When I first heard about the Ramon Hernandez trade back in early December, I was floored.  Not because of the package coming back to the Orioles, but because I honestly didn’t think Ramon could ever be traded.  He was getting old, he had an attitude problem (and I’m sure Cincinnati is the cure for that), and he was getting paid a lot.  Then when I examined the players we got back, it sort of cooled me on the deal a little.  Don’t get me wrong: I’m real happy with the trade, but these are “organizational” guys more than real prospects.  All the same, I figure it’s a good idea to get know them.

There’s honestly not much to say about Brandon Waring (left). He’s a corner infielder who has shown himself to be rather one-dimensional: he hits for a lot of power (40 homers in 188 games between rookie and A ball). He strikes out a ton, he doesn’t walk much, and his defense is nothing to write home about. The Orioles are gambling that they can get him to cut down on his long swing and become a better all-around player, but I don’t buy it. He himself has acknowledged that he tends to try just to hit long balls, and if he knows it and isn’t fixing it, that’s a big problem. So he can take over the minor league home run crown from Crash Davis, but he won’t make it to Baltimore.

Justin Turner (right) is the de facto centerpiece of the Hernandez trade. He’s done okay for himself in his career (last year he reached base at a .359 rate at AA, which isn’t too shabby). The second baseman is a slap-type hitter who hasn’t ever shown much power, and seeing as he’s 24 this year he probably never will. He’s a gritty type of player who impresses with his work ethic more than any particular thing he does well. He’ll probably settle into a useful bench role in the majors ala Chris Gomez – especially what with Brian Roberts blocking him. He’ll join the Baysox or the Tides to start the year, but I’d look for him competing for the reserve infielder position next Spring.