2009 Baltimore Orioles Predictions

Written March 24, 2009 by Jason Lowry

orioles-baseball The Baltimore Orioles have a long way to go in the AL East before they start knocking on the doors of the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays, but they are doing things the right way with getting its young talent on the field, and making this team a likely contender in the years to come. Last year the Orioles were the only team in the AL East to finish under .500 at 68-93. The Orioles didn’t make a bunch of big moves like they had hoped, such as bringing in 1B Mark Teixeira or starting pitcher A.J. Burnett, but they did get some help up the middle in veteran SS Cesar Izturis and they wind up getting lucky with former Cubs top prospect Felix Pie, who is expected to get the chance to start in left field this season. Here is a closer look at the 2009 Baltimore Orioles and how I see them finishing up the season in the AL East. Bet Orioles +5000 to win AL East at Sportsbook.com

Offense: The Orioles should be just fine when it comes to their offensive production this season, as they still have one of the best leadoff hitters in the game in 2B Brian Roberts, who hit .296 with 40 stolen bases last season. In the 2 hole the Orioles will stick with veteran 3B Melvin Mora, who continues to not show his age, hitting 23 home runs with 104 RBI last season. The middle of the lineup looks pretty good with 1B Aubrey Huff RF Nick Markakis, and DH Luke Scott, but look out for CF Adam Jones who has all the tools to be the best hitter on this team. Izturis isn’t much of a threat at the plate and will likely be used mainly for his defense, and at catcher it looks like the veteran Gregg Zaun could be the opening day starter, but it likely won’t last all season, as the Orioles are dying to get their talented prospect Matt Wieters into the lineup. This team could really take off if PIe can finally start living up to his expectations, but if not the Orioles have other options as Lou Montanez could move to the DH and Scott could take over in left field. There is a lot of potential surrounding this lineup, but I don’t think we will see the full results for at least a couple more years. Bet Orioles +5000 to win AL Pennant at Sportsbook.com

Pitching: Here is where all the problems come to rise, as the starting rotation is prettty much still up for grabs, as only the top two spots are set in stone in Jeremy Guthrie and Koji Uehara, and thats not saying much since Guthrie was just 10-12 with a 3.63 ERA and Uehara is making his first starts in the big leagues after coming over from Japan. The battle for the final 3 spots will likely continue all the way into the beginning of the season, but as of right now i got Rich Hill, Danys Baez , and Adam Eaton winning over the last 3 spots. The guy to look out for is Hill, who was once picked to be an every day starter for the Cubs after his showing in 2007, and if this guy can find that form for the Orioles they might of found a 15 game winner in the near future. The Bullpen looks great at the end with all-star closer George Sherril, who converted 31 of 37 saves last season. Behind Sherril the Orioles will be counting on key set up men Jim Johnson, Chris Ray, and Dennis Sarfate. Overall the pitching staff is likely what keeps the Orioles out of the mix in the very competitive AL East, but things could turn around in a hurry if some of these arms are able to rebound for a big 2009 season. Bet Orioles +10000 to win World Series at Sportsbook.com

Prediction: 5th in AL East I like what the Orioles are doing with their mix of young talent and solid veterans, but this team just has to many question marks at to many positions to pick this team any higher than last in the AL East. They could give the Blue Jays a run for their money to finish 4th, but I don’t see any way this team competes with the Red Sox, Rays, or Yankees in 2009.

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