2015 MLB Preview With Bill Ripken
Former Baltimore Oriole and MLB Network analyst Bill Ripken joined the Scott Garceau Show with Jeremy Conn to preview the O's 2015 season with Opening Day right around the corner. Bill will be joining Scott and Jeremy every Wednesday to give his thoughts on what is going on with the Orioles and in the MLB. Baltimore starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez has been a hot button topic with Orioles fans as of late with over 30 million dollars still owed to him over his contract. Bill gives his thoughts on how Jimenez has wrapped up his Spring. "You better do what you're supposed to do because in this day and age we are going to find someone else. You might be the long man and we might have to pay some of that salary for a while, but you aren't going to start for us. So his last two outing have been exactly what he's needed to do to maybe make some decisions to go on."
Orioles Gold Glove short stop J.J. Hardy will miss some time early in the season due to a shoulder injury suffered late in spring training. Bill talked about how his absence could impact the O's. "You don't know about that shoulder on J.J. Hardy. We all assume that it's going to be fine and that it's a two week thing and he comes on back. But what that does is it opens up the door someone to snatch some more playing time and it opens that door for the second utility job."
Chris Tillman gets the start on Opening Day and looks to once again be the ace of the Orioles rotation. Bill likes what Tillman brings to the mound. "I'm pretty thrilled with Tillman. I watched him pitch live last year, he went up against Cincinnati and (Mike) Leake. Both of them were throwing 92 on the gun. Leake' balls were getting hit all over the place and hard, and Tillman with that something he has, James Alvin Palmer like high ride on his fastball. It's a two stage fastball that must shift gears halfway to home plate. Fastbal hitters swing and miss a 92 mph fastball out of that guy, and that guy is starting to become, in my mind a legitimate number one. And he is definitely the horse of that staff."
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