It's never too early to start projecting what the Orioles' roster will look like come Opening Day on April 2. Granted, a lot can happen during spring training, especially this year, when camp will be nearly seven weeks long because of the WBC. But if the Orioles needed to set their 25-man roster at the start of camp, this is a pretty good guess of how it would shake out, barring injuries.

Starting Lineup (nine):
C Matt Wieters
1B Chris Davis
2B Brian Roberts
3B Manny Machado
SS J.J. Hardy
LF Nate McLouth
CF Adam Jones
RF Nick Markakis
DH Wilson Betemit

Bench (four):
IF Alexi Casilla
OF Nolan Reimold
C Taylor Teagarden
IF Danny Valencia

Starting Rotation (five):
RHP Jason Hammel
LHP Wei-Yin Chen
RHP Chris Tillman
RHP Miguel Gonzalez
RHP Jair Jurrjens

Bullpen (seven):
RHP Luis Ayala
RHP Tommy Hunter
LHP Brian Matusz
RHP Darren O'Day
LHP Troy Patton
RHP Pedro Strop
RHP Jim Johnson (closer)

A few of these spots, of course, will be contested during spring training and could ultimately go in a different direction. A newcomer, Valencia is no sure bet for a bench spot; challenging him will be Russ Canzler, Ryan Flaherty and Steve Pearce, among others. The fifth starter's job, too, is up for debate. Jurrjens wasn't officially an Oriole as of press time, and even if the team signs him, he could start in the minors if his velocity doesn't rebound during spring training, opening the door for the Orioles' young pitchers to duke it out.

A dark-horse candidate is left-handed pitcher T.J. McFarland, a Rule 5 pick from the Indians who must stay on the roster all year or else be offered back to Cleveland. It seems unlikely the O's will be able to make room for him, but then again, they managed to hold on to a Rule 5 guy all of last season (Flaherty). So if McFarland dazzles during camp, the O's may decide he's worth the roster spot.

Left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada, a five-year veteran of Japan whom the O's signed before 2012, may get to make his Orioles debut this season. But he likely won't be ready to pitch until a month or two after the season begins, having undergone Tommy John surgery last May.

Issue 182: February 2013