Cal Ripken: ‘Lots of reasons to be optimistic’
Article By rfagan.tsn on 19th February, 2010
There is hope associated with Baltimore baseball this spring. The youngsters coming through the minor league system are starting to mature into major league-ready contributors, and the front office brought in a few veterans who appear to be perfect short-term fits. Mr. Oriole himself, Cal Ripken Jr., has noticed the improvement. He took a few minutes to chat about the Orioles -- and Topps' million-baseball card giveaway that he is promoting -- with Sporting News' Ryan Fagan.
'I think all of baseball is looking at the Orioles' arms,' Hall of Famer Cal Ripken says. Sporting News: What are your thoughts on this year's Orioles? They're generating a bit of buzz.
Cal Ripken: If you're an Orioles fan, there's lots of reasons to be optimistic about the coming season. They've assembled a lot of talent, young talent, in this rebuilding process. Adam Jones came into his own last year as a center fielder, a fabulous center fielder. (Nick) Markakis is a perennial All-Star out in right field. They've got (Miguel) Tejada coming back as a bridge at third base. Garrett Atkins, I thought, was a good pickup. Matt Wieters is a potential Joe Mauer in the making, and the guys they've got on the mound -- (Kevin) Millwood's coming in as a true ace to take a little pressure off them, and maybe provide some veteran leadership for these young arms. They've got guys who legitimately throw in the upper 90s, and it's a matter of them figuring out what to throw and when to throw it. If they do, they're going to be very competitive.
SN: Wieters has all the measureables and had a good rookie season, but what about him stands out to you?
CR: When you first look at him, he's calm and handles the pitching staff well. He's a big guy, and he has all the offensive skills that you get excited about out of that position. But he seems to be a smart catcher -- one that handles the pitching staff well, and one that you'd be glad to have grow with their young staff. When yo...
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'I think all of baseball is looking at the Orioles' arms,' Hall of Famer Cal Ripken says. Sporting News: What are your thoughts on this year's Orioles? They're generating a bit of buzz.
Cal Ripken: If you're an Orioles fan, there's lots of reasons to be optimistic about the coming season. They've assembled a lot of talent, young talent, in this rebuilding process. Adam Jones came into his own last year as a center fielder, a fabulous center fielder. (Nick) Markakis is a perennial All-Star out in right field. They've got (Miguel) Tejada coming back as a bridge at third base. Garrett Atkins, I thought, was a good pickup. Matt Wieters is a potential Joe Mauer in the making, and the guys they've got on the mound -- (Kevin) Millwood's coming in as a true ace to take a little pressure off them, and maybe provide some veteran leadership for these young arms. They've got guys who legitimately throw in the upper 90s, and it's a matter of them figuring out what to throw and when to throw it. If they do, they're going to be very competitive.
SN: Wieters has all the measureables and had a good rookie season, but what about him stands out to you?
CR: When you first look at him, he's calm and handles the pitching staff well. He's a big guy, and he has all the offensive skills that you get excited about out of that position. But he seems to be a smart catcher -- one that handles the pitching staff well, and one that you'd be glad to have grow with their young staff. When yo...
Read Complete Article at Latest Sporting News Articles for MLB
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