Last offseason I attempted to maintain an organizational depth chart that would be updated weekly.  While I did not always stick to the weekly updates, I think it was moderately successful.  Of course once the regular season started the Depth Chart laid dormant (as did most of the content on the site).  It is just too difficult to keep up with during the season and besides, most of its value is lost during the season.  I think most of us have a pretty good idea of who is knocking on the door in AAA in June.  The Depth Chart’s real value comes before the season where we can see where there are organizational holes.

I am therefore going to try out a new and (hopefully) attainable format for handling roster discussions.

1.  40-man Roster Tracking (October – Start of ST):  Later today I will be posting a spreadsheet that lists the current 40-man roster plus players on the 60-day DL.  It will be used to track 40-man roster moves, identify non-tender candidates before the December 2nd tender deadline, and provide a general idea of what the Birds’ major league roster looks like as we progress through the offseason.

2.  Organizational Depth Chart (Spring Training):  Same as last season, we will update an organizational depth chart throughout Spring Training to identify exactly where certain players fit within the Orioles organization.   The goal is to update one per week at the minimum and the chart will include the projected major league depth chart and projected rosters for the four full-season minor league clubs.  This exercise will begin with the start of Spring Training because it is fruitless to do it any earlier when players are still being signed regularly.  Once the season starts, the chart not only becomes unrealistic for me to maintain but also is a tad less valuable I believe.

3.  Bi-Weekly Stock Picks (Regular Season):  We did a few ‘Stock Pick’ posts this season where we took a player from each full-season club whose stock had risen and five whose stock had fallen.  I think the concept works – it gives a snap shot of the significant guys on the rise or on the fall without the burden of updating a full chart – but as sometimes happens with me, it got too wordy and long.  The plan is to do a truncated version this season with a format that includes the player’s name, a link to his Baseball Reference statistics page, and a four sentence write up of why their stock is on the rise or on the fall.