There will be 37 pitchers in the cramped clubhouse of Fort Lauderdale Stadium on Saturday, and only 15 of them made an appearance for the Orioles in a Grapefruit League game last spring.
Ten of the 24 pitchers on the team's 40-man roster heading into last year's spring training aren't in the organization anymore. Four of the five members of last year's Opening Day rotation are now former Orioles, as are three of the seven members of the bullpen.
Nowhere is team president Andy MacPhail's rebuilding project more obvious than in the reconstruction of the Orioles' pitching staff, one of the major leagues' worst during the past several seasons. When pitchers and catchers have their first workout Saturday in Florida, the competition to make the 12- or 13-man staff will begin in earnest and immediately become the prevailing story this spring.
Six or seven spots on the 2009 staff will be up for grabs, with a cast of many vying for them.
Beyond the team's only returning starter, Jeremy Guthrie, the Orioles have reached far and wide through free-agent signings (such as Koji Uehara) and trades (Rich Hill) and gone deep into their farm system (Brad Bergesen and Jake Arrieta) and beyond (Alfredo Simon, who played most of last season in the Mexican League).
"We've done what we needed to do in terms of creating an inventory to create competition and to give our coaching staff a chance to pick out the very best," MacPhail said. "We don't have a solid experienced core of starters. We're going to have to pick from a variety of guys with a variety of skills to fill out those last spots in the rotation. How good I'll feel about it, I'll know much more on May 1 than I do now."
MacPhail acknowledged that it's not ideal to bring 37 pitchers into camp, even with spring training extended this year to seven weeks because of the World Baseball Classic. It puts pressure on manager Dave Trembley and pitching coach Rick Kranitz to find everyone enough innings to get ready for the season.
But, in some respects, the Orioles had little choice because of how much uncertainty exists with their staff. While the starting rotations of the three American League East heavyweights - the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox - are pretty much set heading into spring training, the Orioles have only two starters who are considered locks barring injuries. Guthrie, a 10-game winner last year, is expected to be handed the ball for a second straight Opening Day, and Uehara, the team's first Japanese player, will likely slot in behind him.
