Baltimore Orioles Season Preview

2012 Season: 93-69 2nd in AL East

The Baltimore Orioles were a big a surprise last season. They had gone fifteen years without a playoff appearance, but timely hitting, big power and stifling bullpen propelled them to October baseball in 2012. For a while the Orioles were known as the bottom feeders of the AL East, so it was refreshing to see their name on the top of the standings. I was quick to jump on the Baltimore bandwagon last year, but I think baseball fans everywhere are curious to see if the Oriole’s can sustain their success. 

Offensively Adam Jones, Nick Markakis and Nate McLouth led the way last year, but look for Manny Machado and Brian Roberts to bust on the scene this year. Manny Machado is a 20 year old phoneme that got called up two-thirds of the way through the season last year. With experience he is going to be a star in the Bigs and don’t be surprised if he has a huge impact sooner than expected. Brian Roberts is a former All Star who has had injury problems the last two seasons. However, reports are saying he is the healthiest since the 2009, which is great news for the Baltimore organization. Roberts can be a force at the top of the lineup with his ability to get on base and steal bases. With these two guys coming back the Orioles’ offensive will improve, but pitching will make or break their season

If Baltimore is going to make it back to the playoffs, their bullpen is going to have to repeat their efforts from last year which boasted an even 3.00 ERA. The Orioles bullpen led all playoff teams in innings pitched, and had six guys who finished the season with an ERA in the 2s. Jim Johnson had an incredible year as the closer saving 51 of 54 tries and posted a 2.49 ERA in the toughest division in baseball. Many of their relievers had career years in 2012 and Baltimore is going to rely on them once-again to pick up a very average starting rotation. 

Prediction: 86-76 3rd in AL East

 The resurgence of the Blue Jays will make the AL East tougher than ever and I don’t know if they have enough magic to complete another 90 win season. The Orioles bullpen will pitch well but not good enough to make up for their lack of starting pitching. 

-Blake Dale Lepire