Baltimore Orioles Roster – 10 Items for the Next 10 Days

Mar 15, 2014; Sarasota, FL, USA;Baltimore Orioles right fielder Nelson Cruz (23) looks up after he was out at first base during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Ed Smith Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Who will get the most starts as the Orioles designated hitter in 2014?

This won’t take long to answer. Nelson Cruz, of course.

Showalter has spoken of playing him in left field against lefties – in place of David Lough. This would put Reimold or Pearce in the lineup as DH.

Certainly Cruz would be a better defender than Pearce, though I would think Reimold is the better option in LF than Nellie – as they call Cruz.

But there would seem to be no possibility of anyone DH-ing more than Cruz. And Showalter has already indicated in spring lineups that Cruz is likely to bat in the fifth spot in the order.

Here at The Baltimore Wire we are going to track DH stats and other positional stats – especially in LF and 2B – as compared to 2013 to see how much of an upgrade has been accomplished over 2013.