There's a lot of talk about the O's outfield - well, around here, anyway. Three, now possibly four young players who can slap leather, run to the ball, hit for average and some power. We're all aware that Adam Jones has fallen off a cliff since the All-Star Break and that Nick Markakis is having an off-year. But things still look bright. Or do they?

A sabermetric measurement might be in order. For example, Nolan Reimold ranks sixth in the AL in RC/9 among AL Left Fielders at 5.90. But who is ahead of him? Well the first three spots are taken by Jason Bay, Johnny Damon, and Carl Crawford, so despite the surprise emergence of a player who is growing into a fan favorite, the O's still rank only four out of five in their own division. And that's the guy having the best overall year.

Adam Jones is also 6th among CF with a 5.36 mark. That puts the club at #2 in the division, though, so if Jones could just hold that mark, he'd really help the club. Problem is, he hasn't had one decent WEEK since the break. He's not hitting for average OR for power - he's just not hitting, period. Is this an adjustment to his norm after a spectacular first half? Regression at the plate? Better scouting? My guess would be it's a combination of all three. Adam is still young, so there's hope that he's more 'first half Jones' than 'second half Jones' - but there's a real good chance he's somewhere in the middle. And that's okay - if that's where he plays. Remember where he was a season ago...this young man finished the season with a 4.22 RC/9 mark, so he's come a long way. Perhaps the first half just got everyone's hopes too high. An improvement of a FULL RUN over last season is darn good, after all.

Then there is the mystery man - Nick Markakis. After improving over the course of every season as an Oriole, he's taken a big step back this season, currently falling all the way to a 6.18 mark, good for - you guessed it - 6th in the AL. Again, he's ranked #2 in the division, as J.D. Drew ranks a half-run ahead of him. His issues are pretty clear - a small drop off in power accompanied by a huge drop off in walks. His secondary average is off a HUNDRED points from last season. He's walked only half as often as a year ago. Since he's not striking out a great deal more, there's an excellent chance that this is just an off year.

So Reimold gives the O's a solid if unspectacular player at a position where the division excels, and Jones and Markakis offer above-average performance potential at the other outfield spots despite various struggles in 2009. Throw in the recent surge by Felix Pie (cautiously, based on sample size), and the future does indeed look bright for the Orioles in the outfield.

Bring on 2010, and let's see what these guys can do.