Can Nolan Reimold be the right-handed cleanup hitter the Orioles are looking for?
— Scott R., Schenectady, N.Y. Can he be? Sure, the early indications show that Reimold has enough patience and power to hit in the middle of a big league lineup, and with a little growth and development, he could be a true difference-maker. But that’s the best-case scenario, and Reimold still has quite a bit of work to do to avoid a sophomore slump and become a consistent big league hitter. Reimold, a former second-round draftee, had some nagging injury concerns in the Minor Leagues and spent two seasons pasting lower-level pitching. Reimold then had an injury-plagued season at Double-A Bowie in 2007 and a healthy year in ’08, when he reestablished himself as a prospect — a campaign that put him on the fast track to the big leagues. And then, as fate would have it, Reimold had a major bust-out year while dealing with an injury to his left Achilles’ tendon. The 26-year-old batted .394 with nine home runs during the opening month at Triple-A Norfolk and never really stopped hitting whe
