Orioles News, Notes, and Links

• The Orioles had their first workout of the spring today, pitchers and catchers. That alone makes it a pretty excellent afternoon, if you ask me.
• Steve Melewski at MASN writes about how RHP Chorye Spoone (25), who was one of the Orioles top pitching prospects before he had shoulder surgery in 2008, is finally getting healthy. He talked about how Spoone is "back on the Orioles radar", but that might be premature... he had a decent ERA  of 4.02 last year at Bowie (AA), but walked (79) almost as many battes as he struck out  (88), and posted a WHIP of 1.59 in 132 innings.
• Orioles LHP Zach Britton (23) was ranked 21st on the USA Today Daily Pitch's Countdown of the 100 Names You Need to Know, which "...looks at young players primed to make an impact during the upcoming big-league season.". According to the article:

"The Baltimore system is becoming a pitching pipeline that might soon challenge division rival Tampa Bay's. Britton, 23, is next in line and could be the best of the bunch. He's more about ground balls than strikeouts but has averaged less than a hit allowed per inning since he reached the full-season leagues in 2008 and has given up a homer only once per 20 innings since turning pro. Britton, 23, will start the season at Class AAA unless one of the other young Orioles starters falters this spring. But Britton's efficiency will get him to the majors sooner rather than later."

• Rory Paap at The Hardball Times writes about how the O's are still chasing a .500 season. It isn't a pretty read, if you're an Orioles fan... but it's hard to completely disagree with his assessment:

"...The Rays have not only competed but excelled by being highly intelligent. The Jays seem like they might be on their way. The Bombers and Sawx aren’t going anywhere. The Orioles? I don’t know. Maybe this is just baseball's example of the survival of the fittest. I just can’t help but think the O’s are a minnow in a pool of great whites, and if Bud Selig and Major League Baseball couldn’t do something, anything, to help them..."

• Earlier this week, the O's avoided arbitration with both Jeremy Guthrie and Luke Scott. Guthrie will earn $5.75MM, Scott will walk away with $6.4MM; each was a 1-year deal.
• Dan Connolly at the Baltimore Sun penned a piece on Saturday where he talks about stuff like the impact of Vlad Guerrero, the health of Brian Roberts, Buck Showalter's MOJO, how the rotation might shake out, and a half dozen other things... nicely done.
• Orioles President Andy MacPhail addressed a group of Baltimore School of Law students last week, and had a lot to say... including that he believes that the Ranger's 2001 acquisition of Alex Rodriguez was one of the worst free-agents signings ever (for some pretty good reasons, none related to Arod's quality of play, which was excellent), and that the Orioles would not be in the market for Albert Pujols services, should he become a free agent this off-season.