It happens every season. “This is our year,” usually echoes throughout Baltimore around this time, but the Orioles always disappoint.
Even with the off season hopefuls in the past like the acquisition of Miguel Tejada in 2003 and 2010, Sammy Sosa in 2005, Kevin Millar and Aubrey Huff in 2007, Ty Wigginton and Gregg Zaun in 2009 among others, the O’s can never seem to fully get it together.
But somehow this year the winds may have finally changed their direction.
With the addition of new power hitters J.J. Hardy, Derek Lee, Mark Reynolds, and Vladimir Guerrero along with key returners second baseman Brian Roberts, center fielder Adam Jones, right fielder Nick Markakis, catcher Matt Wieters, outfielder Luke Scott, and not to mention a hot start of four straight wins, the O’s definitely have the ability to dig themselves out of the 13 year nest they’ve made for themselves: the American League East basement.
Though anyone who relatively pays attention to baseball at all would chuckle if the topic of the 2010 Orioles came up in a conversation, people tend to forget about the last third of the season. The team was at risk for going down in the books as having a historic number of losses when Buck Showalter was hired by the Orioles on July 30, 2010 to replace manager Dave Trembley.
Showalter gave the team a spark which led to 34 wins of the last 56 games of 2010. The Orioles proved to be a more successful and functional team, and it clearly has carried into this season as well
But can this momentum started late last season and seen in the first four games continue to surge?
According to National Baseball Writer for the Baltimore Sun Dan Connolly, Showalter “brings a different vibe to the team. This is a guy who has a track record and who lives and breathes [baseball]. His presence will definitely help in the win column this season.”
Connolly attributed the spike in O’s wins last season to accountability because Showalter signed a recent three year deal with the team. “They know he’s going to be around so players had to impress him,” he said. “It also partly had to do with players getting healthy, like Brian Roberts. The defense got a lot tighter which led to the pitchers being able to pitch with more confidence,” he said.
Aside from defense, Connolly said that adding Guerrero “can only help the team. He balances out the line-up.” The other acquirements of Hardy, Reynolds, and Lee in the off season will also add power and quality to the 2011 roster.
Though fans can expect the team to be overall better, don’t count on this season being the Cinderella story the Tampa Bay Rays experienced in 2008.
“If they’re 10 or 12 games better, I predict a fourth place finish,” Connolly said. “I think if the young pitchers take a step forward, they could be over .500. It’s just rare that a group of young pitchers take that step all at one time.”
Not to mention that the Orioles still compete in arguably the toughest division in the American League, if not all of baseball.
Still, Connolly notes that “there’s definitely more talent on this team than there’s been in years that fans can get excited about.”
Taylor Schafer is the Lifestyle editor for “The Patriot” and jcpatriot.com