Aberdeen IronBirds Season Preview and Roster

Aberdeen IronBirds Season Preview

All of the short-season clubs will open within the next week. It’s time to look at each roster and the players you need to keep an eye on. First up: the Aberdeen IronBirds.

Roster

Pitchers: Timothy Adleman, Justin Anderson, Jose Barajas, Scott Copeland, Jason Gurka, Brandon Holloway, T.R. Keating, Michael Mechaw, Justin Moore, Brian Parker, Bruno Sanchez, Tyler Sexton, Will Startup, Ashur Tolliver, David Walters

Catchers: Austin Goolsby, Zach Moore, Joe Oliveira, Austin Rauch

Infielders: David Anderson, Omar Casamayor, Joseph Donaldson, Mike Flacco, Adam Gaylord, L.J. Hoes, Tyler Kolodny, Michael Rooney, Sammy Starr

Outfielders: Jeremy Nowak, Joel Polanco, Kipp Schutz, Lance West

2010 Draftees

Jeremy Nowak (13), Joe Oliveira (15), Scott Copeland (21), Timothy Adleman (24), Austin Goolsby (26), Michael Rooney (30), Adam Gaylord (31), Sammy Starr (34), Joseph Donaldson (35)

Players to Watch

Ashur Tolliver - A 6′ 0″, 170 pound lefty, Tolliver’s fastball touches the mid 90′s. He was our 5th round draft pick in 2009 and should move quickly in a relief role, although he could get some time as a starter as well.

Mike Flacco – The brother of Ravens quarterback, Joe, Mike is a fan favorite. He had a solid debut with the Bluefield Orioles last season but needs to prove he can compete in the upper minors before he becomes a true prospect.

Tyler Kolodny - After getting sent to extended spring training for disciplinary issues, Kolodny will come back and play with the IronBirds, but not as a third baseman. The Orioles feel Kolodny is a better fit for a corner outfield spot or first base.

Notes

Brenden Webb should start 2010 with the Bluefield Orioles but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s promoted to the Shorebirds quickly. Webb is an advanced hitter with excellent on-base skills, and I believe he is too advanced for the Appalachian League or GCL.
Vito Frabizio told me his velocity was down in spring training and he’s been working hard to get it back. He could make a few starts with the IronBirds before heading up to the Shorebirds, where he was supposed to start at the beginning of the season.

Preliminary roster from MASN.

9 Responses

DoubleB June 15, 2010 at 5:26 pm | Permalink

Is Mummey close to signing a deal?
1. DoubleB June 15, 2010 at 5:28 pm | Permalink
  
  Oh, and are any other players expected to sign soon?
2. Jordan June 15, 2010 at 5:55 pm | Permalink
  
  Yes, I believe Mummey is close to signing and could report directly to Delmarva. I could see Bywater signing soon.
Don June 16, 2010 at 4:19 pm | Permalink

L.J Hoes – I assume this is something short term re-hab. He was holding his own weight in high A.

Did he go down to extended spring training after the strep throat? I was told he lost quite a bit of weight, any truth to it?
1. Jordan June 16, 2010 at 5:41 pm | Permalink
  
  I haven’t heard anything about losing weight, but that’s most likely true. He didn’t go to extended spring training, he’s been with the team.
NYOrioleFan June 16, 2010 at 10:27 pm | Permalink

Unfortunately, the IronBirds website does not have any updated information on their “roster” page.

However, Steve Melewski at MASN has some information regarding the starting rotation for the opening weekend:

http://masnsports.com/steve_melewski/2010/06/ironbirds-announce-their-weekend-pitching-rotation.html

Earlier this week, Aberdeen IronBirds manager Gary Kendall said Justin Anderson could be his opening night starting pitcher on Friday, but he was not for certain at that point. Today, it has been confirmed that Anderson will get the ball on Friday night at 7:35 p.m. when the Birds host Hudson Valley at Ripken Stadium.

Anderson was drafted in the 24th round last June by the O’s. He spent the majority of last season with the Bluefield Orioles going 2-1 with a 2.50 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 39.2 innings pitched. Anderson also made one start for the IronBirds in 2009 and threw five innings while striking out two batters.

The Orioles 21st round draft pick from last week, right-hander Scott Copeland, will start on Saturday. Copeland went 11-1 for Southern Mississippi during the 2010 college season with a 3.75 ERA.

Rounding out the weekend rotation will be right-hander Justin Moore. Moore was a 26th round draft pick by the Orioles in 2007. He spent all of last season with Bluefield and went 4-3 with a 3.11 ERA.
Jordan June 17, 2010 at 12:53 am | Permalink

I liked that Copeland pick. From what I’ve seen he has average stuff but he could move quickly and become a solid #5 starter. Can’t wait for the SS clubs to open!
NYOrioleFan June 17, 2010 at 10:29 pm | Permalink

MiLB.com has a NY-Penn League Preview up tonight. The information, I believe, was written prior to the actual roster posting, since it mentions Vito Fabrizio and Michael Gioioso.

Aberdeen IronBirds (Baltimore Orioles)
2009 Results: 30-44, fourth in McNamara Division
Manager: Gary Kendall
Kendall returns for a third season, and pitching coach Scott McGregor is in his sixth campaign. The Orioles have not signed any of their Draft picks as of yet but plan to welcome back infielder Michael Gioioso, who appeared briefly for the IronBirds last season. Pitching could be a strength with right-handers Vito Frabizio and Jose Barajas and lefties Tyler Sexton and Asher Toliver, the last a fifth-round pick from 2009, back in Ripken Stadium. The Ironbirds were second in the NYPL in attendance in 2009, drawing 247,061 fans.

The actual roster is up at the IronBirds website. It is pretty much like the one posted by Jordan, except Joel Polanco is listed as a catcher (not an outfielder), and Zach Moore is listed as an outfielder (not a catcher).

Andy Mitchell, a reliever, has been assigned to the IronBirds from Norfolk. I don’t know if this is a real assignment (demotion) or just a paper transaction.
1. Jordan June 18, 2010 at 12:04 am | Permalink
  
  I really think Tolliver can become a shutdown reliever, can’t wait to see what he can do with a larger sample size.