With Opening Day now only days away, we continue to take a look at a member of the 2015 Orioles every day as they try to defend their American League East title this season.
March 9 – Adam Jones
March 10 – Chris Tillman
March 11 – J.J. Hardy
March 12 – Zach Britton
March 13 – Chris Davis
March 14 – Wei-Yin Chen
March 15 – Jonathan Schoop
March 16 – Travis Snider
March 17 – Kevin Gausman
March 18 – Alejandro De Aza
March 19 – Tommy Hunter
March 20 – Manny Machado
March 21 – Brad Brach
March 22 – Steve Pearce
March 23 – Darren O’Day
March 24 – Caleb Joseph
March 25 – Wesley Wright
March 26 – Delmon Young
March 27 – Miguel Gonzalez
March 28 – Ryan Flaherty
March 29 – Ubaldo Jimenez
March 30 – Everth Cabrera
March 31 – Bud Norris
April 1 – Matt Wieters
UTI Jimmy Paredes
Opening Day age: 26
Contract status: Under club control through the 2019 season
Minor-league options remaining: None
2014 stats: .286/.308/.444, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 12 R, 4 SB, 65 PA
Why to be impressed: Building on a strong finish to the 2014 season with the Orioles, Paredes has produced a terrific spring with a 1.005 on-base plus slugging percentage in 55 at-bats to all but guarantee himself a roster spot to begin the season. His ability to hit from both sides of the plate makes him a viable offensive piece to come off the bench in late-inning situations.
Why to be concerned: Despite his potential with the bat, Paredes is very limited defensively no matter where manager Buck Showalter might put him in the field. The injury to David Lough has created roster space for the time being, but Paredes will need to really contribute with the bat to justify his place on the club for the long haul.
2015 outlook: He could take some at-bats away from Delmon Young as an occasional designated hitter, but Paredes wouldn’t figure to see much playing time unless the Orioles are dealing with a slew of injuries. It remains to be seen how long he will stick on the roster, but his strong showing last year and fantastic spring make him deserving of an opportunity. Even if Paredes cools off and the Orioles decide they can’t continue to carry him on the 25-man roster in the coming weeks, they’d like to keep him in the organization for depth, but he’d have to pass through waivers to make it back to the minors.
