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As Orioles fans going into 2019 http://www.redsfanproshop.com/authentic-cliff-pennington-jersey , we could see more of the shift and possibly even a bit of the opener." ProspectsOrioles Game RecapsOrioles News and RumorsCamdencastCommentary & AnalysisThere’s reason to believe the Orioles will stick with current MLB trendsNew,4commentsAs Orioles fans going into 2019, we could see more of the shift and possibly even a bit of the opener.ESTShareTweetShareShareThere’s reason to believe the Orioles will stick with current MLB trendsTommy Gilligan-USA TODAY SportsThe opener and the shift. Two revolutions in baseball strategy — or fads, depending on who you talk to — one of which burst on the scene last year courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays, the other of which has been building for several years. Enter the Orioles, led by new GM Mike Elias. He hired former NASA engineer Sig Mejdal to build a brand new analytics department. Things are changing at the warehouse. We have every reason to believe the team will start doing whatever the data tells them to.Part of Elias’ and new manager Brandon Hyde’s challenge will be how to best utilize the personnel they have. It’s that time of the year where everyone is projecting potential 2019 rosters and the Orioles have made virtually no significant moves so far this offseason.But bear in mind, Elias has said that the Orioles will wait out the market. Even still, if the season began today, the Orioles would have three veteran starting pitchers penciled into the rotation and the only significant additions to the infield being a couple of defense-first Rule 5 shortstops.The openerDavid Schoenfield has an excellent piece from a few days ago that touches on both of the aforementioned topics. The excerpt below is regarding the opener: Looking at the Houston Astros last year, their top four starters were Gerrit Cole, Dallas Keuchel, Justin Verlander and Charlie Morton. Enough said. Their fifth starter was Lance McCullers, who only pitched 128 some innings. The lowest ERA among that group was McCullers’ 3.86. So they were strong one-through-five in the rotation and had little need for the opener. Mike Elias does not have that same luxury in Baltimore.The Orioles have a lot of young pitchers on the cusp of the major leagues, so it could make sense to fill out the last two spots in the rotation with the opener strategy. They can still rely on Dylan Bundy, Andrew Cashner and Alex Cobb to eat up innings as the regular starters Reggie Sanders Jersey , allowing the bullpen to avoid being overworked.Jimmy Yacabonis was a de facto opener on a few occasions last season, whether on purpose or not. He could get a shot at the job next year. Tanner Scott has an electric arm and he used to start in the minors for two or three inning bursts. Maybe he can fire through the opposing team’s lineup at the beginning of a game and be effective.The Birds would still have guys like David Hess and Miguel Castro to eat up innings after the opener is spent. The shiftSwitching gears to look at the shift, the following is an excerpt from Nick Gerli’s outstanding piece from Pitcher List. A key detail in there is the fact that the Astros were the most aggressive team with the shift last year. And we have one of their former executives leading the Orioles now. With the way the game is going, we have every reason to believe the Orioles will be using the shift early and often this upcoming year.Baltimore’s personnel moves support this idea as well. They drafted Richie Martin from the Oakland Atheltics in the Rule 5 draft and traded for Rule 5 shortstop Drew Jackson (originally from the Philadelphia Phillies). If the Orioles really wanted to prioritize defense, they could try putting their two new Rule 5 infielders at shortstop and third base. With the shift so prevalent now, infielders are becoming roamers expected to switch positions depending on the batter. If shortstops are truly the best defenders on the field, why not let two of them handle the bulk of the infield work? A perennial exercise in which you tear your hair out questioning the Athletics’ relevancy. Nothing more, nothing less."Oakland Athletics2018: 97-67, 2nd in AL West, lost in AL wild card game to New York YankeesWho?The Oakland Athletics. You know, the team that assembles a team of misfit toys, shrewd trades and the occasional elite prospect to ascend to under-the-radar brilliance on a 2018 opening day payroll less than half of that of the Angels’? Yeah, them.Were they even good last year?Certainly. While an extensive injury list to the rotation forced them to roll with a ragtag team of musketeers, the impact was offset by a terrific defense and a strong bullpen. Matt Chapman proved himself to be the real deal, and Jed Lowrie lambasted his peers with a five-win season. Khris Davis http://www.redsfanproshop.com/authentic-cliff-pennington-jersey , Matt Olson, and Stephen Piscotty provided all-important thump, and Blake Treinen is consistently nasty. Still, the team shouldn’t have been nearly as incredible as they were last year, as everything went right and little went wrong.What did they do this offseason?Losing Jed Lowrie, Kendall Graveman, Shawn Kelley, Familia, Emilio Pagan, and Trevor Cahill is quite the blow to the squad’s talent base, and the plethora of buy-low candidates in Marco Estrada, Robbie Grossman, and Jerry Blevins isn’t nearly enough to fill the gap. Oakland’s hallmark trade for this winter was acquiring former top-prospect Jurickson Profar from Texas, who is somehow just 26 years old and posted 2.9 fWAR last season, a nice Lowrie replacement if performance holds. Joakim Soria helps replace relief pieces who didn’t return to the organization. Nick Hundley is a fine yet underwhelming seasoned catching addition on a minors deal. 2019 Projected LineupORDERPOSPLAYERBATSAGEZiPS (fWAR)ORDERPOSPLAYERBATSAGEZiPS (fWAR)Stats and info courtesy of FanGraphs The heart of the A’s lineup is stacked with power Joe Morgan Jersey , no doubt, but it’s the getting on-base that could be a problem without Jed Lowrie. Surely, Piscotty or Profar will step up to fill the role but I’m skeptical such large shoes can be filled. This is a nice lineup overall, though the bottom has much to be desired — keep in mind that this will be improved through use of platoons. 2019 RotationPLAYERThrowsAGEZiPS (fWAR)PLAYERThrowsAGEZiPS (fWAR)Not a lot of confidence to be inspired in these pitchers whose best days have been had long before. The A’s are banking on defense and large AL West parks to outperform their pitchers’ true talent level and have starters produce enough volume to be competitive. Furthermore, Sean Manaea, Jharel Cotton, and Jesus Luzardo are all on the shelf, three MLB-quality starters. Top prospect A.J. Puk isn’t on the roster, either. 2019 BullpenPLAYERThrowsAGEZiPS (fWAR)PLAYERThrowsAGEZiPS (fWAR)Treinen has the ability to wipe out the best of hitters. We all know how good Joakim Soria is. Liam Hendricks and Lou Trivino have found considerable success, and Buchter presents a unique look from the left side. Old friend Yusmeiro Petit is still at it with his deception, too. This is an okay group as a whole, but it’s nothing special and the additions aren’t nearly enough to make up for the talent that was lost this offseason. If their starters can’t go three times through the order, they could be in big trouble this season.What is their strength?Defense, defense, defense. Matt Chapman is a stalwart on the left side Dave Concepcion Jersey , as is Matt Olson at the opposite corner. Marcus Semien improved considerably last season (9 DRS, 8.3 UZR), an incredible plus considering poor defensive ability nearly derailed his career before it even took off. What is their weakness? Starting rotation depth definitely exists, but is lacking in talent. Jesus Luzardo has the tools to be one of the better starters in the league and Manaea has shown flashes, but the rest of the group leaves much to be desired in aggregate. It may not hurt the A’s so much in their home ballpark, but it will be exposed in road games against the Astros. Furthermore, I am not convinced the team has the necessary table-setters it needs to win games by considerable margins, despite packing a punch with the long-ball. So, what can we expect?I expect an A’s team with their typical modus operandi. They’re going to scratch and claw and fight in every game, and make it close. It’s what they do, and it’s what they’ve always done. But there’s little doubt that the team massively overperformed last year, and hasn’t done nearly enough to add more talent to offset that which was lost. I see a third-place finish for the A’s in the 84-88 win range, and definitely threatening for playoff time in September. What’s the most accurate song representation for this team?Goofy Goober Rock from the Spongebob Squarepants movie, because they simply don’t know how to quit.