Draft prep: Baltimore Orioles outlook

The Orioles are coming off a rough season in which second-year manager Sam Perlozzo got his walking papers early. Dave Trembley took over at the helm and he'll lead a team with a ton of holes into the 2008 season. This team was average offensively, ranking 16th in runs scored, 23rd in homers and 12th in batting average.

Gone is former 150-RBI man Miguel Tejada, although his 100-RBI days are in the rearview mirror. Since exploding at the plate in his first year in Baltimore, Tejada has averaged about 93 RBI a season, and now he's in Houston. Luis Hernandez is the top candidate to replace him at short, but he's not going to be a player you'll want to target outside of AL-only Fantasy leagues as a middle infielder.

Nick Markakis leads this offense in just his third full season in the majors. He had solid production last season, but it was was his second half that once again has Fantasy owners excited going into spring. For the second summer in a row, "Kake" hit 14 homers, with a batting average north of .310, in the second half of the season. As the O's No. 3 hitter, he's expected to get knock runners in and get on base for the power hitters behind him -- even if he's more powerful than they are.

Aubrey Huff's first season in Baltimore was nothing to write home about. He's still just 31 years old, but he doesn't hit enough homers, knock in enough runs or hit for a high enough average anymore to warrant drafting in the middle rounds.

Luke Scott came over in the Tejada deal after a disappointing full season in Houston. He has proven to be a streaky hitter with decent pop, but not one to gamble on outside of AL-only play this spring.

Adam Jones is an immense 22-year-old talent with the potential to be a .290-25-100-100-20 man down the road. Consider him a sleeper in deeper leagues and a must-have in AL-only and long-term keeper formats. He came over from Seattle in the Erik Bedard deal. Along with Markakis and Scott, these three form a nice young outfield that will have Fantasy owners smiling sooner than later.

Brian Roberts continues to set the table with a nice mix of speed and on-base ability. He likely won't see 50 steals again this season, however, but as a second baseman, he's one of the top five players at his position in Fantasy.

On the mound, Erik Bedard Bedard was traded in early February to Seattle, further escalating his draft value. That leaves Jeremy Guthrie, Daniel Cabrera and Adam Loewen as their "top" rotation arms. Guthrie had a decent first season in the rotation and we expect similar results this year -- which makes him a late-round draft candidate in mixed formats.

The rest of this staff is better left for AL-only formats. Cabrera is still a wild mustang that has yet to be tamed (a major league-high 18 losses!?!), and Loewen is coming back from elbow surgery (not Tommy John).

Spring position battles

Closer -- Jamie Walker vs. George Sherrill

Sherrill proved to be one of the best left-handed relievers in the game a season ago. Walker pitched well late last season, but he's not a long-term answer. Mixed league owners should be able to do better than either of these guys, outside of the last few rounds.

First base -- Kevin Millar vs. Jay Gibbons

Gibbons is out for the first 15 games of the season for a substance abuse suspension, and he's still trying to come back from a shoulder injury. This job should be Millar's out of the gate, and while he's still able to hit 15 homers and maybe knock in 65 runs, he's merely keeping the position warm until a prospect develops or a trade bumps him out. Neither of these players should see playing time in mixed Fantasy leagues this season.

You can e-mail your Fantasy Baseball questions to dmfantasybaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Orioles outlook in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state.