Baltimore Orioles and the Curious Case of Jimmy Paredes

The Baltimore Orioles are going to face an interesting dilemma when they consider what to do with Jimmy Paredes at the end of Spring Training.

Last year, Paredes started on fire. In the first half of the season, he hit .299/.332/.475 with 10 HR, 12 2B, 39 RBI, 36 runs. He had 14 walks and 69 strike outs.

In the second half, he hit .216/.252/.265 with 0 HR, 5 2B, 3 RBIs, 10 runs. He had 5 walks and 42 strikeouts. That is a tremendous difference. This came after a fantastic spring, where Paredes hit the cover off the ball.

Then, there is the issue about his defense. It isn’t very good. In his career, Paredes has started 71 games at DH, 59 at 3B, 46 in RF, 11 at 2B and 1 in LF. The numbers aren’t good, the metrics aren’t good, and he hasn’t passed the eye test either.

He went to play Dominican Ball during the Winter, and his defense was reportedly much better. In his second game Wednesday in Spring Training, Paredes played third base and had three chances in the seventh inning, and he looked good on each of them.  His arm is definitely strong enough, although accuracy is a concern.

So, what can the team do with him? And, in turn how could it impact other positions?

One option is the backup to Manny Machado at 3B. However, can the team afford to have him as a reserve who can probably only play 3B, RF and LF, and how good he will be defensively being a concern? If so, that would mean he would have one reserve spot, with Caleb Joseph, Ryan Flaherty and an outfielder, likely Nolan Reimold as the other reserve.

More likely is that he is the starting DH, or splits DH with Mark Trumbo. Trumbo would then split the rest of his time in RF with likely Reimold. But, an issue with this is concerns over Reimold’s shoulder so far.

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Once again, although in a small sample size, Paredes has hit well to start off Spring Training. Now, the question will be whether the team has the ability to carry someone with defensive liabilities on a roster with few openings.

On a team that prides itself on defense, is it worth it to carry a player who is under team control until 2020 and is out of options for his bat?

We are about to find out.  <>