Are The Birds Really That Bad in 2016?
- Russell C. Robbins Jr.
- Feb 23, 2016
- 3 min read
The 2015 Baltimore Orioles did not have what it took to return to the playoffs as they did the year prior. Coming off the 2014 playoff run, Orioles management did little during the offseason to bolster to squad. Coupled with the loss of Andrew Miller and Nelson Cruz, the 2015 Birds fell short of the postseason. Although the Birds shyed away from the big names on the free agent market going into the 2016 season, they have made a few additions that make them the team to watch in the AL East.
The biggest news of the offseason in Baltimore was the re-signing of the left handed slugger, Chris Davis. In addition to Davis, the Orioles also re-signed reliever Darren O'Day and Matt Wieters. New additions to the Birds include Korean outfield phenom Hyun-soo Kim, along with starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo, and slugger Mark Trumbo.
The addition of Gallardo definately improves the starting rotation for the Orioles, though pitching is still the biggest area of concern in Birdland. Gallardo is coming off a 13 win season with the Texas Rangers where he posted a 3.42 ERA. Chris Tillman saw his ERA rise 1.5 runs a game in 2015 and only wond 11 games for the Birds. Kevin Gausman showed promise in his time with the big club in 2015, as he was up and down between the Orioles and the AAA Norfolk Tides. Ubaldo Jiminez improved on his 2014 during the 2015 campaign and hopes to continue the trend going into the 2016 season. Miguel Gonzalez and Mike Wright will likely duel for the fifth spot in the rotation.
Baltimores bullpen looks strong going into the season with Darren O'day returning alongside lefty Zach Britton and Mychal Givens. Former first round pick Dylan Bundy could play a big role out of the pen this year as well, as he is returning from Tommy John surgery. Formerly a starter, Bundy is just the kind of hard throwing arm the Orioles could come to rely on in the sixth and seventh inning to get to O'Day and Britton.
Four time Gold Glove winner Adam Jones anchors the Orioles outfield going into 2016. the addition of Kim adds another left handed bat to the line up. It is always hard to project numbers on a guy coming from another league, yet Kim hit for both average and power in Korea and could be a Nick Markakis type of producer offensively at the big league level. Nolan Reimold, Dariel Alvarez, Mark Trumbo, and others are battling for the RF position. Reimold has battled injury most of his career but performed descently in 2015, while Alvarez performed well at AAA Norfolk.
Manny Machado and Chris Davis will man the corners of the Camden Yards infield in 2016, wtih JJ Hardy and Jonathan Schoop at shortstop and second base, respectively. Machado is a defensive beast with suprising pop at the plate, and one of the games elite players. Davis is an above average defender thats going to hit 35-40 home runs and strike out 200 times. You gotta take the good with the bad,right? JJ Hardy has seen his power decline in the past 2 seasons as he has battled injury. A gold glove caliber shortstop when healthy, Hardy can be a big contributer to the Birds if his health holds up. Young second baseman Jonathan Schoop battled injuries as well in 2015, but could easily hit 30 home runs in a full season, and he is an above average defender with an above average arm.
Matt Wieters returns behind the plate for the Birds with Caleb Joseph assuming the backup role. Wieters is coming off an injury shortened season and hopes to return to his prime form. In addition, Ryan Flaherty is also a key piece of the Birds 2016 team and will likely see quite a bit of playing time in a backup role.
The Orioles made a few additions this offseason that definately improves upon the 2015 squad. While many baseball insiders project the Birds to finish last in the A.L. East, if the Orioles stay healthy they could easily be in Wild Card contention and possibly even the a AL East championship. The potent offense should make up fo the lack of pitching to some extent, as everyone knows the Birds are going to be a home run hitting run producing squad.
Comentarios