Baltimore Orioles
2015 Win/Loss Record:
81-81, 3rd in American League East
Last Postseason
Appearance: 2014
Last World Series
Championship: 1983
Key Arrivals: Mark
Trumbo (1B), Hyun-Soo Kim (OF)
Key Departures: Gerardo
Perra (OF), Steve Pearce (OF)
Manager: Buck
Showalter, 7th Year W/L
485-409
(1340-1242 in 17 years with Yankee, D-Backs, Rangers and
Orioles)
Overall Review: The Baltimore Orioles
took a huge step backwards in 2015. After winning 96 games and the AL East title a
year earlier, the Orioles only managed 81 wins and finished 12 games back of
the first-place Toronto Blue Jays. Unfortunately, it appears the Orioles will
continue their descent in 2016 as they didn’t do much in the way of upgrading
their team, while division rivals Boston and New York were busy building their
team to challenge Toronto, and Tampa Bay is going to see their next youth
movement make progress this year.
One bit of good news is the
re-signing of first baseman Chris Davis. For a while, it looked like the
slugger would be out the door, signing with a different team. But at the
eleventh hour, the Orioles got the job done and retained him. Losing Davis
would have hurt Baltimore quite a bit, maybe too much to recover from.
Offense: Having Davis’s bat in the
line-up was essential for the Orioles to mount any kind of threat this year. In
2015, the slugger bashed a league-leading 47 home runs and added 117 RBIs. It
was the second time in three years he was the AL’s home run leader after
smacking 53 in 2013. His strikeouts, however, have to be a concern. In 2013 he
whiffed 199 times, 173 times in 2014 (in only 127 games) and 208 times last
year. Go big or go home, I guess you could say with Davis. There are two more
sluggers in the Orioles line-up. Third baseman Manny Machado, who hit 35
dingers, drove in 86 and even batted .286, and centre-fielder Adam Jones (.269,
27, 82) are both able to show some power at a lower cost of strikeouts (111 and
102 respectively.)
A big reason for the O’s
shortcomings last year was the injury problems of the middle infielders. Second
baseman Jonathan Schoop (.279, 15, and 39) only played in 86 games while
shortstop J.J. Hardy (.219, 8, 37) played in 114. If the two of them can stay
healthy, Baltimore has even more power potential, which they will need if they
hope to get back to the top of the division.
Pitching: Looking at the starting
rotation doesn’t exactly strike fear in opponents. Their mediocre performance
is one of the reasons the Orioles slid to third place last year. Their best
pitcher, Wei-Yin Chen is gone, leaving Ubaldo Jimenez as the ace. In 2015,
Jimenez was 12-10, had a 4.11 ERA and struck out 168 batters. The number two
guy will be Kevin Gausman. Last year, in 25 appearances—17 starts—Gausman was
4-7, had a 4.25 ERA and struck out 103. Rounding out the rotation will be Chris
Tillman (11-11, 4.99, 120), Miguel Gonzalez (9-12, 4.91, 109) and Dylan Bundy,
who has been limited to 63 minor league innings over the past three season due
to injuries to his shoulder and elbow.
Closer Zach Britton will anchor
the Baltimore bullpen for the third consecutive year. Despite the Orioles
winning 15 less games, Britton still saved 36 in 2015, down only one from a year
ago. His ERA jumped a bit but you can’t complain when it sits at 1.92. Darren
O’Day will provide some help in the pen as the primary set-up man. Last year,
O’Day won six games in relief and saved six as well. His ERA was 1.52 and he
struck out 82 batters.
 |
| O's slugger Chris Davis |
Prediction: The Orioles won’t be able
to catch Toronto or the Yankees in 2016. They will also watch the Red Sox and
Rays jump ahead of them. For a team that made it to the ALCS just two years
ago, a last-place finish will be a huge disappointment for both the team and
fans. However, the basement is where the Orioles will end up this year. There’s
not enough good starting pitching to go along with the power bats in the line
up.
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