Friday, February 12, 2010

Bergesen's bum shoulder

The Orioles will slow the start of spring training for second-year pitcher Brad Bergesen after Bergesen injured his throwing shoulder in an offseason team commercial.
Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said he is not overly concerned about the setback.

"He did too much too soon, which isn't terribly uncommon. And we expect he'll be ready by Opening Day, maybe be a week or so behind in spring training," he said. "So it wasn't something totally alarming to us, if it works out as we anticipate it will."

MacPhail added, however, that the club will monitor such commercial shoots more closely in the future.

"We have already made some adjustments in terms of making sure we have medical personnel or baseball personnel present for anything we do in the future."
Great idea.

Fantasy Impact: Bergesen was slated anywhere from Baltimore's third to fifth starter. He's more polished than youngsters Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman, but he's not as physically gifted. He doesn't have as much experience as Kevin Millwood and Jeremy Guthrie, but he had more success in limited action last year. Bergesen's 7-5 record and 3.43 record with just 65 strikeouts in 123 1/3 innings speaks to his ability to pitch. He'll need to be monitored through the spring, but he could emerge as a decent fantasy option if he bounces back from the shoulder injury and the Orioles provide him runs.