3-0 Home Opener!

With less than an hour until Earl Weaver throws the opening day pitch at Camden Yards, the excitement amongst Orioles' fans is certainly higher than its been in a long time, I look forward to the home opener every year, but am usually disappointed. However, I feel this year is special, this is the year the Baltimore Orioles become a serious team in major league baseball. The pressure is on Jake Arrieta, who will be throwing against the 1-2 Detroit Tigers, who lost their opening series to the Yankees. It will be a tough game, as Detroit has some heavy hitters in Miguel Cabrera and Victor Martinez, who the Orioles failed to sign this offseason. I'm expecting a solid performance out of Jake Arrieta, but he will definitely need the run support. I'm also fairly confident that the Orioles bats will deliver today against Rick Porcello, who went 10-12 last year with a 4.92 ERA, the bats shouldn't be outmatched, but at this point I just hope for a well played game from everyone. Let's cherish this image and keep racking up the W's! Let's go O's!

Baltimore Orioles 2011 Preview- Great Expectations

Like almost all aspiring writers, I'm sitting in a coffee shop with my laptop between classes working on what I hope will be a decent article. What I bring today is a preview of the 2011 Baltimore Orioles, and what I expect out of them, but you probably already knew that. At this point most of us have tried to forget the aberration that was the 2010 season, and have moved on to dreams of a .500 2011 season. With opening day upon us I hope this preview is a good introduction to the 2011 for any latent Orioles fan.

New Faces

Mark Reynolds 3B

 
The Orioles acquired Reynolds in a trade with the Diamondbacks in exchange for two relief pitchers, Kam Mickolicko and David Hernandez. I really like this offseason acquisition, not only because Reynolds is a fellow Virginian, but he brings much needed power to the Orioles lineup. Over three and a half years in the National League with the Diamondbacks, Reynolds averaged 35 homeruns with 100 RBI, while those stats are impressive, his 221 strikeouts give one cause to worry, especially with the caliber of pitching in the AL East. That being said, I think Reynolds will adjust well to Camden Yards and have a rebound year, maybe 37 homeruns, 95 RBI, and an average of around .230-40.

J.J. Hardy SS

  

J.J. Hardy was acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Twins in exchange for two relievers, Hardy was acquired to be the Orioles full time shortstop this season. Hardy should hit fairly well, he had two standout seasons in Milwaukee in 2007 and 2008, but fell victim to injuries in 2009 and 2010 and saw his numbers decline. At only 28 years old, Hardy is prime for a rebound season, I expect for him to hit 15 possibly 20 homeruns, 60 RBI, and hit for an average of .255-65.

Kevin Gregg RHP

The Orioles signed Kevin Gregg to a two-year $10 million dollar deal. Gregg was the closer for the Toronto Blue Jays last year, and compiled 37 saves while keeping his ERA at a stable 3.51. It's not clear whether he will be the definite closer, but I do expect Buck to hand him the ball a lot in the eighth and ninth and maybe accumulate 25 saves throughout the season.

 

 Derek Lee 1B

The Orioles signed Derek Lee to a 7.25 million dollar contract for one year this offseason, Lee will man first base, a position that was platooned by a variety of players last year. Lee spent most of Spring Training on the DL, but hopefully he will stay healthy throughout the 2011 season. Lee saw a drop in power in 2010, and I expect him to hit around 20 homeruns, with 75-80 RBI, and a solid .270 average.

Vladimir Guerrero DH

The Orioles signed Vlad to a one year $8 million contract, their final big ticket signing of the offseason. Guerrero hit well in Texas, slamming 29 homeruns and 115 RBI, not bad for a 35 year old. Guerrero will be 36 this season, but this guy is one of the most gifted hitters in the game, and I expect him to hit 25 homeruns, with 85-90 RBI and hit .290, possibly .300.

The Regulars

Brian Roberts 2B- The key to a successful lineup is a healthy Brian Roberts, if Roberts returns to 2009 form, which I expect he will, that fat contract he got might start to look worthwhile.

Matt Wieters C- Matt Wieters fell victim to the hype he was given before the 2010 season, and produced a lackluster .249 with 11 homeruns and 55 RBI, but for a 24 year old, thats not awful. Matt Wieters still has an incredible amount of potential, and the new lineup will help him develop even more as a hitter. He may never hit 30 homeruns, but 25 isn't out of reach, I'm sitll a Wieters believer.

Nick Markakis RF- Many analysts criticized the drop in Markakis' power numbers in the 2010 season, I fully expect his numbers to rebound, as the drop was a result of Markakis batting in the 3 slot rather than his normal 2 slot. I expect him to hit around .300 and coming close to 20 homeruns/100 RBI. 

Adam Jones CF- At only 25 years old I still feel that Jones has yet to reach his full potential, this may not be his breakout season, but I think this year as he continues to develop, he could possibly reach a new power ceiling as opposed to his former high of 19 homeruns.

 Luke Scott LF- Luke Scott is known for being a streaky and inconsistent hitter, but 2010 was his best season to date, reaching highs in both homeruns (27) and average (.284). The question is whether Scott can repeat his performance as an everyday left fielder. I predict Scot regresses slightly, and depending on the performance of Nolan Reimold at AAA, could be shipped off to a contender in need of a power bat off the bench at the trade deadline.