MLB Season Preview: Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Orioles

Last Season's Standings: The Baltimore Orioles were 70-92, including 4-6 in their last ten games, to finish the '06 season in 4th in the ever competitive AL East.

In: RP Danys Baez (prev. team: Atlanta Braves); C Paul Bako (prev. team: Kansas City Royals); RP Chad Bradford (prev. team: NY Mets); SS Chris Gomez; 3B Aubrey Huff (prev. team: Houston Astros); 1B Kevin Millar; RF Jay Payton (prev. team: Oakland A's); SP Steve Trachsel (prev. team: NY Mets); RP Jamie Walker (prev. team: Detroit Tigers); RP Todd Williams; RP Scott Williamson (prev. team: San Diego Padres); SP Jaret Wright (prev. team: NY Yankees); SP Erik Bedard; CF Corey Patterson; RP Paul Shuey; 2B Brian Roberts; RF Nick Markakis; RP Jeremy Guthrie (waiver claim); RP Jim Miller (via trade w/ Colorado Rockies); RP Jason Burch (via trade w/ Colorado Rockies); SP Daniel Cabrera; SS Freddie Bynum (via trade w/ Chicago Cubs)

Out: SP Rodrigo Lopez (via trade w/ Colorado Rockies); RP Winston Abreu (new team: Washington Nationals); C Raul Chavez (new team: NY Yankees); SP Bruce Chen (new team: Texas Rangers); 1B Howie Clark (new team: San Diego Padres) RP Eric DuBose (new team: Colorado Rockies); RP LaTroy Hawkins (new team: Colorado Rockies); LF David Newhan (new team: NY Mets); SP Russ Ortiz (new team: San Fracisco Giants); RP Eddy Rodriguez (new team: Florida Marlins); 3B Fernando Tatis (new team: LA Dodgers); CF Luis Terrero (new team: Chicago White Sox)

Starting Pitching: Canadian righty Erik Bedrard, who went 15-10 with a 3.76 ERA while striking out 171 batters in 33 starts last season. Bedard is a hard worker who boasts good low-90's heat and a strong curveball. He works well with runners in scoring position and retires hitters from both sides with equal ease. He still needs to work on his endurance a little. He's prone to month-long slumps here and there. Hopefully his first start of the season is not a sign of one of those slumps, he allowed 6 earned runs on ten hits while walking 2 and striking out 3 in 4.2 innings. Daniel Cabrera will follow him in the rotation. He went 9-10 with a 4.74 ERA while striking out 157 and walking a brutal 104 in 26 starts last season. His enormous size gives him impressive heat that tops out in the mid-90's and he adds a solid slider and a change-up. Cabrera has good endurance for a young pitcher. By far his biggest problem lies in consistently throwing strikes, not to mention consistency in general. He's weak with runners in scoring position. Trade acquisition Jaret Wright will be third in the rotation. He went 11-7 with a 4.49 ERA in 30 appearances, 27 of them being starts last season with the Yankees. The big righty generates ample power with his ample frame, topping out at about 97 mph. He throws a two-seamer as well as a four-seamer, plus a change-up. His bulky frame keeps him from having the endurance you like to see in a big starter. It took him until 2004 to find a comfortable set of mechanics. The fourth starter will be Canadian righty Adam Loewen, who went 6-6 with a 5.37 ERA in 22 appearances, nineteen of those beings starts, last season. His darting fastball approaches the mid-90's, and he adds an impressive curve. The lefty is effective against hitters from both sides. He needs to improve his approach with runners on, especially in scoring position. Command can be an issue, and he needs to improve his stamina. The fifth and final starter will be righty free agent signing Steve Trachsel, who was 15-8 with a 4.97 ERA in 30 starts in '06. Trachsel has a deep pitch selection from which to choose. He's a smart pitcher with good control. Trachsel loves to mix up two-seamers and four-seamers and his splitter induces a lot of ground balls. Also, he's a great fielder. Trachsel needs to have great command or else he's completely ineffective because he can't throw the ball past anyone. It seems he gets rattled early and too often is out of the game by the time the fifth or sixth inning rolls around. He doesn't have a good pick-off move

Bullpen: Anchoring this bullpen and closing out close games in the ninth will be righty Chris Ray, who was 4-4 and saved 33 games in 38 opportunities while picking up a 2.73 earned run average in 61 games played in 2006. Hitters have trouble making solid contact on his moving, mid-90's heat. He adds a slider and occasional splitter, plus the toughness to pitch well with the game on the line. When left-handed hitters get a hold of him, they hot him very hard. The left-handed specialist will be Jamie Waler, who went 0-1 with a 2.81 ERA in 56 appearances last season. Setting up Ray in the eighth will be righty Danys Baez, who went 5-6 and notched 9 saves with a 4.53 ERA in 57 appearances with the Dodgers and Braves last season. Baez throws a nice mid-90's fastball with good movement and an ever-improving curveball. He's very effective pitching in tight spots, especially in the late innings. He's been known to have problems with his mechanics so he has to be sure not to tinker with a good thing. Free agent signing and sidewinder Chad Bradford will be a second option as a setup man. He went 4-2 with a 2.90 ERA in 70 appearances with the Mets last season. He can work himself out of tight spots and is durable enough to pitch well on consecutive days. Bradford keeps the ball in the park by inducing grounders. Left-handed hitters tend to smack him around and he tires late in the season. Free agent signing Scott Williamson is good for both middle relief and later innings relief. He went 2-4 with a 5.72 ERA in 42 appearances, split between the Cubs and Padres (he missed two months of the season to an elbow injury). He throws a rising upper-90's fastball, an impressive splitter, a solid slider and a change-up. He mixes his pitches well, enabling him to retire hitters from both sides of the plate consistently. His killer splitter puts a lot of strain on his elbow, which is a concern, especially considering his history of injuries. He doesn't have much of a pick-off move, so runners like to see him on the mound. Waiver pick-up Jeremy Guthrie is hoping to impress his new team and show them he was a good pick-up. He'll be a long man who can spot start. He had a bad 6.98 ERA in 9 appearances, eight of those being starts, with the Indians last season. Guthrie can crank the heat into the mid-90's, keeping it low. He also adds a nice slider and change-up. He's prone to losing his command, leading to many walks (15 last season) and home runs (2 balls left the park against him last season). Rounding out the bullpen will be lefty John Parrish, who is back in the majors after basically missing the last 2 seasons to Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow. He's got some heat for his small stature. Parrish is stingy with the longball and is strong with runners aboard. If the plate were four feet wide, then you might be able to say he has good control. He needs at least 2 days' rest to be effective.

Designated Hitter: The primary DH will be the left-handed hitting Kevin Millar, who hit .272 with 15 HR and 64 RBI last season. He'll bat 7th in the line-up and play between 135-150 games if healthy. At the plate and in the clubhouse, if there's a job to be done, Millar is up to the task. He can really come through with runners aboard and is generally a smarter base-runner. Backing him up will be Jay Gibbons, who hit .277 with 13 HR and 46 RBI last season.

Catcher: The every day behind the plate will normally be Roberto Hernandez, but he'll likely start the season on the DL with a strained oblique muscle. He hit .275 with 23 HR and 91 RBI while getting on base 34.3% of the time last season. Hernandez has very good plate knowledge as a hitter, with quick hands and the ability to deliver with two strikes on him. He also hassome pop in his bat. He still lacks the proper footwork to be sound defensively and will only go as far as his bat will take him. Backing him up will be veteran back-up Paul Bako, who hit .209 while driving in 10 runs last season. Bako missed a month himself last season with a strained oblique muscle. Bako is very solid defensively. He reads the game well and has a good command of his pitchers when he's behind the plate. Bako understands his role and is a good leader in the clubhouse. He'll never contend for any batting titles, to say the least. His strikeout rate is shockingly high (he struck out 46 times in '06) and he canstantly fails to get the job done with runners on board. A third option at catcher is Alberto Castillo, who will be sent down to the minors once Hernandez is back and healthy again. He hit .208 with 1 HR and 14 RBI in 2006. He knows how to handle pitchers and has a wicked arm. Castillo is a smart player who can come off the bench to lay down a key bunt. He's a very slow runner, scant power and a bat that barely keep him over the Mendoza line.

First Baseman: Batting fifth and playing between 130-162 games if healthy is Aubrey Huff, who hit .267 with 21 HR and 66 RBI with both the Devil Rays and the Astros in 2006. Huff is the prototypical power-hitting corner infielder. He can hit for power and average and can spray the ball around the field. All this and he can turn his motor up a notch in the clutch and play outfield corners. Though he's generally a disciplined hitter, he tends to rack up a lot of strikeouts (64 last season) and his lack of speed can clog up the bases. He's just not great with the glove. Providing the back-up will be either Millar or Chris Gomez. There's no way around it: Millar is a mess in the field. He doesn't have the range or arm to play outfield on a regular basis and the same applies for the infield corners. As for Gomez, he hit .341 with 2 HR and 17 RBI last season. The best and worst you can say about his defensive game is that he's steady. He's fairly patient at the plate and hits righties fairly well, with occasional pop. His wonky knees have slowed down his running game and cut his range in the field. His bat isn't quick enough to get around on really tough stuff.

Second Baseman: Batting leadoff and playing between 135 and 160 games if healthy will be Brian Roberts. He hit .286 with 10 HR, 85 runs and 36 stolen bases and 55 runs driven in. The speedy switch hitter has superb base-stealing instincts. He's a good contact hitter with a good eye at the plate. He has some struggles as a right-handed hitter. He's not a bad bunter but would benefit by doing it a bit more often. Gomez and utility man Freddie Bynum will provide the back-up. Bynum batted .257 with 4 HR and 12 RBI last season. He'll likely be playing his first full season in the bigs.

Shortstop: Iron man Miguel Tejada has not missed a game in 6 seasons and there is no reason to think he won't play all 162 games again, while batting clean-up. He hit .330 with 33 HR, 100 RBI and 37 doubles in 2006. Tejada is a power hitter who waits for the right pitch to deposit into the stands. He's the kind of hitter you want up with runners in scoring position and he's very durable. Though his defense is at times spectacular, he still has his share of trouble at shortstop. His patience at the plate has lapsed in recent years. Gomez and Bynum will back him up if he gets injured or needs a rest.

Third Baseman: At the hot corner and batting second will be speedster Melvin Mora, who will play 155+ games if healthy. He hit .274 with 16 HR and 83 RBI in 2006. A fairly reliable power hitter, he's got good speed and is a dangerous first-pitch fastball hitter. Defensively, he's shown good range both in the infield and outfield. He must learn to pick his spots both on the bases and with the bat. Though he can drive in runs from a run-producing lineup spot, he could do much better. Gomez and Huff wil back-up.

Left Fielder: Normally Jay Payton will be the everyday left fielder, but he's unavailable due to a pulled hammy. He hit .296 with 10 HR and 59 RBI last season. Payton is an excellent contact hitter with some gap power. He'll work the count in his favor and he's an excellent runner who can be a force on the base paths. While a fine runner, Payton does need to work on his base-stealing techniques. Payton struggles in clutch situations. In his absence, Gibbons will be the starting left-fielder, batting 6th. Huff and Bynum will provide the back-up.

Center Fielder: The speedy Corey Patterson will bat ninth and play between 135 and 145games if healthy. He hit .276 with 16 HR and 53 RBI while stealing a career-high 53 stolen bases last season. Patterson is a great base-runner and has good power that will only get better. He's also got the arm and the range to play center field with the best of them. He just wants to go out and hit the ball to Pluto, no matter how often he strikes out (94 times last season) or how rarely he gets on base as a result. Though he improved in '06, he's earned a stubbornness tag. Bynum will be his back-up.

Right Fielder: Finally, sophomore Nick Markakis, who is entering his second full season in the majors will bat 3rd and play between 145 and 155 games if healthy. He hit .291 with 16 HR and 62 RBI in his rookie campaign. Markakis has almost everything: line drive power to all fields, a consistent bat, a strong arm and great instincts. He hits well against pitchers from both sides and with runners on. The one area in which Markakis does not excel is in base-running and base-stealing, though he is a fast enough runner; it'll just take some work. Backing him up will be either Huff or Bynum.

Season Prediction: The Orioles can't compete this year because their pitching staff is a huge question mark outside of ace Bedard, and he's even prone to slumps. The rest of the rotation has injury questions or consistency issues. The Orioles will struggle to a fourth place finish in the competitive AL East.