Justin Duchscherer's Spot in the Rotation "In Peril"

Although the Baltimore Sun reported that the Oriole got "good news" on the injury front, it actually seemed to be neutral at best. Buck Showalter said that Justin Duchscherer's chances of making the Opening Day roster were "in peril" and although they found nothing new from Duchschere's MRA yesterday, I'm not sure that's necessarily good news.

...(Brian Roberts and) Duchscherer, still struggling with his surgically repaired left hip, have seemingly been alternating good weeks and bad weeks all spring, and they'll remain shut down from extensive baseball activities for the next couple of days.


"With [Duchscherer] and Robby, there wasn't anything new going on there, but that doesn't mean everything is fine," Showalter said. "There are still some persistent things that have been a challenge for both of them."

So we should probably count Duch out for now, especially since before the MRA he told reporters that his hip "felt like it did last year before (he) had to have it operated on."

But that's not an altogether bad thing. I liked the Duchscherer signing for depth but I am beginning to believe that the team will be better off with Chris Tillman in that 5th spot to start the season anyway.

It was looking more and more like Jake Arrieta was going to win the battle for the final spot in the rotation this spring and that Tillman would be returned to Norfolk. But looking at Tillman 's AAA numbers show that there is little need for him to go back.

Lev    W  L W-L%  ERA  G CG SHO    IP   H HR BB  SO  WHIP HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB
AAA   19 13 .594 3.06 39  2   2 218.0 205 15 56 193 1.197  0.6  2.3  8.0  3.45

What else does the guy need to do down there? I keep hearing that Tillman should not be handed the job and he should heave to "earn" it. Putting together numbers like that in AAA at age 21 and 22 is more than enough to earn a spot in the rotation.

The Orioles need to put Tillman in the rotation and let him sink or swim. He needs MLB innings at this point, there is nothing left for him to prove in the minors.

And if his shot comes because of a Justin Duchscherer injury, so be it.

Orioles Sign Justin Duchscherer

The Orioles have signed RHP Justin Duchscherer to a one-year contract providing the team with some starting pitching depth as their young arms continue to develop.

(Great. Now I have to learn how to spell his name...)

I've always liked Duchscherer. He struck out his fair share and never walked a lot of guys. He gets his fair share of ground balls and doesn't give up a lot of home runs. Basically, he has been a guy who is not spectacular at any one thing but does a lot of things pretty well.

At least he was. Elbow, hip and back injuries, as well as a bout with depression has prevented him from pitching significant innings since 2008. Really, he hasn't had a fully healthy season since 2005.

But he's a depth signing that is low risk and comes with some potential upside. The base salary is reportedly just $700,000 and goes up to $1.1 million if he makes the Opening Day roster. If he's healthy, Duchscherer will only make $4.5 million.

Pitching is volatile. Signing Duchscherer adds a (potential) quality arm at a low price and will hopefully allow the team to not rush Zach Britton to Baltimore due to injury or ineffectiveness in the rotation. It's a good move.

On the flip side, where does this leave Chris Tillman and Jake Arrieta? Barring injury, one of them is going to end up back in Norfolk. Is that the right thing for their development? I'm undecided. Arrieta has 28 AAA starts under his belt. Tillman has 39. What else do they have to prove at that level? I suppose it will come down to which pitcher looks better this spring. Which needs more polishing to their game in Norfolk?

All of this could be a moot point come April. After all, it's rare that you start the season with too many healthy starters.

Anyway, a good low cost move by the Orioles. If he's healthy (granted, a big if), Duchscherer could be quite a steal.