Big Changes Coming

The Orioles will close out their season today, possibly robbing Boston of a postseason berth. As sweet as that may be, I'd like to give you a little food for thought of a different nature today, thought for the future. There is a strong chance that tomorrow, it will be announced that Andy Macphail will not return for the 2012 season, so who will replace him?

It will be nice to see Macphail gone, I'm not going to say that his tenure in Baltimore was a complete failure, that would be a lie. If nothing else, he brought us Adam Jones and J.J. Hardy for relatively nothing, his "grow the arms" strategy has not been overly successful, but I think that's more of a player development problem than something he is directly responsible for. I could write on Macphail for days, but I would rather give some insight of where I feel the front office is headed.

Regardless of what is announced Thursday, this much is known: Buck Showalter will player a pivotal part in the front office. He may very well take on Macphail's position and continue managing, which would be a great deal of work, but hey, this is Buck we're talking about here. Another possibly is that he vacates his managerial position and moves to the front office, this seems fairly unlikely to me, Buck seems to want the best of both worlds rather than being isolated in one role.

I have my own idea of how things are going to play out this offseason, it goes something like this..... When Macphail leaves I think Buck will stay planted in his managerial role, he will however have a great deal of influence over who is chosen as the new General Manager. My gut tells me they'll bring in someone who worked with Buck in Texas, or from that organization in general, as it's no secret Buck still loves Texas. I've heard former Ranger's GM John Hart's name floated around, but I think it will most likely be someone with a little less experience than Hart.

I simply hope whoever is in the Front Office in 2012 has a clear sense of direction and comes in with a realistic blueprint to build a winning team.

Picking Up the Pieces

The 2011 Baltimore Orioles have been a disappointment in so many ways, I'm not saying that I came into the season expecting a playoff contender. I am saying that I expected to see a team that could play competitive .500 baseball, alas, we find ourselves at the end of a fourteenth straight losing season.

However, as miserable as this season was in many facets, there were some positive takeaways and things to look forward to for next year. For example, the offensive blossoming of Matt Weiters and Adam Jones, who both set career highs in home runs; and let's not forget the comeback kid, J.J. Hardy, who missed almost a month and still has put up incredible offensive numbers.

Sadly, there was not as much to be optimistic about from the pitching department this year. The train wreck that was 2011 Brian Matusz is a different topic for a different day. The 2011 rotation in itself should really be another topic for another day, but if there is anything to salvage from this season's pitching woes, it's that Zach Britton will be a key rotation piece in the coming years, and believe it or not I feel similarly about Brian Matusz. In a very cliched way, I would like to point out that Roy Halladay had a similarly awful season at a similar age; we can only hope that Brain can work out his issues, add some velocity, and come back ready to win this spring. When all is said and done, this season's starting pitching left much to be desired, but there are also a fair amount of talent to work with for next season, with the unexpected emergence of guys like Alfredo Simon and additions like Tommy Hunter.

The relief pitching was up and down all season, and of late has been incredible, with the exception of Captain Chaos of course. Pedro Strop, acquired in the trade for Michael Gonzalez has pitched superbly thus far, along with Jim Johnson; who seems to have lined himself up for the closer's position in 2012.

I won't go on and on recaping the 2011 season... no-one wants those memories of blown games and 18 run losses. If you take away anything, know that the Orioles have four key pieces for the 2012 season that won't be going anywhere, Matt Weiters, Adam Jones, J.J. Hardy, and Zach Britton.

At around 7:30 last night, the Orioles drafted RHP Dylan Bundy with the fourth overall pick, Joe Jordan got his man. The general concensus was that Bundy would go to the Orioles, but Anthony Rendon not being selected within the first three picks definitely shook things up. Cole, Hultzen, and Bauer were the top three picks, I was fairly nervous that they would jump on Rendon simply because he was there. I dislike Rendon only because of that shoulder injury that hampered him this year.

I was definitely pulling for Bundy for a number of reasons, but I'll narrow it down to three to keep things simple.

1- Highest Cieling- Bundy had the highest potential by far out of anyone in the 2011 draft class. To say his high school stats were impressive this year would be a huge understatement. That being said, it was high school baseball, but after watching this kid pitch I was really impressed. He already has very polished movements, and a plus fastball that has reached 100 mph at some points this year, not too bad for a high school senior.

2- Work Ethic- Bundy is a workhorse.Period. I found this video on YouTube, one of many of Bundy's workout routines, where he is strengthening his rotator cuff by hitting a punching bag. Nothing too special, that's to be expected of a potential top five draft pick, but I forgot to mention at the time of the video Bundy was fourteen. Any kid with this kind of drive and work ethic who can perform day after day with a positive attitude should be welcomed with open arms. According to the draft coverage on MLB.com, Bundy is currently squattin 500 lbs. and leg pressing 1250 lbs. I would take this kid over anyone else in the draft class based on his training and conditioning alone, which is a welcome sight after seeing Hobgood's pudgy face on draft day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP75ZTK5EcI

3- Future Ace- Dylan Bundy has the potential to be the future ace that the Orioles have lacked since they lost Mussina to free agency. As much as I like Brian Matusz, Bundy could be a high velocity, high strikeout pitcher. I really can only say so much about his arm because footage of Bundy is limited, as is my pitching knowledge. However, based on what I've read, seen, and heard about Dylan Bundy I'm nothing but impressed.

To be completely honest, two weeks ago if you told me the Orioles would go for Dylan Bundy at #4 I would have been pretty disappointed, as I was hoping for a college arm, like Trevor Bauer or Danny Hultzen; that could move quickly through the system. After taking the time to research him, I found him to be highly talented, dedicated, and disciplined. I hope to see him move through the minors quickly, and be in the rotation by 2014 at the latest, good pick Joe Jordan.

A full recap of today's draft results should be posted by the end of the night.

And With the Fourth Overall Pick....

Tonight begins the 2011 MLB Amateur draft, and MacPhail and company are almost destined not to screw this one up. Really, they can't, there are 5 what I consider premium talents to be had within the first round. Those talents being: UCLA RHP Gerrit Cole, Rice 3B Anthony Rendon, UVA LHP Danny Hultzen, RHP Dylan Bundy (HS), and UCLA RHP Trevor Bauer. Unless Joe Jordan goes with someone with a Bartolo Colon physique that isn't one of the aforementioned the draft will be a success. I personally feel that the picks will go in that order, with Bundy as the 4th pick. He looks to have the highest cieling in the draft, so hopefully he will be wearing orange and black by the end of the day.
More to follow.
Andrew

Goodbye Guthrie?

Today I read a MASN article written by Stacey Long, a main contributor on Camden Chat and guest blogger for MASN. It was an article discussing the possibility of the Orioles dealing Jeremy Guthrie at some point this year for some younger talent, her general consensus is that if a good enough offer is laid on the table, the Orioles should take it. As much as it pains me to say this, I agree with her, I would hate to see Guthrie go, I think it would be best for a young building organization.

Guthrie is 32 going on 33, so he is definitely getting up there in years, there's no doubt about that. He could still be productive into his mid-thirties, but I think Guthrie has hit is ceiling, which was basically what you saw if you watched Tuesday night's 3-2 loss to Seattle, which was a complete game loss in which Guthrie looked phenomenal. I would hope that MacPhail could at least get an arm with some potential that can make it to the majors in a year or two. Guthrie is a truly underrated pitcher who would make a great addition to any team looking to contend that needs some pitching help, so the interest will definitely be there come July, and the Orioles need to take advantage of it.

I can't say enough about Guthrie's attitude and work ethic and how much he has contributed to the Orioles, and what a good clubhouse presence he is,  but in my opinion, if anyone is going to go at the trading deadline it would be Guthrie, Guerrero, or Scott, and I would feel indifferently about losing the latter two.

Without Guthrie the rotation would definitely take a hit, and that has to be taken into consideration, but it would still be a solid five man rotation headed by Matusz and Britton. As Stacey points out, the Orioles need to build, and they can't be sentimental when making these decisions, unfortunately this may mean saying goodbye to Jeremy Guthrie.

PTY Clothing

Are you tired of the four or five generic jerseys and shirts you can buy outside the gate and in the park? Are you looking for some really creative great Orioles gear at a good price? Well look no further than Protect This Yard Clothing. I learned of PTY from Camden Chat and was instantly a fan, they carry a wide variety of shirts, all unique, that you won't be able to find anywhere else. Right now I'd have to say my favorite shirt is the Matt Wieters "DON'T. RUN. EVER." shirt seen below, which I purchased today. 

 The website is really user-friendly and I'll definitely be sporting this shirt at my next Orioles game, that is unless a Nolan Reimold shirt gets designed between now and then. 

So head on over to PTY, the link can be found on the side of the page, and you can also hit them up on Facebook, they're very personable and friendly.

-Andrew.

The New Adventures of the Old Nolan Reimold

I know, another long writing hiatus, but what can I say? Sometimes you just get busy. That however, is neither here nor there. I won't give you a recap of the Orioles' 2-1 win over Seattle, because I would simply be re-stating what Jeff Zreibic will say tomorrow, only in a more amateur manner.

What I want to do today is take a look at a player who was poised for a breakout last season, but faced some setbacks, Nolan Reimold. Let me start off by saying I'm a big Reimold fan, but I'll try not to let that eminate into the piece.

In 2009, Reimold made a good run at the American League Rookie of the Year, posting some impressive stats. In 104 games Reimold hit 15 homeruns, drove in 45, stole 8 bases, and had a batting average of .279. Fairly impressive for a rookie outfielder, unfortunately his season ended early with him going on the DL to repair his achille's tendon. Reimold was back in 2010, however, his game was not. In 39 games he hit only 3 homeruns and barely batted over the Mendoza Line (.200) at .207.

I attribute Reimold's struggles to a number of different detractors. Primarily I think he was rushed back from the injury that took him out in 2009, and he really just didn't have enough time to get his form back. Also, he dealt with some personal issues off the field, out of respect for Nolan I won't speculate on that matter, but it definitely hurt his game. As a result of his abysmal play he was sent to Norfolk to try and find his swing, where he stayed for the remainder of the seaon.

Fast forward to Spring Training 2011 and Nolan Reimold was locked in a struggle with Felix Pie for a roster spot as a fourth outfielder. While his play was impressive and he seemed to have rebounded from 2010, he was still sent back to Norfolk to start the season.

Earlier this month when Derek Lee went on the Disabled List Reimold was called up from Norfolk. I had always liked Nolan and I was hoping he would re-establish himself as the left fielder of the future hitting for power and average. Well, he did. While the current sample size is limited to 9 games it is still impressive nonetheless. In 9 games he's hit as many homeruns as he did all of last season, has driven in seven runs, and is batting an impressive .360. Moving away from statistics, I believe that Reimold has a great deal of potential, he has a nice mix of power, speed, and a good approach at the plate.

My hope is that he can finish the season something like 18 homeruns, 72 RBI, and a .282 batting average, which all seem like realistic numbers at this point. One thing is a little unclear though, when Derek Lee comes off the DL what does that mean for Nolan Reimold? Right now Luke Scott is playing first base and Reimold is in left field, the position formerly occupied by Scott. Personally I feel like Scott will be dealt at the trading deadline to a contending team that could use some left handed power, maybe someone like Tampa Bay. I don't know how much The Orioles could get for Scott, but at least it would give Reimold everyday play.

This raises some questions for 2012, as trading Scott would mean in 2012 the Orioles are missing Scott, Lee, and Guerrero, as I doubt either of the latter two will be re-signed, but that's another post for another day. In closing, let's hope this year's Nolan Reimold is Nolan Reimod circa 2009.

Notes and Recap

The Orioles won tonight's game, a close match, with the final score being 3-2. Jake Arrieta had an impressive outing, only giving up one run, a homerun in the first inning to Jeff Franceour, his eighth of the season. Arrieta was able to get his game under control and held the Royals scoreless for six innings.

This was a big step for Arrieta, who has struggled some this season with control, not only did he show his full potential tonight, he squashed concerns about the soreness in his hip. One of the most impressive aspects of Arrieta's game was the eight strikeouts he recorded. Arrieta could potentially develop into an impressive #2 or #3 pitcher, and improving his K/9 ratio would only increase his value as a pitcher.

As for the bats, Roberts started off the game hot with a double, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Derek Lee. Nick Markakis finally broke out of a slump with a solo shot to give some cushion to the bullpen, which they needed. Kevin Gregg closed out the game successfully, that being said, I'm still slightly putting Gregg in in the 9th inning when the score is 3-2.

Chris Tillman should go tomorrow, I'm expecting a good game from Tillman, he should have regained his movement and some of his speed, so as long as he is provided some run support, we should see good results. I think the offense is primed for a rebound, especially with Markakis' homerun tonight, hopefully the leadoff spots will be back to packing a 1-2 punch.

Down on the farm, Manny Machado is tearing up the South Atlantic League, he leads the Delmarva Shorebirds in runs (20), homeruns (5), RBI (21), walks (18), OBP (.445), and slugging (.611). Pretty impressive for an eighteen year old kid right? Machado was named the Orioles' minor league player of the month and the SAL's player of the week. If Machado keeps his production at this pace, he should see a promotion to Frederick shortly, this kid obviously has a bright future ahead of him, and he probably won't be rushed through the system. Machado is performing so well, that he is overshadowing the impressive performances of some of his teammates, like Johnathan Schoop, who makes up the other side of the left infield. 

5/03 - Update

Yeah, I know its been a while since I've written anything, but its not like anyone ever reads this site anyway. Nonetheless, I wanted to give an update on how the season was going, in my opinion at least.

The season started off fast and furiously, with the Orioles winning their first four games in a row, including the season opener against Ray's ace David Price. The injury bug hit hard and early, with J.J. Hardy going on the 15 day DL with an oblique strain, joining Brian Matusz who went down with an intercostal strain.

While the season started with much hope, as you know, we hit a lengthy eight game losing streak; which was difficult to watch, but even more difficult to see Itzturis floundering at the plate with the bat.

However dark the night was, eventually the sun rose again, and the Orioles started to win. Since the end of the losing streak, the Orioles have gone 6-4, with the bullpen blowing at least one of those games. My recap is going to touch on some of the good things and bad things (there were lots), that I've seen since my last post.

The Good

1. The bats are swinging- The offense is by no means stellar, or to the point it should be, but they are making definite progress. They played an impressive game tonight against the White Sox in which they had a four run rally late in the game, which showed the ability to at least mount a rally. Roberts has hit quite well as of late and its encouraging to see Wieters develop more offensively, I think he may finally develop into the power threat catcher he was hyped up to be; or at least come close.

2. The Baby Birds- The young Orioles rotation has pitched quite well over this past stretch, the most impressive being Zach Britton. While Tillman certainly had his struggles, especially against the Yankees, he pitched well tonight, only allowing one run and walking two over five innings. There has been some concern over his drop in velocity, but he seems to have worked through the kinks in his mechanics, so hopefully he remains stable for the rest of the season. I could go on and on about Zach Britton, but I'll just say that this kid is one to watch, he's 5-1 so far... and he has yet to pitch in the month of May, not too shabby. Jake Arrieta has thrown pretty well in my opinion, after six starts he's 3-1 with 25 K's, his ERA and WHIP are both inflated, but given the proper run support, Arrieta has been a solid starter and still posessses alot of untapped talent.

3. Robert Andino- I know it seems like a menial point, but Andino has served as a pretty good fill-in for the injured Hardy, I still prefer Hardy, but Andino has come a long way from where he was at the beginning of Spring Training. He seems to be hitting fairly well, with a .343 BA over the past two weeks it will be interesting to see if he keeps that up. He's not much of a power hitter, with only two out of his twelve hits being extra base hits, but he does make solid contact, and with his solid BB/K ratio, he seems to get on base at least once per game. While his defense is nothing to write home about, his bat is far superior than the alternative (the worst hitter in baseball in 2010), and he is continually making improvements under the guidance of Buck Showalter.

The Bad

1. The Bullpen- I shouldn't have to say more here, Kevin Gregg and Michael Gonzalez have a habit of making any relief situation very scary, very fast. Sometimes they come through, Gonzalez had a nice outing Saturday, but he as a long way to go to make his salary worth-while, which isn't likely. Koji Uehara seems to be back to full strength, and it looks like most of his appearances will come in close situations where there isn't room for Kevin Gregg to give up a run.

2. Inconsistency- While the bats have been coming alive recently, and run production is up, it still tends to be inconsistent, which is a definite area of improvement.

3. Plate Discipline- This is an area that has improved since the losing skid, but there is still a fair amount of first pitch swinging, which usually results in an out, again small point, but room for improvement.

Well that was my update, from here on out, I will try to make my postings more frequent, let's hope the Orioles are prepared to face the Royals tonight in the first of a three game series!

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.

Latin American Scouting

One critique of the Orioles' front office of late has been the lack of scouting, activity, and signing in Latin America by the Orioles. Keith Law, was one critic who specifically claimed that the Orioles' lack of activity contributes to the diminished state of their farm system. While the state of the farm system is debatable, the fact that the Orioles are stagnant in Latin America is not. From a BaseballAmerica report as of March 1, 2010, the Orioles rank 28 out of 30 in the number of Latin American prospects in the system. Among these included Luis Lebron, Pedro Florimon, and Gabarez Rosa. It is of note that Jonathan Schoop, a prospect out of Curacao, was not on the list, bumping the number of prospects from three to four. The list includes Jesus Montero, Aroldis Chapman, Jose Iglesias, and Starlin Castro, all top tier prospects out of Latin America.

While Schoop (Green) is an impressive athlete, and has potential for a 19 year old, he's no Jesus Montero. Unfair comparison, I know, but the point stands. I hate to make comparisons to the Yankees, but they have done quality work in Latin America producing both catcher Jesus Montero, and rising pitcher Manuel Banuelos, but the Orioles, who spend only 1.18$ Million in the international markets, have no comparable prospects. Front Office was only slightly outbid by the Twins for top Dominican prospect Miguel Sano, who while only 17, is one of the top prospects in the Twins organization.

I'm not saying that the Orioles' farm system is in shambles, but they could definitely use some improvement  in the Latin American realm. There is a supposed Dominican training facility, but it doesn't seem to show many results. In the mean time, hope can be held out for Luis Lebron, if he returns to 2009 form where he posted a 1.98 ERA over 24 appearances, he could possibly find himself in the Orioles' bullpen.

Spring training: hope springs eternal

Today is the first day of full squad workouts in Sarasota and the optimism surrounding the team is as vibrant as ever. The general concensus amongst the fanbase is that this is the first year of a new team in Baltimore, one that could actually break .500. While I have great deal of hope for the 2011 season, this season depends on a healthy and potent lineup, as the rotation is only slightly above average. In this post I would like to give a general guess as to what 2011's lineup will be.

1- Brian Roberts 2B

2-Nick Markakis RF

3-Luke Scott LF

4-Vladimir Guerrero DH

5-Matt Weiters C

6-Mark Reynolds 3B

7-Adam Jones CF

8-Derek Lee 1B

9-J.J. Hardy SS

Those are my thoughts, I think that Lee could provide a good deal of late lineup power, overall a very impressive lineup and the 1-4 have the potential to be deadly. Thoughts?

The Guerrero Situation

There has been a great many rumors swirling around the baseball world about Vladimir Guerrero coming to play in Baltimore. Jim Bowden reported that he was close to accepting a "humbling" deal with the Orioles, while Andy MacPhail quickly responded and dismissed said rumors.

MacPhail dismissed the thought of actively pursuing Guerrero so quickly, it almost gives a certain sense of credibility to the rumor. The question remains: To what extent would bringing Vladimir Guerrero to Baltimore help the Orioles?

Let us examine the possible outcomes if Vlad the Impaler found himself in an O's uniform.

1. The addition of another feared and respected bat. In 2010 Vlad put up impressive numbers for a 35 year old, with an average of .300, 29 Home Runs, and 115 RBI. Those are solid numbers for any DH regardless of age, a bat like that would solidify the Orioles lineup.

2. Added Depth. Signing Guerrero to play as DH gives the Orioles a good deal of depth in their roster, this would force Scott to LF and Reimold down to AAA to get some extra at bats, and earn his playing time in the big leagues. Signing Vlad does not force Front Office to trade Luke Scott, but rather move him to LF defensively this would be a downgrade, but Pie would still be a viable fourht outfielder who could provide some pop off the bench and run for Guerrero when he needs it.

3. Small Commitment. A deal with Guerrero would be one year most likely, two years at the max, especially with Andy Macphail negotiating the deal. At that length of time, the Orioles lose very little by investing in him.

4. Trade Bait. If things don't work out between Vlad and the Orioles, then Guerrero makes for a good piece of deadline trade bait for a team looking for a little extra pop off the bench. In my opinion, the starting pitcher you would get for Vlad would be better quality than what you could sign in the offseason.

5. Injuries. The Orioles always have a pretty promising outlook for the upcoming season around February, before they are riddled with injuries. It's a matter of fact that there will be injuries throughout the season, and having Guerrero there should help offset whatever injuries there are, hopefully they won't be in the infield.

At the end of the day if they pass up, its not much of a loss, but the Orioles should at least get another quality innings eater, I suggest taking a gamble on Justin Duscherer and bringning back Kevin Millwood, who pitched 190 innings with a 2.03 K/BB ratio, he could rebound this year with better run support.

2011 A Big Year

Let me start by saying this year's baseball season will be the first season I will have followed closely for a few years, However, while i was on an unofficial hiatus i always kept my eye on my favorite team, the Baltimore Orioles.

No matter how atrocious they looked, and played for that matter, I found myself enjoying at least one game per year in Camden Yards, as it is a timeless stadium for true fans. That being said, I hope that this year is the turning point, this year is, as Baltimore fans say perenially, "THe Year".

Before we take a look at anything as far as predictions go, we have to examine the cold hard facts. The Baltimore Orioles play in the AL East, one of the perenially toughest divisions, and one of the divisions with the highest payroll amongst its teams. That fact alone is no excuse for Baltimore playing as poorly as they have been for the past decade; its clear that the schedule of the structure is unfair to Baltimore, but I'm confident they should be able to make a splash and put up some numbers this year.

Let us begin by taking a look at the offseason. The 2010-2011 offseason was clearly one of the most ambitious offseasons that Baltimore has seen in a good while, possibly since the 2004 offseason that brought Lopez and Palmeiro to Baltimore. Baltimore went into the offseason with several major gaps, primarily within the infield and the bullpen; the 2010 infield was constructed of the usual singular piece of particle-board used to patch the giant hole in the side of the house. Itzturis, while a good defense shortstop, simply did not have the numbers to be a full-time player, the corner spots on the infield were also empty as the Orioles lost Ty Wiggington, one of their major offensive producers, I understand the last part of that sentence hurts the eyes to read, but it is a sad fact.

So Andy Macphail, while he takes a good deal of heat from the fans, did a solid job of signing a few key free agents and trading for some quality players.

The Orioles brought back a key player in Koji Uehera, while letting last year's "Ace" Kevin Millwood go, I doubt he will be signed though.

This was one of the Front Office's most aggressive seasons, they landed SS J.J. Hardy, 2B Brendan Harris, and 3B Mark Reynolds in trades; and signed RP Kevin Gregg, RP Jeremy Accardo, and 1B Derek Lee all to reasonably priced deals.

What does that mean for the Orioles?

Well, essentially it means that the Orioles filled most of the gaps they had going into the offseason, which bodes well for the coming season; and in essence I feel that what the front office has done leads to 5 important points about the 2011 season:

1- The presence of Derek Lee. Derek Lee is not only a 13 year veteran of baseball, but he is also a Gold Glove Winner and was a member of the 2003 Florida Marlins, who were World Series winners. For the Orioles, this means that they get a solid glove and bat at first base, Lee has over 300 Home Runs and over 1000 RBI and a career .282 Batting Average; thats not shabby over the course of 13 years. More importantly, Lee will give the Orioles the veteran leadership they need as he is the oldest and most experienced member of the team, the only obstacle that could stand in Lee's way would be his health.

2- Bringing back Uehera and the addition of Gregg and Accardo adds a decent amount of depth to the bullpen and it should be interesting to see Uehara and Gregg fight it out for the closer spot. It is worth mentioning that Gregg and Accardo have 140 saves between the two of them. Unfortunately, the Orioles do not have much as far as Lefties go in the pen, they have Mike Gonzalez, but go figure that when the Orioles pay him 6 Million dollars a year his ERA balloons to 4.01, however it is still at a career 2.68. We can also go ahead and make the assumption that Alfredo SImon wont be joining the Orioles for a while, as i imagine the Dominican government sees Simon as a low priority.

3- Front Office brought in 4 infielders this offseason, the only infielder that remains from the 2010 season is Brian Roberts (excluding Itsturiz). This can be seen as the simple reshaping of the infield, four guys who have never played together (with the exception of Hardy and Harris) will take the field, who knows how it will shape up, I especially think that the Hardy Roberts combination could shape up quite well in the middle, while Lee will most definitely be an improvement over the situation at First Base in the 2010 season.

4- When i first read that Front Office traded Kam Mickoliko and David Hernandez for Mark Reynolds I was slightly disappointed to tell the truth. Looking at him by the numbers, in 3.5 years with the Diamondbacks Reynolds racked up 767 strikeouts, that is a great deal of strikeouts no matter who you're talking about. He also has 121 Home Runs in four seasons, his 2009 season was a miraculous one in which he hit 44 Home runs and stole 24 bases. Stats like that are damn impressive, unfortunately he failed to replicate in 2010 with a .198 BA, but i have hope for Reynolds none the less, I feel like he can really flourish in a fly ball park like Camden Yards.

5- The 2011 offseason has brought better stigma to the club, almost a renewed sense of optimism, I feel like this team can produce alot of runs, which will give run support to the burgeoning pitching staff.

When all is said and done, this may not be a playoff year for the Orioles, but improvement is better than nothing, and is the first step to an AL Wild Card and I think i speak on behalf of all Orioles fans when I say I'd be content with a .500 year.

Introduction

Hello all, my name is Andrew and I'll be covering the Baltimore Orioles this season and off-season. I hope to give everyone a different perspective than what can be found on the ever-pessimistic Baltimore Sun, which seems to be the only place that follows the Orioles. More to follow.