Regan Has Orioles in Order

SARASOTA, Fla. —  From his back pocket, Baltimore Orioles Manager Phil Regan pulled out a piece of white note pad, folded six or 600 times.

On this crumpled piece of paper, Regan had written the lineup for Thursday’s exhibition game against the Texas Rangers, the Orioles’ first of the spring. He said this order is not set in stone, but, really, it may not even have been in ink, because this particular order is subject to change.

Regan plans to try a lot of lineup combinations this spring, trying to find the perfect man for each spot.

-- Leadoff: Regan is looking for a guy with a knack for getting on base, someone who can steal a base, somebody adept at going from first to third on a single. “Someone who’s willing to take a pitch in certain situations,” Regan said.

Brady Anderson, the Orioles’ full-time leadoff man last year, wants his old job back. But Regan wants to explore rookie Curtis Goodwin’s potential here, and has spoken of moving Anderson down in the lineup to take advantage of his power and RBI potential.

-- No. 2: Foremost, Regan would like a left-handed hitter here, he said, because if the leadoff man gets on and he is held at first base, the batter has a huge hole to pull the ball through on the right-hand side.

“You’d like a guy who’s a good bunter,” Regan said. “A guy with speed, someone who will stay out of double plays, someone who can hit-and-run and make contact.

“Brady would be a good No. 2 hitter, although I don’t think he thinks he would be.”

Second baseman Bret Barberie, a spray hitter, is another good fit at No. 2, except he’s not much of a threat to steal, with 15 stolen bases in 1,168 major-league at-bats.

But by batting the switch-hitting Barberie second, Regan could discourage opposing managers from bringing in a left-hander to face the top of the order; he hit .319 against left-handers last year.

-- No. 3: Rafael Palmeiro. He’s a fixture here.

-- No. 4: Ditto Cal Ripken.

-- No. 5: Designated hitter Harold Baines hits here, protecting Ripken. Against some left-handers, Sherman Obando may start but move down in the lineup, with Chris Hoiles possibly hitting fifth.

-- Nos. 6 and 7: With the left-hand hitting Baines at No. 5, Regan likes the idea of batting a right-handed batter sixth -- likely Hoiles -- and a left-handed hitter seventh, perhaps Anderson. This way, the Orioles’ lineup will go left-right-left-right-left-right from the third spot to No. 8.

“It would be hard for other teams to make pitching changes against a lineup like that,” Regan said. “Usually, they like to bring in a left-hander or right-hander to face a couple of hitters in a row, but this would make it tougher to do that.”

-- No. 8: Regan said Leo Gomez is perfect here, in the second clean-up spot in the order.

-- No. 9: Damon Buford for now, Hammonds when he gets healthy. But Hammonds may get a look at the leadoff spot when he’s fully recovered and stealing bases.

Lots to consider, and opening day is two weeks away.