Baltimore Preview: Birds Fly Into My Windshield
If you had told someone after the 2002 that the Baltimore Orioles would, in three years, boast a lineup featuring Miguel Tejada, Rafael Palmeiro, and Sammy Sosa, chances are pretty good that your buddy would say something along the lines of, "Dang! That team's gonna be challenging the Yankees!"
Alas, the Birds found themselves on the wrong side of Fortune's wheel last year, as any chance of contention collapsed into something akin to a Greek tragedy, only not as much fun. Sammy was hurt and ineffective. Raffy scored his 3000th hit, but that joy was quashed by his failed drug test. Miggy had another stellar year, but he repeatedly told reporters he wanted out before recanting. Two of those guys are gone, and there is a fair chance that Tejada will be elsewhere before the waiver deadline.
1. Can Leo Mazzone work his magic north of the Mason-Dixon Line?
It's not often that a team's biggest signing is a new pitching coach, but that's what happened in Baltimore this year. Leo Mazzone left years and years of success with Atlanta to join his pal Sam Perlozzo and rebuild the Orioles' staff.
When I've tried to draw any conclusions about Mazzone's phenomenal track record in Atlanta, it always comes down to a chicken-or-egg question: did the Braves have good pitching because Mazzone was a great coach, or because the pitchers on his staff were good to begin with? I'm willing to concede that there's probably some truth on both sides of that equation. But I can't concede that Mazzone lucked into great pitching staffs fifteen years in a row; nobody could be that successful for that long without doing something right.
Mazzone will have some interesting raw material to work with. Erik Bedard could be the best starter in the rotation (his name was linked to many of the hypothetical Tejada trade rumors). Bruce Chen (who worked with Mazzone back in the day) looks like he might be getting his act together. Rodrigo Lopez isn't anything special, but he has some value as an innings-eater. And Kris Benson (and his wife) was brought in to take Sidney Ponson's place as veteran anchor and pain in the butt.
Mazzone will also need to find a closer among the bullpen crew. Good luck with that, Leo.
The pitching is a pretty ordinary bunch (excepting Bedard). I guess this will be a test of just how golden the Mazzone touch is.
2. Will Perlozzo find a golden touch as he rebuilds the lineup?
If you're looking for proof that last year was messed up in Baltimore, look no further than these fun facts to know and share:
The Orioles team OPS was 14 points higher than the White Sox'. The O's knocked out 42 more hits (good for sixty more total bases) than the World Champs. They also drew 12 more walks. Despite these advantages, the Orioles managed to score 12 fewer runs, and win 25 fewer games.
On paper, it's unlikely that things can get any worse. Tejada is still the best shortstop in the league. Brian Roberts is a terrific leadoff hitter. Even though some thought he had an off-year, Melvin More still put up an .822 OPS.
As for the new guys...well, Jeromy Burnitz will better Sosa's stat line from 2005 (that bar's set pretty low). Kevin Millar will probably be a wash compared to Palmeiro. Corey Patterson might push Luis Matos (who had some issues of his own last year).
But outside the top three (Roberts, Mora, and Tejada), this is a rather ordinary group. Unless Patterson, Kevin Millar, Jeff Conine, and the catching tandem of Javy Lopez and Ramon Hernandez kick their production up a notch, the O's will find themselves mired in the lower third of the offensive standings.
3. Lower third of the standings? Is that going to be some lame segue to close this piece?
Yeah, pretty much.
The Orioles finished 74-88 last year. With Perlozzo and Mazzone running the show, and without the distraction of the Palmeiro circus, it's conceivable that the team could enjoy some improvement this year.
Unfortunately, the Orioles play in the AL East. A steady diet of New York, Boston, and Toronto hitters will test Mazzone's staff, especially since the offense will be hard-pressed to keep pace with those three teams.
Barring a catastrophic collapse from the division front-runners, a .500 finish seems to be the best-case scenario for the O's. We'll see if that improvement will be enough to appease Tejada for another year...
Alas, the Birds found themselves on the wrong side of Fortune's wheel last year, as any chance of contention collapsed into something akin to a Greek tragedy, only not as much fun. Sammy was hurt and ineffective. Raffy scored his 3000th hit, but that joy was quashed by his failed drug test. Miggy had another stellar year, but he repeatedly told reporters he wanted out before recanting. Two of those guys are gone, and there is a fair chance that Tejada will be elsewhere before the waiver deadline.
1. Can Leo Mazzone work his magic north of the Mason-Dixon Line?
It's not often that a team's biggest signing is a new pitching coach, but that's what happened in Baltimore this year. Leo Mazzone left years and years of success with Atlanta to join his pal Sam Perlozzo and rebuild the Orioles' staff.
When I've tried to draw any conclusions about Mazzone's phenomenal track record in Atlanta, it always comes down to a chicken-or-egg question: did the Braves have good pitching because Mazzone was a great coach, or because the pitchers on his staff were good to begin with? I'm willing to concede that there's probably some truth on both sides of that equation. But I can't concede that Mazzone lucked into great pitching staffs fifteen years in a row; nobody could be that successful for that long without doing something right.
Mazzone will have some interesting raw material to work with. Erik Bedard could be the best starter in the rotation (his name was linked to many of the hypothetical Tejada trade rumors). Bruce Chen (who worked with Mazzone back in the day) looks like he might be getting his act together. Rodrigo Lopez isn't anything special, but he has some value as an innings-eater. And Kris Benson (and his wife) was brought in to take Sidney Ponson's place as veteran anchor and pain in the butt.
Mazzone will also need to find a closer among the bullpen crew. Good luck with that, Leo.
The pitching is a pretty ordinary bunch (excepting Bedard). I guess this will be a test of just how golden the Mazzone touch is.
2. Will Perlozzo find a golden touch as he rebuilds the lineup?
If you're looking for proof that last year was messed up in Baltimore, look no further than these fun facts to know and share:
The Orioles team OPS was 14 points higher than the White Sox'. The O's knocked out 42 more hits (good for sixty more total bases) than the World Champs. They also drew 12 more walks. Despite these advantages, the Orioles managed to score 12 fewer runs, and win 25 fewer games.
On paper, it's unlikely that things can get any worse. Tejada is still the best shortstop in the league. Brian Roberts is a terrific leadoff hitter. Even though some thought he had an off-year, Melvin More still put up an .822 OPS.
As for the new guys...well, Jeromy Burnitz will better Sosa's stat line from 2005 (that bar's set pretty low). Kevin Millar will probably be a wash compared to Palmeiro. Corey Patterson might push Luis Matos (who had some issues of his own last year).
But outside the top three (Roberts, Mora, and Tejada), this is a rather ordinary group. Unless Patterson, Kevin Millar, Jeff Conine, and the catching tandem of Javy Lopez and Ramon Hernandez kick their production up a notch, the O's will find themselves mired in the lower third of the offensive standings.
3. Lower third of the standings? Is that going to be some lame segue to close this piece?
Yeah, pretty much.
The Orioles finished 74-88 last year. With Perlozzo and Mazzone running the show, and without the distraction of the Palmeiro circus, it's conceivable that the team could enjoy some improvement this year.
Unfortunately, the Orioles play in the AL East. A steady diet of New York, Boston, and Toronto hitters will test Mazzone's staff, especially since the offense will be hard-pressed to keep pace with those three teams.
Barring a catastrophic collapse from the division front-runners, a .500 finish seems to be the best-case scenario for the O's. We'll see if that improvement will be enough to appease Tejada for another year...
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9:26 PM
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