2012 MLB Season Preview: Baltimore Orioles

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After Buck Showalter came in to take over the Orioles towards the end of the 2010 season and had his young team finish 34-23 down the stretch, there were some high expectations for Baltimore to come out of the gate and contend for a playoff spot for the first time since 1997. Allowing the new Baltimore skipper to have an entire Spring Training to instill how he wants his team to play the game would only make this team better and take more steps forward in 2011…or so he thought.

The O’s took that momentum through Spring Training and into the first week of the season, when they swept the Rays, beat the Tigers twice, and then took down the Rangers all within the first seven games of 2011, pushing them to a 6-1 record. Unfortunately, that was one of the hottest streaks they had all season. After that hot start, Baltimore put themselves in a hole by losing eight straight; Showalter’s club scratched and clawed to hang around .500, but they experienced a terrible 29-game stretch from the middle of June to the middle of July, posting a 6-23 record. After that skid, Baltimore virtually sealed their fate in the basement of the American League East division, not being any closer than 20 games to first place.

Even though the Orioles finished 2011 with a 69-93 record and 28 games back in the AL East, they did solidify their young core of position players, which includes Matt Wieters, Mark Reynolds, J.J. Hardy and Nick Markakis. On the mound, Zach Britton had a solid year and the coaching believes that he can be a part of their future, but Brian Matusz took two big steps back. Jim Johnson and Pedro Strop were bright spots in an O’s bullpen that struggled overall in 2011.

Baltimore Orioles Offseason Additions and Subtractions

Additions:

RP Luis Ayala

SP Jason Hammel

RP Matt Lindstrom

IF/DH Wilson Betemit

SP Wei-Yin Chen

SP Tsuyoshi Wada

OF Endy Chavez

Subtractions:

OF/DH Luke Scott

SP Jeremy Guthrie

SS Cesar Izturis

DH- Vladimir Guerrero

Baltimore Orioles 2012 Projected Starting Line-up, Rotation, and Bullpen

Line-up:

1. 2B Brian Roberts

2. SS J.J. Hardy

3. RF Nick Markakis

4. CF Adam Jones

5. C Matt Wieters

6. 3B Mark Reynolds

7. DH Wilson Betemit

8. 1B Chris Davis

9. LF Nolan Reimold

Rotation:

1. RHP Jason Hammel

2. LHP Wei-Yin Chen

3. LHP Brian Matusz

4. RHP Jake Arrieta

5. LHP Zach Britton

Bullpen:

CL RHP Jim Johnson

SU RHP Pedro Strop

RP RHP Matt Lindstrom

RP RHP Darren O’Day

RP LHP Tsuyoshi Wada

RP RHP Kevin Gregg

RP RHP Brad Bergesen

Baltimore Orioles 2012 Season Outlook

Unfortunately for all the Orioles fans out there, the outlook for the 2012 season isn’t all that bright. If they were in a different division,

it may be another story, but it is going to be hard for them to keep up with rivals such as the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays. Over the last couple of seasons, Baltimore has had a chance at putting together good years, but their pitching has failed them, whether it be because of their performance, lack of depth, or injury. So, Buck Showalter is bringing a different approach to forming his starting staff this spring.

Domenic Vadala, managing editor of Birds Watcher, the MLB Fansided site dedicated to the Baltimore Orioles, said that they’re going to have more depth on the mound than in recent years. Not only do they have over thirty pitchers in camp at the moment, but they will be holding open try outs for all five rotations spots, so the five best pitchers this spring will break camp with the O’s. I think this is a great idea, but it doesn’t look like there is much veteran leadership on the starting staff, especially after the trade of Jeremy Guthrie.

It should also be noted that second baseman Brian Roberts is far from a sure thing to start the year atop the O’s batting order.  Roberts has struggled with injuries over the past several seasons, appearing in only 98 games from 2010-11, and questions remain regarding his timetable for recovery from multiple concussions.

Though most fans feel that this past winter was a waste because they didn’t ink a big market free agent (i.e. Prince Fielder) to a long-term deal, but after hearing Domenic’s assessment of Baltimore at this point, I don’t think that they will be as bad as some are anticipating. They have a young core group of offensive players that are still maturing, with the biggest question mark being their starting pitching. This year will be better than last year for the O’s, but not by much; such a tough division and having to play the NL East for the majority of their interleague play doesn’t help. If this young group can play to their current potential, 70-75 wins will be where they end up.

Baltimore Orioles 2012 Prospects to Watch for

The Orioles are looking to have some young talent ready for the Majors within the next couple of years, and there are a couple of

players that are on track to hit “The Show” within the next two seasons. Manny Machado was the #3 overall pick in the 2010 Amateur draft. The 2011 season was his first full season in professional baseball, and despite missing a month due to a knee injury, he did have a successful year. The organization is pleased with where he is with his defense, and has seen his hitting improve after he returned from his injury. As he matures, his approach at the plate will continue to improve, but I already think he’s developing faster than people are expecting, with a .335 on-base% and almost as many walks (45) as RBI (50) last year. If he plays well and shows what he’s capable of this spring, there is a possibility of him starting out in Double-A.

Dylan Bundy was taken fourth overall in the 2011 Amateur draft (the first high school pitcher selected), and even though he didn’t play professional baseball last year, the organization still believes that it won’t take him a long time to develop, even without any college ball. He has four pitches in his arsenal (fastball, change up, curve ball, slider), all of which are considered well above average by scouts. He has smooth mechanics and is able to maintain himself throughout all of his pitches. He will be starting low in the system since he didn’t play last year, but if he develops quickly, the Orioles may think to move him up faster than normal.

Thanks for reading! Find your team’s 2012 season preview or when it will be published here.

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