Season Preview: Baltimore Orioles

quang: a decade has passed since the orioles last made the playoffs and last won 80 or more games in a season. even as a staunch oriole supporter, i can't envision a scenario where these streaks don't reach a decade.1 years. this off-season, baltimore traded away eric bedard, their best player, and miguel tejada, their best perjurer. melvin mora and brian roberts were also frequently mentioned in trade rumors and though they remain on the team, it seems like just a matter of time before they're forced to eat poorer quality crab cakes. this isn't news to anyone familiar with baseball, but the root of the orioles' problems starts and ends with owner peter angelos and his iron will. and judging by how mismanaged his baseball team is, i wouldn't be the least bit surprised if everything peter angelos owned was similarly woeful. like if the car he drives to work had square tires, no seat belts because there were no seats, and was powered by his feet like fred flintstone's car because angelos is too cheap to buy gas. alright, maybe i'd be a little surprised. especially because he didn't trade it in for a worse, older car.

this isn't to say i've written off the orioles already because there are some things to look forward to this season. for one, brian roberts and melvin mora are still with the team. and though i expect both will be traded by season's end, at least for the time being they have the american league's best second basemen and the longest tenured oriole. also, outfielder nick markakis is a burgeoning star and adam jones, the center piece of the bedard trade, is a promising five-tool prospect who the orioles have no choice but to play. i expect this season markakis will continue to build on last year's breakout campaign while jones shows flashes of his immense potential. well, hopefully orioles fans enjoy that because i really think that's where the list of "some things to look forward to" ends. unless of course you like daniel cabrera as much as i do, which is very unlikely since i'm obsessed with the wildly inconsistent 6-9 flamethrower. i don't think there's a pitcher in the league that has had their repetoire referred to as "electric" more often than cabrera. this year, i hope he finally puts his tools together because if there's anything the orioles could use this year, it's a pitcher whose pitches are measured in volts.

to me, the rest of the team doesn't inspire much confidence or optimism. nowadays, kevin millar is known more for his chemistry in the clubhouse than his physics with the baseball bat. aubrey huff and luke scott are too old to expect anything other than the mediocre norm. and luis hernandez, the man replacing tejada at short, has 69 career at-bats and looks like he's a few b-12 shots away from replacing anyone's offense, nevermind tejada's. unfortunately, the pitching staff doesn't look much better. though jeremy guthrie had a surprisingly good year and adam loewen pitched well in limited action, neither of these two or daniel cabrera can be expected to be a staff ace in the al east of all divisions. especially if pitching guru leo mazzone isn't also returning. and let's not forget a bullpen that hasn't improved since last year and will be without closer chris ray for the entire season. fortunately, i doubt baltimore was going to have many leads to protect anyways. seriously, if the orioles manage to improve their 28th ranked 5.38 era it's probably because their pitchers start making errors on purpose so that the hundreds of runs they allow are unearned. anyways, overall, i think the orioles are in for a very long season. as in a season where they somehow finish 3-198 long.

joe: The Orioles had the most non-sensical off season ever. Facing heavy competition 30 miles down the road from the Nationals who are moving into a flashy new pad, one would think that owner, Peter Angelos and the boys would want to hold on to their superstar in the making ace Erik Bedard. You would also think that the one player with any real name recognition on the team, Miguel Tejada would be a priority, and finally you would think that the player they bring back in return for Bedard to patrol centerfield would not have the same name as the much maligned NFL cornerback with a well-documented hankering for strippers, bar-fights and firearm toting bodyguards. But all these things didn’t happen and the O's are relying on a smattering of youngsters and journeymen to make a bid for 3rd in the two-horse race that is the AL East while at the same time keeping their share of regional dominance.

On the bright-side, Baltimore has been a perfect setting for talented yet unknown professionals to come together and do something great. The Wire has been entertaining millions of viewers for five seasons now with its mix of young and journeyman actors, so perhaps Angelos is onto something. I say that he stops half-stepping and take it even further. Have a shotgun wielding stick-up man roaming the bleachers of Camden Yards or perhaps maybe have uber-talented right fielder Nick Markakis masquerade as an alcoholic womanizer with a penchant for good police work. Speaking of Markakis, he quietly put together a quality season, picking up the pace in the second half and is poised to break out this year. The O's also need a big year from dynamic second baseman Brian Roberts, who's name has been sullied to a certain extent by the Mitchell Report. Aside from these two, and perhaps Jones, the lineup is shrouded with mystery. Melvin Mora has been extremely hit or miss throughout his career and he has been trending on the miss side of things for the past year and a half, while Jay Payton and Aubrey Huff aren’t even guaranteed a starting roster spot. Just glancing at the lineup it's very difficult to see how they are going to score runs most games.

The problems with the lineup pale in comparison with the travesty that is the Oriole's pitching situation. Jeremy Guthrie had a masterful first half last year, until the AL East figured him out and he reverted to being the batting practice pitcher that the Indians gave up on. Meanwhile, Daniel Cabrera has been on the verge of "getting it together" for the past three seasons. Granted he is still very young, but at some point you have to question whether or not trying to harness your talent on a team that has averaged only 71 wins over the last three years does more harm than good. While there are some workable pieces, this Orioles team shows all the signs of a comedically bad bunch and I for one can't wait to see it.

unsung hero:

• Daniel Cabrera (q)
• Adam Jones (j)
• Freddy Bynum (d)

achilles heel:

• Ramon Hernandez (q)
• Melvin Mora (j)
• Melvin Mora (d)

favorite moment:

• In a game against the Red Sox, Daniel Cabrera balks in Coco Crisp from third. Daniel Cabrera is ejected after his next pitch that nearly takes off Dustin Pedroia's head. (q)
• O's commentator Gary Thorne claims that Curt Schilling's bloody sock was a hoax and that Doug Mirabelli told him it was for PR, Mirabelli says no such thing happened and Thorne is forced to appologize, I still beleive him though. (j)
• In an effort to foster solidarity, the orioles bullpen grew mustaches. Unfortunately, they got some unwanted attention from “to catch a predator”. (d)

bold prediction:

• The Orioles become the first MLB team to ever start five black outfielders. Unfortunately, they decide to start Adam Jones, Jay Payton, Tike Redman, Freddie Bynum, and Chris Roberson in the outfield all in the same game and the Royals manage to bleed out 60 infield singles. (q)
• Insurance companies hit it big as after learning of Adam Jones' arrival to the city, Scores-Baltimore takes out the biggest policy on record. (j)
• Daniel Cabrera throws a no-hitter and strikes out 20 batters. he also walks 14 and hits 5. (d)