Chris George, swingman

Has he established himself as a useful AAA veteran?

Superficially and on the surface, yes — he was re-signed by Orioles in the offseason, presumably to fill the same role as he has in 2010-11, and his base numbers in 2010 and 2011 are very similar — 5-7, 4.20 in 124 innings in 2010; 7-5, 4.27 in 131 innings in 2011. But, in reality, he was much worse in 2011. His hits allowed rate jumped from 9.3 to 9.9; his walk rate jumped from 2.6 to 3.9, and (most important) his strikeout rate plummeted from 7.3 to 5.0.  All of his 2011 numbers are closer to his career marks than in 2010 numbers.

I guess it depends on what you mean by “useful AAA veteran.” It seems clear that he’s willing to work in whatever capacity he’s needed, and he’s so clearly a non-prospect that it doesn’t matter if you destroy his arm. For an organization like the Orioles, who are at this point just trying to get their AAA team through the season, he’s perfect.