Ramon Hernandez

The Orioles batted Ramon Hernandez 9th on Opening Day.

He went 3-3 with 2 RBI.

Unlike Johjima whose performance may be legit, Hernandez's great Opening Day will not stand.

First off, Hernandez has had a hard time staying healthy for the past couple seasons. As a catcher, that is not likely to change.

So off the top, he can only be expected to get 400 or so plate appearances. This before the likelihood of Javy Lopez getting 40 or so starts behind the plate.

With the O's carrying so many OF/1B/DH types, Hernandez can't be expected to see time at DH when he isn't catching either.

Equally important is batting 9th. If that continues, then his RBI totals with drop to the into the 40-50 level.

If those conditions hold, I expected him to hit 15 HR and drive in 45 runs. It is worth $8 for a catcher, but I expect his good Opening Day, along with his reputation, to carry him upwards towards the $20 mark.

While I would get a little excited in bidding on Kenji Johjima, Ramon Hernandez will be left for another team to be disaapointed with.