A lot of people are wondering why the Orioles were so eager to get Kris Benson from the Mets. (Incidentally, even more may be wondering why the Mets were so eager to get failed closer Jorge Julio in return.) Benson’s not bad, but when he was selected first overall by the Pirates in 1996, it’s safe to assume they expected more than ‘not bad.’
Well, for those who haven’t noticed, the Orioles have a new pitching coach, a guy named Leo Mazzone. And if someobody can flip a switch with Benson and turn all that talent into consistent results, it’s Mazzone:
[Benson] throws in the low 90’s and works with both a slider and a curveball, an arsenal tailor-made for new pitching coach Leo Mazzone.
Give the Orioles credit: They’ve rejected every offer for potential stud SP Erik Bedard this winter and now they’ve added a dependable veteran to the front of the rotation. It’s up to Mazzone now. Don’t be surprised if Benson wins 17 games with a 3.40 ERA this year. Don’t be surprised if Bedard shows everyone why Baltimore refused to trade him. Don’t be surprised if Bruce Chen, who worked under Mazzone in Atlanta, and Rodrigo Lopez deliver career years.
With Mazzone guiding that pitching staff, the Orioles suddenly look like a sneaky dangerous team. B-12 Palmeiro is gone, Ramon Hernandez and Kevin Millar have been added, and Miguel Tejada is still around. And don’t underestimate the Corey Patterson addition. Despite the results with the Cubs, Patterson’s got a ton of talent and he’s still just 26. Hopefully Sam Perlozzo doesn’t make the same mistake Dusty Baker made and bat Patterson leadoff or second. Keep the pressure off by batting him sixth or seventh and see what happens.
But it all starts with the pitching. Kris Benson isn’t a superstar and this trade’s not going to profoundly affect the race in the AL East, but it’ll probably have more of an effect than most people think.
