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.

Young arms in Baltimore?

Baltimore owns a number of young guns that are set to make major impacts at the big league level. Brad Bergesen has already arrive. Chris Tillman and David Hernandez would appear to be next in line.

Tillman started the year with Norfolk of the International League, and he's dominating the competition through four starts. He's 2-0 through four starts with a 2.77 ERA. He's struck out 21 batters in 19 innings, but he needs to work on his command having walked nine batters.

Hernandez hasn't shown the same kind of success in certain areas: 1-1, 4.58 ERA in four starts, but in others he's excelled. Hernandez owns 32 strikeouts in 19.2 innings pitched.

Fantasy Impact: It's a bit early to expect the trio of Bergesen, Tillman and Hernandez throwing in the majors together soon. Bergesen is the obvious choice to pick up as he's already working for the Orioles, but Tillman and Hernandez certainly can't be that far away. The youngters are looking up at a terrible MLB rotation that is currently rounded out with Adam Eaton and Mark Hendrickson. Both have struggled badly. We suggest that you keep a close eye on Baltimore. If the O's continue to look like a last-place team, the cavalry may come in the form of both Tillman and Hernandez.

Bergesen strong in first start

Spitting Seeds' concerns regarding Orioles rookie starter Brad Bergesen waned a bit after seeing him pitch well Tuesday night for his first major league win. The 23-year-old commands incredible stuff, pitches that bend and dip violently on their way to home plate. Imagine whiffle balls darting and dodging White Sox bats and you get the picture.

Fantasy Impact: Bergesen worked into the sixth, going 5 2/3 innings and striking out four. He's not a strikeout pitcher, according to his minor league stats. He is, however, very poised on the mound as he worked through some difficult circumstances to beat Chicago, 10-3.

We'd recommend taking a flier on him. Actually, we believe a bit more in Baltimore's minor league pitcher of the year. We think Bergesen can stick in the majors. Add him to your pitching staff if you can, and reap the benefits of major league teams having never seen him before.

Bergesen debuts Monday night

Paul White of USA Today takes a look at prospects cracking the surface in MLB. Brad Bergesen makes his debut for the Orioles tonight against the White Sox. Bergesen, the Orioles minor league pitcher of the year, needs to be deceptive to get batters out.

Fantasy Impact: Bergesen went 15-6 with a 3.22 ERA in Double-A last year, but he only struck out 72 batters in 148 innings. He's an interesting prospect, but not necessarily a guy you'd expect to dominate in the big leagues.

Take a flier if you can, but this is fairly high risk-reward.