How to Take the 2009 Orioles

Depending on how you look at the current state of the Baltimore Orioles, two vastly different conclusions come to mind.On one hand, the Orioles’ minor league system is in better shape than it has been in over 20 years, consistently ranking in the top 10 according to various publications. Along with catching sensation Matt Wieters, who is expected to be promoted to the big leagues in the early weeks of the 2009 season, the Orioles boast three of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball. Brian Matusz (2008 first-round pick), Jake Arrieta (2007 fifth-round pick), and Chris Tillman (acquired from the Seattle Mariners in last winter’s Erik Bedard trade) provide a rock-solid foundation upon which the Orioles hope to rebuild their woeful pitching of the past decade. In addition to these three, other top pitching prospects include Brad Bergesen, David Hernandez, Brandon Erbe, Zach Britton, Chorye Spoone, and Troy Patton. Unlike past pitching prospects such as Rocky Coppinger, Sidn...