would have, in all likelihood,
been detrimental to the team’s long term health. Even so, the fact remains
that in his two-plus years in Baltimore he has yet to sign a player for
longer than two years.
尽管MacPhail上任后做了不少好事，但到目前为止还没有签下任何一位重量级的FA
(编按：开拓日本市场不算吗？)，让人质疑是否对于预算控制太保守了点(共体时艰乃
世界潮流)，这两年接连无法签下Mark Teixeira与Matt Holliday触怒了许多金鸟球迷
，但实际上砸太多钱在1-2个明星球员上对于球队的体质是有长期不良的影响，但上任
两年多来，MacPhail的确没有给予超过2年的合约。
MacPhail supporters point out that even with an impact player like Holliday,
the Orioles in their current state would still be non-contenders and that the
money is best saved for a time when one or two free agents will put the
Orioles over the top.
MacPhail的支持者则指出即是签下了如Holliday这般的A咖，现阶段的金鸟仍然是来陪榜
的，倒不如把钱省下来，将来球队实力增强后再砸钱买下1-2个FA帮助金鸟登上美东冠军。
Time will tell if MacPhail will go after the big free agents, but Orioles
fans know that owner Peter Angelos, even with all his faults, has never
hesitated to spend money on the team. It’s usually been on very ill-advised
contracts, (three years to Jamie Walker? Honestly?) but he does spend. Fans
hope the Orioles will be able to pull the trigger after identifying a premier
free agent who can catapult them to the next level.
时间会证明MacPhail是否会真的签下大棒子，但球迷都知道老板Peter Angelos虽然犯了
一些错，但说到砸钱可是毫不手软，但...大部分都是烂约(拿3年合约给Jamie Walker?
不如给Okajima比较实际)，但至少他不小气啊!球迷都希望球队能找到一个大咖FA带领金
鸟提升到下一个等级。
注：Jamie Walker 35岁到Orioles的中继投手 24millions for 3 yrs
07-09年成绩: 4W5L7SV IP.111.2 WHIP 1.406 ERA+ 98
3. Who will hit cleanup?
谁能在第4棒扛霸子？
It’s not so much who will hit in the No. 4 spot in the lineup as it is a
question of where the Orioles will find their power. In 2009 the Orioles hit
160 home runs, more than only the Kansas City Royals and the Oakland
Athletics. Their team leader was Luke Scott, who hit a respectable 25, but no
other Oriole hit 20.
目前仍无法明了谁将是不动的4番，毕竟金鸟一直缺乏强而有力的大砲。在2009年金鸟们
干了160发，仅仅高于皇家和绿帽。球队最有力的是Luke Scott，贡献25发，但其他球员
没有一个打超过20发...
One thing for certain: The Orioles will not find their slugging at the
traditional power positions of first and third base. Former power-hitting
shortstop Miguel Tejada is slated to play third base for the Orioles; his
long-ball hitting has dropped the past few years. The power numbers of
Orioles first baseman Garrett Atkins have fallen every year since 2006; he
hit only nine home runs in 2009.
有一件事是确定的：在传统上贡献火力的一三垒，金鸟能得到的援助少之又少，前。
游击大砲八毛在重回老东家后将镇守三垒，但最近几年火力正在逐步衰退，一垒手是
转换跑道的Garrett Atkins，自06年开始火力逐渐衰退的他，整个2009年只干了9发。
Garrett Atkins 2009 stats:226/308/342 80H 9HR 48RBI OPS:0.650 OPS+:66
The power certainly won’t come from the middle of the infield, so that
leaves the young outfielders and catcher Matt Wieters as possible sources to
supplement the 20-plus homers Scott will most likely hit.
火力供输也不会来自于中间防线，必须倚赖年轻的外野与Matt Wieters(终于提到了= =)
，一起陪着Scott哥哥尻个20几发吧。
Wieters is projected to be a power hitter, but this Opening Day will be just
his 97th major league game and he’s still maturing. As he plays his first
full big league season and grows into his role as a major leaguer, Wieters
will surely hit for more power than in 2009, but it might be premature to
pencil him in for more than 20 home runs on the year.
救世主Wieters是备受期待的强打，但开幕日当天也仅仅是他的第97场大联盟赛事，还不
是完全体。在打完第一个大联盟球季后，Wieters一定会比2009年展现出更多火力，但现
在就期待他能贡献20发以上的全垒大是有点早了。
The Orioles outfield is full of talent, but to this point it isn’t talent
that has proven any prolific home run power. The most established of the
outfielders, Nick Markakis, has proven a well-rounded hitter who can be
counted on for about 20 home runs per year, maybe more on a sporadic basis.
Center fielder Adam Jones has shown the potential to hit home runs (he hit 19
in 2009) and is probably a good bet to top the 20 mark in 2010. He’s just 24
years old though, so even if he does develop into a power hitter it may take
him a few more years. Last year's rookie Nolan Reimold, who hit 15 home runs
in just 104 games last year, may be the best bet for power, but he’s
struggled with health issues that could force him to lose time this season.
金鸟拥有才华洋溢的年轻外野群，但这些天分并不包含高全垒打量产出。最稳的外野手
Nick Markakis已经证明是个全方位打者，一年能贡献约20发或是更多。中外野手Adam
Jones已经展现干砲的潜力(09年19HR)，可以期待在2010年有快30发的表现。今年才24
岁的他可能还需要几年才能长成期待中的外野自走砲。去年新秀Nolan Reimold在104场
比赛中就打了15发，大概是外野阵容中棒子最大的，但健康因素可能让他在球季中损失
一些上场时间。
Obviously the Orioles don’t have to hit a ton of home runs to be successful,
but they do probably need to hit more than they did in 2009. To succeed in
the AL East a team needs to score a lot of runs, and the Orioles have not
been able to do that.
当然金鸟并不需要打一卡车全垒打来赢得比赛，但好歹也要打的比09年多吧，在死亡
美东有一席之地必须要能打下一大堆分数，但目前的金鸟并无法做到。
4. Will Brian Roberts be able to keep up with this team?
帅哥Brian Roberts能继续留在birdland吗？
Brian Roberts has been a Baltimore Oriole for a long time—so long, in fact,
that he is the only current Oriole to have played a game with Cal Ripken. He
also has the dubious distinction of having never played on a winning team in
his professional career. During this long, dark decade of Orioles baseball,
Roberts has been one of the few bright spots, and as such was rewarded with a
four-year extension that begins this season and will take him through his
35th birthday.
帅哥Brian Roberts已经留在金莺很久了，实际上他是仅存一位跟Cal Ripken并肩作战
过的球员，生涯当中从来没有在有竞争力的球队打过球。在过去的黑暗十年，Roberts
是金鸟中少数获得关注的明星，但这番贡献也让球队与他签下4年延长合约，从今年到
他35岁的生日
Was the contract ill-advised? Perhaps. Under their current plan the Orioles
hope to progress in 2010 and contend in 2011 and beyond. The Orioles are a
young team that is being built for the long term, but by the time they get
there Roberts might be more of a detriment than a contributor.
这又是一个烂约了吗？在球队计画中，希望能在2010年有所进步，2011年之后就要向
分区龙头叩关，金鸟是只经过长期计画打造的年轻球队，但到时候Roberts对于球队
的伤害可能超过贡献。
Concerns for Roberts’ future have surfaced this spring training: He reported
to camp with a herniated disk and has only just now begun playing in games.
Roberts is a cornerstone of the lineup and the assumption is that he’ll be
available to lead off effectively for the next several years. If Roberts
loses his speed or begins losing time to injury, the team could be in big
trouble.
对于Roberts未来的疑虑在春训时似乎出现了，在报到时带着椎间盘突出的伤势来到球
场，而且直到最近才开始下场比赛。Roberts是打线的稳定力量并被期待能继续在开路
先锋上有效率地再贡献几年，但如果Roberts失去速度或因为伤痛减少出赛，那歹志就
大条了。
5. Will this year's team be able to avoid its annual late-season swoon?
今年金鸟们能够避免惯例的季末手软吗？
With the team a perennial loser playing in baseball’s toughest division,
August and September are the worst months to be an Orioles player or fan.
When your team is facing another lost season, morale and motivation levels
are low. The ineffective starting rotation has led to a worn-out bullpen, and
you’re playing three of the best teams in baseball down the stretch (three
teams fighting for two playoff spots). In 2009, the swoon featured a 13-game
losing streak that put the team in jeopardy of losing 100 games for just the
third time in franchise history. In 2008, the Orioles finished 5-20 in
September and in those 25 games scored only 84 runs. A different depressing
stat can be culled from each losing season, but the result is always the
same: a team and fan base that cannot wait for the season to end.
对于一个在最坚强的分区长期垫底的球队来说，8-9月对金鸟的球员或球迷而言都是最
煎熬的，当球队又如往年一样进入失败球季尾声时，士气和打球动机早已荡然无存，没
效率的先发群让牛棚长期的疲累不堪，同时又得跟最强的3只球队(彼此竞争2个10月门票)
硬碰硬，实在是伤心又伤神啊！在2009年，季末的13连败让球队陷入了百年来第3次破百
败的泥沼当中，08年也没好到哪里去，9月只打出了5-20，而且在25场比赛中只拿下了84
分而已。每个失败球季都有改善一些缺点，但结果却总是相同：球队和球迷都只想把时间
快转到球季末。
The odds of a swoon decrease as the talent level on the team increases, but
given the Orioles' recent history it has become something that everyone who
follows the team has come to expect. When the Orioles start playing inspired
baseball in the final third of the season, it will be a sign that they’ve
finally turned the corner.
这种情况会随着年轻天分的累积而有所改善，每个加入金鸟大家庭的人都希望能摆脱近
几年悽惨的战绩，但唯有球队在后三分之一球季能打出一些好球赛，才代表着金鸟正转
向光明的一面。