"Britton still dealing with issues from shoulder strain"

[Jordan Tuwiner]

http://brittghiroli.mlblogs.com/2012/02 ... is-spring/

Orioles pitcher Zach Britton is still dealing with lingering issues stemming from a left shoulder strain that landed him on the disabled list in August and, according to MLB.com analyst Jim Duquette, the 24-year-old will be limited to start Spring Training.

Duquette tweeted the news early Wednesday morning.

Looks like we could be looking at a rotation of Wada, Chen, Hunter, Arrieta, Hammel now.

[Matt P]

Jim Duquette is on 105.7 right now talking about it.

[ofahn]

This is why you can never have enough pitching.

[TuckerBlair89]

Is it bad that I expect something like this to happen every year?

Granted, I don't know how bad the injury is, but it seems like the orioles have the absolute worst luck.

[birdwatcher55]

Let's hope Wada and Chen are MLB-worthy because we seem to banking a lot on two guys who have never thrown a pitch here. That said, I'm hoping and praying Matusz returns to form.

[Zach]

Lets hope this injury doesn't derail him like what happened to Bergy last year...

[A_K]

I've set my expectations that the starting rotation to start the season will be Chen-Hammel-Hunter-Wada-Eveland. Any other configuration will be a pleasant surprise.

[osforlife]

Wow, we have the worst luck. At least we have enough depth to not rush him back. Make sure he is completely healthy, let him start at AAA, and make him push his way into the ML rotation.
ML Rotation: Chen, Wada, Hunter, Hammel, Arrieta
ML Bullpen: Johnson, Lindstrom, Strop, Simon, Ayala, Gregg, O'Day, Eveland/Patton
AAA Rotation: Matusz, Britton, Tillman, Bergy, Gallaraga

[ofahn]

I'm not trying to be critical, but I'm confused by the majority sentiment that this is some sort of disaster that we hope we can recover from. MANY teams go through this type of challenge each year. Particularly with young pitchers.

I wonder if this set back is being taken so seriously because we have so little young pitching talent in our upper minors which makes ANY potential loss critical. If that's the case then we can focus squarely on a "development process" that has been nothing short of a disaster for over ten years. LEGITIMATE teams have at least four ML starters and a couple of solid prospects at AAA that could either fill the fifth spot or be on call if a problem arises. We haven't had that luxury in FIFTEEN YEARS.

Young pitching has always had a high mortality rate. It's not unusual for at least one of every two "can't miss" pitching prospects to miss. That's why winning teams gather as much pitching as possible and then try to develop the most effective players they can from it. Even the Yankees, with more money than Warren Buffet, are unwilling to trade their best young pitching; and even traded their best hitting prospect for it.

IMO DD brought in a lot of potential starters this year to allow his young pitchers to have some time to develop at AAA. I think he also knew that not all of them would be ready to be effective ML starters this year. Whether you disagree with that approach or not it is difficult to argue that he wasn't prepared for something like this to happen. That is definitely a new approach for this organization.

[DougDE]

My concern is that this apparently originally happened in August, and its now 6 months later and 4 months since the shoulder should have been under minimal to no strain. A minor injury seems like it should be long gone. THrow in Arrietta's "minor" surgery, and whatever went on with Matusz, and there's reason to fret about what always seems to be happening to our prospects

[Matt P]

This is why you acquire depth in the off season. The only problem for the O's is that's the only thing they acquired this off season.

[Ampontan]

Let's hope Wada and Chen are MLB-worthy because we seem to banking a lot on two guys who have never thrown a pitch here.

They were, however, the opposing starting pitchers in Game One of the Japan Series last fall. In other words, the aces of the best team in each league. What happens in the US, we'll have to see, but they're not exactly chopped liver, either.

[birdwatcher55]

Wow, we have the worst luck. At least we have enough depth to not rush him back. Make sure he is completely healthy, let him start at AAA, and make him push his way into the ML rotation.
ML Rotation: Chen, Wada, Hunter, Hammel, Arrieta
ML Bullpen: Johnson, Lindstrom, Strop, Simon, Ayala, Gregg, O'Day, Eveland/Patton
AAA Rotation: Matusz, Britton, Tillman, Bergy, Gallaraga

My understanding is Arrieta is ticketed for Norfolk as well

[birdwatcher55]

Let's hope Wada and Chen are MLB-worthy because we seem to banking a lot on two guys who have never thrown a pitch here.

They were, however, the opposing starting pitchers in Game One of the Japan Series last fall. In other words, the aces of the best team in each league. What happens in the US, we'll have to see, but they're not exactly chopped liver, either.

I'm not saying they're "chopped liver" but by the same token they haven't pitched in the AL East yet. The jury is still very much out on them in my opinion

[osforlife]

Wow, we have the worst luck. At least we have enough depth to not rush him back. Make sure he is completely healthy, let him start at AAA, and make him push his way into the ML rotation.
ML Rotation: Chen, Wada, Hunter, Hammel, Arrieta
ML Bullpen: Johnson, Lindstrom, Strop, Simon, Ayala, Gregg, O'Day, Eveland/Patton
AAA Rotation: Matusz, Britton, Tillman, Bergy, Gallaraga

My understanding is Arrieta is ticketed for Norfolk as well

With Britton in Norfolk(which im not saying he defintily is going to) the only other legit rotation candidate to go against Arrieta would be Eveland. DD might want the rotation to come down to all young pitchers except Hunter at Norfolk but i have a gut feeling Arrieta is going to make it.