Baltimore Orioles: Team Depth and Addition of J.P. Arencibia

Sep 12, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers designated hitter J.P. Arencibia (7) rounds first base on his way to second with a double in the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Rangers won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

In the era of Dan Duquette, the Baltimore Orioles seem to be the ultimate franchise that is constantly searching for and building team depth. It is not simply a matter of local observation; it is something that is frequently noted and discussed by national baseball writers.

An example of this perception is the recent report about Buck Showalter’s meeting with potential free agent signee Colby Rasmus – noting that a part of the talk was to give this player a sense of the Orioles’ philosophy of not just using and building around a 25-man roster… that for the Orioles, it is a 30- or 35-man intentional roster.

That sort of team depth really paid off in 2014 with the roles played by such as Steve Pearce, Caleb Joseph, Brad Brach, TJ McFarland and a few others to a lesser extent. And it makes sense to build depth and backup plans to have a built-in margin for unexpected contingencies.

This takes a lot of work and daily commitment to a process. It requires a great deal of maneuvering of rosters and contracts. I don’t know if other teams are simply not willing to do this or just not as interested, but the fact simply is that practically nobody does it as much.

After sitting down with the intent of writing on this very theme today, in the last hour Dan Duquette has given me an illustration – by coming to an agreement with J.P. Arencibia on a minor league deal with spring training invite …

What? You thought the Orioles already had enough catching depth? They only have five on the 40-man roster right now!  (That’s a joke.)  Of course, by the time this article is published and a few more hours go by, you may have heard that Steve Clevenger or another catcher has been released to make room for the addition of Delmon Young.

All of these “deep depth” moves routinely bring out a level of frustration from Orioles fans. It is difficult to quantify or describe succinctly, but it seems to many that if the O’s spent less time collecting endless marginal players to see who could catch fire for a short window of time, but rather focused on a few high quality, proven players, they would be better off in the long run. It might be a bit like saying, “Paint a quality piece of fine art, don’t just throw paint all over the canvas to see what sticks and then hope it creates a masterpiece.”

The Orioles simply cannot this year be extremely active to the top tier of free agents – not with the host of 11 arbitration-eligible players and others on the payroll. Next year might be quite different. And at the same time, these sorts of deals around the edges do not take that much in the way of resources. And yet again, the 2014 season can be pointed to as a success of finding marginal players that made all the difference.

But it is maddening to fans. Followers of the team would like to know (even months ahead) what the roster and lineup is going to look like. Fans want to start mentally preparing and embracing the players who will be the stars of 2015.

Just think through the components of the team. There are currently six starters for five rotation positions. One seems destined for the bullpen, but there is no room out there. Already there are too many lefties and total number of arms to vie for just a couple of spaces. While yet wanting another corner outfielder, there already exists more than can be carried. And what is to be done about all of these catchers?

We often hear from club officials – who are not at all opposed to setting up competition for roster spots – that these things have a way of sorting themselves out. And that is more than political speak. Players do get hurt in the modern game – quite a lot, in fact. And as a master craftsman, Showalter is at his best when he can dig deeply into the tool box for specialized tools to use in unique situations.

A Look at J.P. Arencibia

Orioles fans are most familiar with him from his years with the Blue Jays, though he played in Texas in 2014. If you did not check the Connolly tweet above, go to it to look at the comments following it. You’ll see quite a few that talk about another Rangers player coming to Baltimore – some of the remarks are very humorous.

The 29-year-old Arencibia is a former first-round pick, though his low career average of .207 will not excite you, nor will the fact that he has struck out in 28.6% of his career plate appearances.

But he is a power hitter with a career .304 average with 18 RBIs at Camden Yards in 20 games. Four of his 74 career home runs have been hit there, along with a total of six against the Orioles.

He is seen as at least an average-to-better-than-average defender …

"From a defensive standpoint, Arencibia has prevented base stealing at a roughly league-average clip throughout his career (26 percent). He’s also typically graded out as a plus pitch-framer, according to both Baseball Prospectus and Matthew Carruth’s Framing Report at StatCorner.com.  More from Baltimore OriolesWhat other Baltimore Orioles Offseason Storylines will you be interested in seeing?Baltimore Orioles to Face Numerous Playoff Contenders Down the StretchBaltimore Orioles Showing Encouraging Signs During Recent WinsThe Baltimore Orioles and the Expanded September RosterOrioles Josh Rogers Expectations in his Major League Debut"

Arencibia is also able to play first base, so that adds to his value to the Orioles as well. So, I thank Duquette for giving me a timely illustration for my article theme. Arencibia is not likely to be a difference-maker, but it costs little to throw him into the soup.