2011 Baltimore Orioles Spring Preview

Being a Baltimore Orioles fan hasn't been easy lately. The team has had a losing record every year since 1997, the last time they made the playoffs. The Orioles also have had at least 90 losses every year since 2006. General manager Andy MacPhail was aggressive this off season and brought some veteran players with talent. This all took place after the Orioles showed signs of life late in the 2010 season under new manager Buck Showalter. Here is what the Orioles will look like in 2011.

Goings: 2010 All-Star infielder Ty Wigginton has left, signing a free agent deal with the Colorado Rockies. Wigginton didn't have fantastic numbers in 2010, but was a solid veteran and a good clubhouse presence. David Hernandez, who both started and pitched in relief in 2010, is now with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was 8-8 last season with an earned run average of 4.31. Veteran starter Kevin Millwood, who had a terrible 2010, still remains a free agent. Reliever Matt Albers is also gone, signing with the Boston Red Sox.

New additions: The Orioles made a deal with the Diamondbacks to acquire power hitting third baseman Mark Reynolds. Reynolds is known for his home runs, strikeouts, and low batting average, not necessarily in that order. He had 223 strikeouts in 2009, a major league record. His .198 batting average last season, with 211 strikeouts in just 499 at bats, are huge red flags. Maybe Reynolds just needed a change of scenery, but if he doesn't cut down on the whiffs, I can't see Showalter being happy. Showalter is known for being obsessed with fundamentals, and how Reynolds fits in with that philosophy boggles my mind. The Orioles weren't done trading as a few days later they brought in shortstop J.J. hardy from the Minnesota Twins. Hardy is a decent shortstop with some pop in his bat, hitting 26 home runs with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2007.

In free agency Baltimore added even more power to their lineup. First they picked up first baseman Derrek Lee with a one year deal. The Orioles are hoping he will return to the power number he had in 2009, 35 home runs and 111 runs batted in. Lee will be a defensive upgrade, he has won three Gold Gloves. The team then added designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero. Last season, with the Texas Rangers, Guerrero hit 29 home runs while batting .300 and knocking in 115 runs. This move will put last year's DH, Luke Scott, in left field in 2011.

The Orioles also picked up a couple of pitchers, one for the rotation and one for the bullpen. They signed former Oakland A's starter Justin Duchscherer to an incentive laden contract. Duchscherer is recovering from hip surgery and made just five starts last season. In the bullpen they added Kevin Gregg, who has closed for three different teams the last three seasons. In those three seasons Gregg has averaged nearly 30 saves. The move allows Showalter to use either Gregg or last year's closer Koji Uehara at the end of games.

Analysis: The moves that the Orioles made this off season are ones that may buy the team a little more time to build up their farm system. The players they brought in may give the team a small bump in the standings. This will help put a few more people in the stands and keep the critics at bay, for at least a short time. I think the Orioles will still be in last place in the American League East, because of their less than stellar pitching rotation. I pencil them in for a respectable 76 wins and a more exciting brand of baseball at Camden Yards.

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Sources:

baseball-almanac.com

orioles.mlb.com/team/roster