A Mind is a Terrible Thing

Brian's brain still hurts. Obviously, that sucks. The procession of lead-off hitters Buck has inserted in his place haven't exactly lit the world on fire. In fact, they haven't even lit a match. As evidenced last year, Brian's an important part of this team - maybe one of the most important parts. Having him missing from the top of the order for even a short period hurts us on both sides of the ball. Add in the fact that the Orioles don't have a true backup worth a damn for the second base position and your talking about a recipe for disaster.

Andino's done his best but a) he's not a lead off hitter and b) his natural position is shortstop. There have definitely been times were he's looked out of place - not Wiggy out of place, but out of place non the less (see Britton pickoff attempt). Ryan Adams set the minor league record for errors - can you really trust him? Though I would like to see him get some playing time just to find out what they have in him.

Ed Norris, baseball expert, loves to imply that Brob is "soft". He'd probably tell you he's never said that but when you ask the same question every morning, people are going to pick up on your implications. While I don't think Brain is soft, his recent injury history is more that a little concerning. It seems like ever since that ugly arm injury sustained while covering first base a few years ago, it's been one thing after another. And the most concerning thing for me is this latest concussion or whatever it is occurred without him actually hitting his head. I didn't even know that was possible. I watched the replay a couple of times and his head hits nothing but air. When you can get a concussion without taking a blow, you've got problems. I wonder if the guys in the locker room hold their breath when he walks by?

So, the ultimate question: Is Brian a reliable option at second base moving forward and do the Orioles need to address the position from a standpoint of organizational depth? I want to have faith in Brian and believe that he can get passed this latest injury and contribute for the rest of the season. However, if the Orioles took a second basemen in the first or second round of next years draft, or traded someone like Luke for a deal that included a promising two bagger at the double A level, I wouldn't blame them.

On a positive note, the O's bounced back from two embarrassing defeats and won the final two games of the Nats series. See, I can be positive.