Baltimore Orioles

After a tremedous start last year Baltimore slumped big time in the second half and finished fourth in the East with a 74-88 record after some thought they might oust Boston or New York from a playoff spot.

Pitching

Erik Bedard, Bruce Chen, Daniel Cabrera and Rodrigo Lopez can all be summed up as solid starters. Over the course of a season they’ll all end up with OK numbers but nothing special. Of course the addition of Leo Mazzone to the coaching staff could well have an impact on some of these guys, particularly Bedard.

There are a few wild cards in the mix for the rotation number one being Kris Benson who was acquired in a trade with the Mets after never really being as good as they hoped he would be in Pittsburgh. He locates his fastball well and has a very good curve which are exactly the sort of things that Mazzone knows how to utilise.

The other bonuses for the O’s could be youngsters Hayden Penn and Adam Loewen who might not quite be ready for the big time but should factor in at some point this year. Loewen in particular impressed during the recent WBC.

The pen is a bit of a mystery with the departure of BJ Ryan. LaTroy Hawkins and Todd Williams are the only guys who have logged serious time in the Majors but both have proven in that time that they are better suited to set-up roles. Chris Ray could assume the role in his first full year after a promising spell towards the end of last season.

Defence

Melvin Mora, Miguel Tajada and Brian Roberts are as good as it gets on the infield and should make people forget that its only Kevin Millar at first. I have been amazed how Tejada has been overlooked for the Gold Glove the last two seasons (well I don’t know how a few guys got overlooked in place of Jeter).

Corey Patterson has been much maligned in his Major League career up to this point but that has had nothing to do with his defence where he covers an impressive amount of ground similarly Luis Matos and whoever starts in centre gives the team plus defence.

Jay Gibbons is forgettable in the outfield which isn’t as bad as it might seem because we all remember the guys who make the mistakes as much as we do the ones on the highlight reels.
Ramon Hernandez and Javy Lopez are very similar defensively as both have strong arms and average to below average mechanics but Hernandez will likely get the majority of starts here due to his play calling and his general ability to handle pitchers.

Offence

Mora, Tejada and Roberts are guys you can build an order around. Roberts won the batting crown last year and he has emerged over the last two years as one of the best lead-off men in the AL.

I don’t know how anyone can dispute Tejada as the best shortstop in baseball and its testament to his ability that a .304, 26, 98 season could be construed as a sub-par season. Though there has been much said about how happy or unhappy he is in Baltimore he still will produce.

Melvin Mora continues to go unnoticed. He hits for good power whilst being a patient and disciplined hitter and has quintuplets waiting at home.

Javy Lopez is a very good hitting catcher with power and in fact there are plenty of guys who can take the ball out of the park up and down the roster with Gibbons, Matos, Nick Markakis and Millar all with good pop the only problem is there isn’t one guy who really stands out as the big bopper to anchor the group.

Rookie Watch

Nick Markakis is the clubs top farmhand and the lack of depth in the Orioles outfield could see him on the opening day roster. He’ll be 22 on opening day and hasn’t quite grown into his power yet but he’s hits to all fields and has good athleticism and speed which helps him both on the bases and in the field. He figures to develop into a true five tool player.

Chris Ray has every chance of being the clubs closer with his mid-90’s fastball, hard slider and the attitude that means he won’t back down from anyone. All the right ingredients to be a good closer.

Management

New manager Sam Perlozzo’s best value might end up being his friendship with Leo Mazzone. Perolozzo showed great poise as the team did its customary melt down in the stretch and with Mazzone to sort out the pitchers this could conceivably be a step in the right direction.

Of course the big issue here is owner Peter Angelos who handcuffs his front office more than any other owner and it really inhibits the teams ability to develop any continuity and stability and even impacts how the club drafts its players. Basically the infrastructure of the team is a mess and that’s why they haven’t had much success over the last decade. They don’t even have an official GM right now with Mike Flanagan promoted to Vice President of Baseball Operations.

Who would want to be the GM of this club?

Outlook

They have the ability to score runs consistently although maybe not in big bunches but even if Mazzone weaves his magic there might not be enough pitching talent here, especially in the pen, to truly be competitive in a tough division and it would take a lot of things to go right to make the playoffs.