Winter Leagues

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Here's how they're doing. The Chief looks good! :thumbsup: R-Lo seems to be struggling. :( Jorge Julio seems to be doing well. :thumbsup:

11/19/2003 7:15 AM ET
Baltimore's boys of Winter
By Gary Washburn / MLB.com

BALTIMORE -- As the Orioles embark on improving themselves in 2004 with free-agent signings and trades, some key players have begun playing Winter League ball in South America and Mexico.
Orioles farm director Darrell "Doc" Rodgers said infielders Jose Morban and Ed Rogers and right-hander Denny Bautista will play in Winter League ball and all three could be starters for Triple-A Ottawa next season.

Closer Jorge Julio, who had an inconsistent 2003 season, is pitching for La Guaira Tiburones of the Venezuelan League, where he has three saves in six games. Julio has allowed just four hits in 23 batters faced.

Also playing in the Venezuelan League is right-hander Jacobo Sequea, who was acquired four years ago from Cincinnati in the Juan Guzman deal. Sequea split time between Double-A Bowie and Single-A Frederick last season. He is 0-0 with a 2.79 ERA in four starts.

Right-hander Rodrigo Lopez, who did not pitch last winter after a sparkling 15-9 season, is back with the Culiacan Tomato Growers. Lopez has made one start for the Growers, allowing five runs in five innings, including two home runs. Lopez, who is expected to be the No. 3 or No. 4 starter next season, was 7-10 with a 5.82 ERA in an injury plagued 2003 season.

Rafael Pina, who split time with Bowie and Ottawa last season, is 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA for Mexicali of the Mexican League. Catcher Geronimo Gil, who is expected to be a backup next season, is hitting .391 for Obregon with two homers and 11 RBIs. Gil has played 11 games at catcher, four in the outfield and one at first base.

The Orioles are expected to sign a frontline catcher in free agency and Gil, who spent most of last season in Ottawa, needs to improve his offensive production. He hit just .237 in 54 games and digressed after a solid rookie season.

In the Arizona Fall League, Orioles infield prospect Kris Wilken had an RBI single as the Mesa Solar Sox on the AFL title Saturday with a 7-2 win over the Mesa Desert Dogs. Wilken finished hitting .330.

Meanwhile, right-handed relievers Aaron Rakers was named to the AFL All-Prospect team. Rakers, who pitched last season for Triple-A Ottawa, was 5-0 with a 1.96 ERA in 13 appearances.

Gary Washburn is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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More on Kris Wilken and the AFL.

11/14/2003 2:13 PM ET
Wilken made splash in AFL
By Gary Washburn / MLB.com

BALTIMORE -- The Orioles have spent the past 18 months retooling their farm system with two fruitful drafts and trades for prospects. And after the Arizona Fall League, club officials found that the farm system is filled with uncovered gems.
Take infielder Kris Wilken, for instance. He entered the AFL as a utility player from Double-A Bowie and a medium prospect at best. The team's 12th-round selection in 2000, Wilken had just completed his fourth season in the minors and none of them had been especially impressive.

Entering the final days of the AFL, Wilken is fourth on the Mesa Solar Sox with a .330 average and has thrust himself in the good graces of club management. Wilken likely will enter Spring Training with a chance to start for Triple-A Ottawa.

"The most impressive performance has been Kris Wilken," farm director Doc Rodgers said. "He can handle the bat and the glove, not a game goes by where he doesn't do something with the bat."

With a slew of draft picks and acquisitions making an impact in the farm system the past two years, Wilken has been overlooked. Many of the drafts before the arrival of Rodgers and the GM duo of Mike Flanagan and Jim Beattie were considered failures because many of the first-round picks never panned out. But Wilken is in a group of solid minor leaguers who might have a shot at the Major League club in the next few years.

"We would probably call him an organizational player," Rodgers said. "One of those guys who can do everything, helps you out down the road, because of that versatility. We never put limits on players, on baseball we tend to limit guys, you determine how you become."

Meanwhile, right-hander Aaron Rakers has made quite an impression, going 5-0 with a 2.08 ERA in relief. Rakers just completed his fifth year in the system and is considered a late bloomer after having elbow troubles while in Single A. Rakers made his first appearance in Triple-A this season and was 2-1 with a 5.13 ERA in 21 outings, so it's likely he will start 2004 in Ottawa.

But Rakers will enter Spring Training as a dark horse to land a bullpen role.

"Aaron needs to continue to refine the things he needs to work on," Rodgers said. "He's got some work to do, but if he continues to work hard to be a Major League pitcher, he will accomplish his goals."

Meanwhile, right-hander Rodney Ormond has a 3.95 ERA in 11 relief appearances. Ormond is expected to be one of Ottawa's top relievers in 2004.

But the AFL also had its share of setbacks for the Orioles. Doug Gredvig was limited to just one at-bat before having surgery to repair a herniated disc. Gredvig, a legitimate power threat with 34 homers in the 2001 and '02 seasons, had just two last season. He is expected to be ready for Spring Training.

Catcher Eli Whiteside complained of elbow soreness in the first week of the AFL. An MRI showed tendinits but no structural damage, however, the organization decided to shut him down.

Rodgers said infielders Jose Morban and Ed Rogers and pitcher Denny Bautista will play in the Venezuelan Winter Leagues. Club officials are intrigued by Bautista, who was acquired in the Jeff Conine deal.

Gary Washburn is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.