The Rundown: '08 MLB Draft, Road Jersey Issue and More...

Erstwhile Sun blogger Roch Kubatko previews the 2008 MLB Draft for the Baltimore Orioles in today's Sun. Up until a few years ago, I never paid that much attention to it; however, considering the rising salaries in the game, the success of the Diamondbacks, Brewers, Rays, Marlins and other teams, the draft has become vital. The Orioles have a lot of holes, and honestly I think the need a college guy ready ready to make an impact soon (I would like us to get Justin Smoak -- a potential plus bat), but Roch's pieces chronicles what the club is looking for in what could be a very important day when it comes to the franchise for the next few years.

Speaking of the draft, Dan Connolly of the Sun has a great post on his blog about the Orioles' starting rotation in 2010; the Examiner has a piece about the '08 draft; the Orioles love the way Daniel Cabrera has been progressing; Luis Hernandez was DFA'ed and should held back to Norfolk, thus, the team is hoping he makes it back and regains his form; SC of Camden Chat is simply impressed with the job Liz did on Tuesday night as is Ben from Oriole Central; Camden Depot is doing an awesome job chronicling all the players that the Orioles can go after in the '08 Draft; and the Roar from 34 has a note on a unique promotion the Twins are having...

The whole Orioles road jersey has gotten a lot press over the past few years, and recently the Baltimore Sun reported that 'Baltimore" will be returning to them in 2009. It seems that some people are indifferent to it; however, the move has made a large oprtion of the fan base happy and Stan Charles of Pressbox asserts in a way the franchise has taken baby steps to start reconnecting with fans.

Personally, I think this is why the affair might have been done. The Orioles have become relatively insignificant when it comes to the mid-Atlantic sports scene and based on the attendance, it's very much true. Fans may still care, but the bottom line is that they are not spending the money on the Orioles, and perhaps with this tiny move, it might change somewhat.

Meanwhile, Amber Theoharis believes Jeremy Guthrie is getting screwed when it comes to run support, and honestly the hurler should be 5-3, or 4-4 rather than 2-6.

Craig Heist notes that the always intense Jay Payton is adjusting to his role as a platoon outfielder rather than a starter, which in this point is his career is probably what may suit him well as he'll have a hard time trying to find full-time work considering teams are handing jobs to younger players.

Allen McCallum believes that Nick Markakis should already have a long-term deal in place, and in some respect I agree with that thought. However, I'd like to see perhaps another year or more of sustained growth before I would give Nick an eight-figure deal. I know the trend these days (such as in the case of Ryan Braun, Evan Longoria, or Troy Tulowitzki) is to sign your players young to buy out their arbitration and free agent years, but people also forget that clubs are not obligated to do so. There's a reason why teams don't do it as often as we'd like -- the assumption of risk. If one of these guys fails to live up to his promise, or gets injured -- the smaller markets get screwed. There's a precarious line you have to cross, and teams have to be careful before engaging in this practice.