Question: Is it possible that the signing of Pete Alonso may be the most important acquisition since Frank Robinson? From: Al Spoler
Answer: Al, according to David Rubenstein, it may be. At Friday’s news conference, he inferred that Alonso may be as important as Robinson, but I’d say hang on and let’s see what happens this year.
Alonso is a great power hitter and will be an important addition to the lineup, but I can’t compare him to Frank Robinson.
Robinson was one of the greatest players in baseball history and he was a team leader. The Orioles need a player like that, and hopefully Alonso will be that.
In Robinson’s six seasons in Baltimore, the Orioles played in four World Series, winning two.
Let’s see how Alonso’s first few seasons with the Orioles go and then we can see if the acquisitions are comparable.
Question: Interested in your opinion/guess on our top four outfielders and whether Dylan Beavers will be one? I was impressed with him, especially his walks, since I think launch angle was brought to us from the devil. From: Dan Hornbaker
Answer: Dan, for the moment, I would guess that the Orioles top four outfielders will be Colton Cowser, Taylor Ward, Tyler O’Neill and Dylan Beavers. The guess here is that they will carry five outfielders, and if everyone is healthy, Leody Taveras might be the fifth outfielder.
However, there are still nearly two months left before spring training, and the Orioles could sign or trade for another outfielder.
I think that Beavers played well enough to start next season. His on-base percentage, thanks to 26 walks in 35 games, was .375, and that’s a real positive.
Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.