FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- It's right there beyond his grasp. Orioles manager Dave Trembley was recently asked how he'd describe the sensation of waiting for his next wave of pitching prospects, a bountiful group that includes three highly touted prospects acquired through the Draft and via trades.

And Trembley, bargain shopper that he is, produced an apt comparison. The veteran manager said that waiting for Brian Matusz, Jake Arrieta and Chris Tillman to arrive in the big leagues is like putting something treasured on layaway, knowing that it will be yours eventually but feeling the temptation to have it now.

Spotlight on the Orioles An up-close look at the club as we approach Opening Day News and Features • No rush with arms • Trembley Q&A • Org. preview • Prospects to watch • Quick hits Multimedia • Wieters • Scott • Trembley • Roberts • Markakis • Guthrie

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"It's kind of like going in the store and knowing you can't have that, you can't touch it. It's out of your price range right now, but it's certainly awfully good to dream about," Trembley said with a chuckle. "It really gives you a lot of [hope] for what the future holds here, and I mean that very sincerely. I don't mean to downplay that.

"I know that card's been played around here a lot, but I think for you guys who have been following the club as long as you have, we're starting to gather a legitimate surplus of quality young arms here."

Indeed, the acclaim for Baltimore's next crop of prospects is coming from all quarters, and Trembley has had to stifle himself from feeding them too much experience too fast. The Orioles have decided that they don't want to force any of their prized arms before they're ready, a lesson learned all too recently at the big league level.

Baltimore has certainly had highly rated prospects before. Just three seasons ago, it appeared that Erik Bedard, Daniel Cabrera and Adam Loewen would form the nucleus of future staffs. But all three have since moved on to other organizations, and Radhames Liz and Garrett Olson flopped in their first exposure to the Majors.

Now, the hope of future rotations seems to be pinned on this group of prospects. The Orioles will be closely monitoring their development all season and thinking of brighter days to come. And sticking with the analogies, Andy MacPhail, Baltimore's president of baseball operations, is preaching patience.

"I would liken it to being on a diet and having a big piece of key lime pie in the corner that you know you shouldn't touch until you get your weight in line," MacPhail said. "Maybe there's a nice piece of fruit that isn't ripe yet. You've got to be patient and let it ripen on the vine. Or you could make the analogy that it's a fine bottle of wine that just needs to age to get the most out of it. Whatever your analogy, the point is that patience is the operative word."

The Orioles have only two rotation slots decided for this year, those being the perches occupied by staff ace Jeremy Guthrie and Japanese free agent Koji Uehara. The other three are up for grabs and will likely be filled by a combination of veterans who will be easily dislodged once the system's top arms are ready.

The lone exception appears to be Brad Bergesen, who was named Baltimore's Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2008 after a strong showing at Double-A Bowie. Bergesen may have a shot at an Opening Day job, but with the prized trio -- and with Troy Patton, David Hernandez and others -- the Orioles are vowing to take their time.

"They're going to the Minor Leagues," said pitching coach Rick Kranitz. "You can see the progression and you'll see them pitch in the Minors. There are certain criteria they'll have to reach there in order to pitch in the Majors. It's not easy. They have to be tested a little bit, and especially with their first long year. Tillman threw 140-something innings last year, but that's just three-quarters of a season in the big leagues. That's not a full season."

And Tillman, who was acquired in the trade that sent Bedard to Seattle, is the closest of the trio to reaching the Majors. The right-hander went 11-4 with a 3.18 ERA for Bowie last season despite being one of the youngest pitchers in the league. And now, at age 20, he'll be a hot half-season away from the Majors.

Things are a little less settled with Arrieta and Matusz -- despite the fact that they're older and have fared well against college hitters. Arrieta, for instance, spent all of last season pitching for Class A Frederick. And Matusz, the fourth overall pick in last June's First-Year Player Draft, has yet to pitch in a full-season professional league.

Both pitchers will likely end up spending the bulk of the season at Bowie, and they're unlikely to reach the Majors until 2010 at the earliest. And if you ask MacPhail, that's just a prudent way to do business.

"I think we have a responsibility to them to introduce them at a time when they have a reasonable chance to succeed," MacPhail said. "And I think you just need to let them develop those innings that they're going to need to be successful. You have to be patient and you just have to watch their progress.

"That's why they call them prospects. There are no sure things, and particularly with pitching. There's an attrition rate that accompanies pitchers, and if you count on 100 percent, you can be disappointed just by the nature of pitching. There have been a lot of good prospects that haven't had the career that was projected."

Matusz, Arrieta and Tillman have starred thus far throughout the early exhibition games, combining to pitch 9 2/3 innings while allowing just one run with nine strikeouts. But that won't change the long-term plan, and nobody knows that better than Kranitz.

"I think we're comfortable with it," Kranitz said of the organizational philosophy. "[We need to] forget about them for a little while -- let them grow, let them get their confidence and let them get their feet wet at the Minor League level.

"It's not graduation. You've got to perform. It's not about, 'Well, this guy didn't do it, so this guy's next in line.' That's not how it should be. You're not going to be just given a job. Last year, it was out of necessity that some guys got a chance to pitch in the big leagues. You've got to earn the right here, and when you get here, you learn that."