30 Team Marathon: Baltimore Orioles

As we head towards Spring Training, it's time to check out where all 30 teams in Major League Baseball are headed as we enter the 2010 season. In this fourth installment we will analyze the Baltimore Orioles.

(Little different format, trying to get less wordy, keyword "trying")

-Baltimore Orioles (2009 W/L: 63-98, 741 RS, 876 RA)

Key Additions: CP Mike Gonzalez, SP Kevin Millwood, 3B Miguel Tejada, 3B Garrett Atkins
Key Departures: RP Chris Ray, RP Danys Baez, 3B Melvin Mora

Overview: What a rotten decade for the Birds. The franchise highpoint was an early run in 2005 that saw them sitting a half game in first place in the AL East on June 23rd, 2005 with a record of 42-30. From that point until the end of the 2009 season, the O’s would go just 303-434. Fortunately for the Orioles, their 10 year run of futility may soon be over. When you look at the Orioles of 2010, you’ll see flashes of the Rays of 2007. A young and exciting outfield, a blossoming young pitching staff and some veterans that will help guide the youngsters to the right path. Much like the Rays of ’07, , they won’t make the playoffs or be even be close to legitimate contender, but there’ll be many games where fans of the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays will shake their head in frustration at the sight of their team being shut down and ran over by this Orioles team.

Infield: Third baseman Melvin Mora was allowed to walk away after a rocky season where he battled ineffectiveness, injuries and his manage Dave Trembley. Despite posting career lows in nearly every category, Mora still made noise about his (lack of) playing time. With Mora gone, the returning Miguel Tejada will make the transition to third base for the first time in his career. Tejada is no spring chicken, but he proved his bat is still potent after posting his best offensive season since 2006 in 2009. As usual, second base will be manned by Brian Roberts, who continued to provide stability in the lineup and leadership to the team last season. Soft hitting and slick fielding shortstop Caesar Izturis returns for his second season in Baltimore. At first base, the duo of Ty Wigginton and 27 year old rookie Michael Aubrey will battle for playing time. Meanwhile, all eyes will be on catcher Matt Wieters as he enters year two of his career. Wieters lived up to the hype through 354 major league at-bats, batting at a .288/.340/.753 clip.

Outfield: Centerfielder Adam Jones is the centerpiece of the Orioles outfield, the 24 year old took huge strides last season and is on the verge of stardom after an All-Star game selection and Gold Glove in 2009. He’s joined by 26 year old right fielder Nick Markakis who has been a household name in the AL East since his breakout 2007 season. In left, fellow 26 year old, left fielder Nolan Reimold will prepare for his first full season in the majors. After being called up in May of last season, Reimold was impressive, batting .279/.365/.831 with 15 homers and 47 RBI. With Reimold now a mainstay in the outfield, Luke Scott has become a full-time designated hitter. The 31 year old has developed a cult following in Baltimore (listen for the LUUUKKKEE cheers from the crowd when he steps up to bat), mainly due to his power numbers and his percent for registering big hits against the hated Yankees.

Starting Pitching: Realizing that it would be unfair to place too much pressure on his young pitching staff, GM Andy MacPhail acquired Kevin Millwood over the winter from Texas to bring a solid veteran arm to the rotation and a mentor to his young pitchers. Millwood had a bounce back 2009 after posting back to back seasons of 5+ ERAs in Texas but it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to AL East offenses. Jeremy Guthrie struggled after an impressive 2008 but a return to form could give the Orioles a solid 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation. The real story here however, is the trio of Brad Bergesen, Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman. Bergesen is the oldest of the three at the ripe old age of 24, with Matusz only 23 and Tillman only 22. Bergesen enjoyed the most success last season, but both Matusz and Tillman showed flashes of what they could do (see Matusz's 7 inning, 4 hit, 1 run game versus the Yankees on Sept 12). The future of the Orioles hinge on the arms of these three young hurlers and watching their development will give Oriole fans something to watch throughout the season.

Relief Pitching: The only two constants you can see at this point in the Orioles’ pen will be setup man Jim Johnson and closer Mike Gonzalez. Johnson served as the team’s closer for a good portion of 09, but is better suited for the setup role in which he is more familiar. Gonzalez comes over from Atlanta off an impressive 2009 season. Two years removed from Tommy John surgery and seemingly fully healthy, Gonzalez split time closing for the Braves with Rafael Soriano and posted a .242 ERA, allowing 56 hits and striking out 90 batters in just 74.1 innings. It’s hard to expect him to post those types of numbers in the American League East, but he will at the very least provide the Orioles with a veteran in the back end of their bullpen. Swingman Mark Hendrickson returns to provide the Orioles with an emergency spot starter and a solid middle relief arm for the fifth and sixth innings of games.

Projection: 2010 will go down as one of the most important seasons in history of the franchise. The team won’t compete with the big boys, but the development of the young bats and arms during the course of the season will dictate how this decade works out for the Orioles. With Wieters, Jones, Markakis and their trio of young pitchers, the Orioles have a solid young core to work with. Earlier I said that the 2010 Orioles are reminiscent of the 2007 Rays, well in 2011, the Orioles could very well be reminiscent 2008 Rays.

2010 Baltimore Orioles: 72-90, 4th place, AL East