Baltimore Orioles - 5 questions

[Dr. Jack]

Baltimore Orioles

1: Can OF Adam Jones continue his rise to stardom? CF Adam Jones is coming off of a season of firsts. Mainly his first All-Star Game and his first Gold Glove. In 2009, Jones batted .277 with 19 HRs and 70 RBIs and put together quite a highlight reel of plays before missing the last month of the season with an ankle sprain. Flanked by RF Nick Markakis and LF Nolan Reimold (who led the Orioles in OPS in 2009 at .831), Jones leads an impressive outfield squad. He's young (25) and needs to continue improving his consistency at the plate but it's no stretch to think that Jones' name will be mentioned amongst the best center fielders in the game for years to come.

2: What impact will the return of 3B Miguel Tejada have? The man who tried to talk himself out of Baltimore once upon a time is back with a new position. Once among the best shortstops in baseball, Tejada will be manning the hot corner for the Orioles this year. There are many questions surrounding Tejada, who will likely be the most scrutinized Oriole this year. How will he handle the transition to third base? Will he be the stable run producer that Baltimore is looking for? Can he keep his mouth in check if the season goes poorly? Tejada will turn 36 during the season and is coming off of two campaigns with the Houston Astros that saw his production drop from his days with Oakland and Baltimore. Expecting a career renaissance would be asking too much, and there was quite a precedent set for players moving from shortstop to third in Baltimore, but Tejada is still a ballplayer with something to offer if he can adjust to his new position.

3: Can the pitching keep the Orioles competitive? When summing up the Orioles pitching efforts in 2009 words like “woeful”, “disgusting”, and “awful” come to mind. The starters brought up the rear in the AL with an ERA of 5.37. RHP Jeremy Guthrie led team in wins, with 10, and losses, with 17. That was as good as the rotation got. To attempt to remedy this the Orioles went out and signed a number one in RHP Kevin Millwood. Millwood is a solid veteran and will help take pressure off Guthrie and aid in the development of the young starters on the back end of the rotation. The bullpen was equally as bad as the starters in 2009 and the Orioles did little to improve that for 2010, save acquiring Mike Gonzalez, who can become a stabilizing force at the end of games. The Orioles are counting on their young arms improving. If that doesn't happen, it could be another long season in Baltimore.

4: Can Manager Dave Trembley take the Orioles to the next level? Baltimore is a team that is emerging from a rebuilding phase and should be beginning to compete. Young talent abounds, coupled with a Brian Roberts; a premier player towards the end of his prime, and Miguel Tejada; a solid veteran. Trembley is entering his third full year as skipper of the Orioles (took over from Sam Perlozzo midway through 2007) and this is an important year for him. The Orioles have finished last in the AL East the past two years (64-98 in 2009) under Trembley and are now poised to become competitive. Trembley needs to make sure that happens.

5: Where will the Orioles finish the season? Bookmaker.com has the Orioles at +2000 to win the American League East, +3500 to win the American League Pennant, and +7000 to win the World Series. The AL East is the toughest division in baseball. The Orioles would have to count on two of the three top teams (New York, Boston and Tampa Bay) having a down year to even be in the running for a Wild Card berth. While the Orioles could finish out of the cellar this year, anything higher than a 4th place finish in the East is unlikely.

[Windy City Irish]

question 6. will poster shark finally jump off a building when O's are eliminated in May

[Dr. Jack]

Originally Posted by Windy City Irish

question 6. will poster shark finally jump off a building when O's are eliminated in May

No, shark says as long as Angelos stays, he stays

[upinya83]

i kinda like the over for the orioles this season, the blue jays are gonna be way down, and i think either the sox or rays will also be a bit down this season

[Shark23]

OK, all homerism aside, the Orioles will be better, and in any other division, would be at least a .500 team, and in the right division, could possibly win 90 games.

The staff is stocked full of young potential, and the lineup is potent. Still a few holes (namely at shortstop), but young talent like Jones, Markakis, Weiters, and solid vets like Roberts, Miggy, and Millwood will keep us in a lot of games. If Gonzalez can close at all, we'll be better this year and I think the over 73 1/2 wins is a solid wager.

[TCD619]

Over, but no where near 90

[Shark23]

Originally Posted by TCD619

Over, but no where near 90

Agree, not in the AL East. Now, if they played in the NL Central.........

[chibob]

Originally Posted by Shark23

Agree, not in the AL East. Now, if they played in the NL Central.........

Please

you must mean the A L Central

[The Nac]

No questions surrounding the overhyped Matt Wieters? Interesting.

[BigFratDaddy]

Originally Posted by The Nac

No questions surrounding the overhyped Matt Wieters? Interesting.

is he even over hyped? i dont think he is...

[Shark23]

Originally Posted by chibob

Please

you must mean the A L Central

What am I thinking, with those powerful Cubs, Reds, Pirates, Astros..........

[goterps74]

Orioles will win around 79-80 games

[The Nac]

Originally Posted by goterps74

Orioles will win around 79-80 games

And still finish 5th lol

[point given]

Jones can become a 25/15 guy hitting .290 and playing gold glove center. The outfield is young and talented overall, especially defensively.

Millwood will be a bust, but the youth of Matusz, Tillman, Bergeson can all set realistic goals of 12-14 wins each.

Tejada has a decent year, but he's just holding the spot until Bell learns how to hit lefties at AAA.

75 wins seems realistic with a goal of reaching .500 in 2010. The potential for a D-Rays type breakthrough is still a year or two off.