The American East Division has gone through a major face-lift thus far in the offseason. The Red Sox have decided to imitate the Yankees by throwing money at the problem. The difference between what the Yankees have done in the past and what the Red Sox have done this offseason is that Boston has added players with track records as opposed to players coming off of career-high seasons ala Carl Pavano. The Red Sox have positioned themselves as the bar none favorites in their division, but not so fast…
I’m not saying that the Red Sox won’t win their division but there is a ball club in Baltimore that has quietly been adding pieces to their long awaited puzzle. The Orioles have been the second-most active team in their division. The additions actually began late last season with the manager. The Orioles were smart by adding Buck Showalter before the end of the season. Consequently, the Orioles finished 34-23 to finish up the season. This team already has young star players in Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, and Matt Weiters as well as veteran second baseman Brian Roberts. So, the question on talent is not up for debate. However, something always seems to be missing with this team year in and year out since their last postseason appearance in 1997. It seems that there are a number of key elements to success in Baltimore.
The first ingredient, if you will, would have to be experienced guidance. The aforementioned addition of Buck Showalter as manager certainly contributed to the organizations efforts. However, additional moves to the coaching staff solidified their goal. The key additions on the coaching staff are Willie Randolph, Jim Presley, and Mark Connor. Randolph spent last season as the bench coach in Milwaukee under Ken Macha. Although his stint as manager with the Mets was not all that impressive, Randolph was instrumental during the Yankees’ success as their third base coach and bench coach from 1994-2004. Jim Presley is the perfect match in Baltimore for the 2011 season because of how the team has been built. Presley served under Joe Girardi and Fredi Gonzalez as the Marlins hitting coach from 2006 to part of 2010. During this time, the Marlins put up impressive offensive numbers. The club finished in the top-five in the National League in categories such as homeruns, batting average, on base percentage and on base plus slugging percentage during his tenure. Finally Mark Connor, will be the most important key to the teams success on the mound. Connor was responsible for the Arizona Diamondbacks pitching accolades from 1998-2000. The D-backs finished second in baseball in earned run average during the 1999 season. In addition Randy Johnson was awarded the CY Young Award two years in a row (1999-2000) under Connor.
Now that the coaching staff is squared away, the next order of business for success in Baltimore is for them to play to their strengths. In the Orioles case, their ballpark is a “hitters park.” Having said that it was crucial for Baltimore to focus on producing runs rather than preventing runs. I’m not saying that pitching is not important, but if the ballpark that your team plays in favors hitters rather than pitchers, you would rather go into the game with better hitters than your opposition. This is especially the case since the Orioles play in their ballpark for half the season, or 81 games. In any event, the Orioles added the epitome of a power hitter in Mark Reynolds. Reynolds has played his entire career in Arizona as their third baseman. Despite being amongst the top in strikeouts for three consecutive seasons, his power is second to none. And even though Arizona is considered a fair hitters park, Reynolds will be playing in a ban box in Baltimore. Anytime you can add that amount of power to that ballpark, you go for it! In addition to Reynolds, the Orioles added veteran first baseman Derrek Lee. Lee spent last season with both the Cubs and the Braves. The 14-year All-Star, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, and World Series Champion will add much needed experience both on and off the field. Lee was part of the 2003 World Champion Florida Marlins in addition to playoff appearances with the Cubs in 2007 and 2008 and last season with the Braves. I feel that Lee’s defensive game is undervalued. The first baseman is a three-time gold glover and has saved numerous of errors from infielders. Just like Reynolds is a prolific homerun hitter, his defensive skills are average at best, so with the addition of Lee, Reynolds’ defensive numbers will definitely improve. Another minor, but still important move was the addition of shortstop J.J. Hardy. Hardy spent last season with the Minnesota Twins and spent the previous five seasons in Milwaukee. Surprisingly, Hardy is fifth active in fielding percentage amongst shortstops in the Major Leagues. Just ahead him at number four is Cesar Izturis. I only mention this name because he to resigned with the Orioles this offseason. Izturis spent the past two seasons in Baltimore. Although his offensive numbers do not fit their recipe for success, his defensive presence undoubtedly helps the teams pitching staff.
Incidentally, the Orioles pitching staff seems to be their Achilles Heal. Although hitting is important in Baltimore, pitching should not be ignored. Last season, the Orioles tried to improve the pitching staff by adding Kevin Millwood to their rotation. Needless to say, the experiment did not work. Millwood finished 4-16 with and earned run average over five. This is certainly not what we are accustomed to seeing from Millwood. So, instead of relying on a veteran arm, the Orioles appear to be going with their young arms anchored by their lone veteran Jeremy Guthrie. Despite his sub-par win-loss record, Guthrie finished with an earned run average under four and logged in 200 innings or more for two consecutive seasons. He relies more on the defense behind him since he walked only 50 batters and struck out a mere 119 batters, but allowed a batting average of .243 to opposing hitters. The other four starters in the rotation are Brian Matusz, Jake Arrieta, Brian Bergesen, and Chris Tillman. Matusz was expected to dominate the American League and although he had 18 quality starts, the lefty fell on some hard times on the mound during the season. Altogether, these young arms had decent seasons in 2010 but would definitely need to improve in 2011 to make a run at the American League East.
The bullpen is actually looking like a strong suite for the club in 2011. Having said that, there are a lot of ifs involved. After signing Mike Gonzalez to 12 million, two-year deal, the left-handed pitcher only pitched in 29 games due to a left shoulder strain that lingered throughout the whole season. Japanese pitcher Koji Uehara also battled some injuries, which eventually landed him in the bullpen in 2010. Uehara ended up closing games for the Orioles in 2010, converting 13 saves of his 15 opportunities. The Orioles also took a chance on journeyman reliever Alfredo Simon out of the Dominican Republic. He was the Orioles closer for part of the season, converting 17 saves of his 21 chances. Jason Berken did not fair too well as a starter for the Orioles in 2009, so in 2010 we was moved to the bullpen. In 62.1 innings pitched, he had an earned run average of 3.03 and walked only 19 batters. In addition to this quartet of good relief pitchers, the Orioles just signed veteran reliever Kevin Gregg to their bullpen. Gregg pitched for Toronto last season, recording 37 saves and posting an ERA of 3.51. Before pitching for the Blue Jays, Gregg played for the Cubs, Marlins, and Angels. Gregg will serve as an incredible source of experience for this relatively young rotation.
After looking at the prospects of the 2011 Baltimore Orioles, no one can disagree that this team has been built for success. Headlined by the superb coaching staff, the Orioles will rely on not only their ability to hit the ball out the ballpark but also rely on their defensive attributes. And if the lineup lives up to its expectations, which is more than likely, then it would have to be up to the pitching staff to supersede their expectations. Ultimately, the inexperience of the rotation will probably hold any thoughts of Baltimore competing for a playoff spot in 2011.
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