It’s Over
The long 2009 season for the Baltimore Orioles finished on a nice upswing winning their last four games including a series sweep at home against the Toronto Blue Jays. It was a small reward considering going into Thursday night’s game in against Tampa Bay, the team seemed almost certain to fall to 100 losses, still they lost 98 games. 2007 and 2008 were thought to be miserable seasons but they lost 93 games in those campaigns.
What went wrong? Wasn’t the conjecture fans should have expected an upswing in the second half of the season? We were assured there would be a massive infusion of young talent, the players who’d play key rolls in the Orioles future.
These things did not help. Trading George Sherrill to the Dodgers revealed a flimsy bullpen with no pitcher suited to close the deal as Jim Johnson failed miserably in the closer’s roll and nobody else was up to the task. Aubrey Huff was traded to Detroit robbing the middle of the lineup of the surest RBI threat they had. Adam Jones injury took away a multifaceted emerging offensive threat, a player who clearly seemed to have arrived as a potential major force in the lineup and a fielder who covers much ground in the outfield, but a freakish injury September 1, removed him for the year. Nolan Reimold could have been a rookie of the year candidate who had solidified the final spot in the Orioles’ outfield but a nagging injury proved more serious requiring surgery removing him for most of September. Rookie pitcher, Brad Bergesen, appeared to be the most developed of the young crop arriving at Camden Yards but missed the last two months of the season after taking a shot off his leg. Koji Uehara was signed as the potential #2 starter but had arm trouble while active before being shutdown for the season. Rich Hill, a journeyman starter, was dreadfully ineffective nursing a torn left labrum. Even replacement player, Felix Pie, who struggled early in the season but showed promise filling in for Jones and Riemold suffered a season ending injury with a strained left quad.
Much attention focused on the call-up of number #1 draft choice from 2007, Matt Wieters in May. While he certainly showed his inexperience having never played a full season in the upper minors, as the season progressed he found his stroke with a .288 batting average and developing more power and RBI ability with each passing week. Pitching call ups Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman gathered much attention showing potential but also needing more refinement. Only allowed limited action, lefty Matusz finished at 5-2 having been rushed through the minors. Tillman, a top prospect when acquired from Seattle in the Erik Beddard trade, clearly needs more work with a 2-5 mark but showing the tools that if properly nurtured could make him a valuable starter for years to come. For Jason Berkin, things were much more difficult, working to a 6-12 mark and a 6.54 ERA, he certainly would have been sent back to Norfolk or Bowie for more work if the need for starting pitching weren’t so strained. David Henderson was the final rookie receiving serious consideration with 19 starts, 4-10 record, 5.42 ERA.
It’s probably useless to consider the “would have, should have, could have” scenarios for 2009. The bottom line is the team lost 98 games, but some valuable questions for the team’s future are answered. The future winning Orioles will field Matt Wieters at catcher, Brian Roberts at second base, Nick Markakis in right field, Adam Jones in center field, and Nolan Reimold in left field. Brian Matusz looks like a genuine top notch starter. Chris Tillman is well on his way.
The Orioles crucial needs to be a solid competitor are the corner infield positions, first and third base. They require a veteran #1 or #2 quality starter to anchor the rotation while the youngsters develop. Jeremy Guthrie has been thrust into that roll but does not command that presence. He could be a key player mixed in with the youngsters lower in the rotation but the future of the Orioles starting rotation does not rest on his shoulders. Whether the Orioles can pull together the right personnel to cover DH or they should opt for a proven veteran would be perhaps the final question to be answered in the rebuilding process.
Cesar Izturis is a fine defensive shortstop who could fit into future plans if there is sufficient offense elsewhere. He forms a formidable double play combination with Brian Roberts.
Rehiring manager Dave Trembley is reassuring to some and baffling to others. Given Andy McPhail’s stated intention that the team should show improvement in the late season did not happen. Jim Palmer clearly identified a team lacking a sense of “urgency.” Sloppy base running and fielding problems showing poor coordination and communication were issues all season long. These were not as much issues of lack of talent but lack of leadership, drilling, and discipline. To Trembley’s credit, the clubhouse remained under control and the players continued to play with enthusiasm and good behavior. However, could there be a culture developing that accepts losing? Baltimore fans will not embrace the Orioles as a bunch of lovable losers as Chicago once embraced the Cubs. With the courtyard numbers of 4, 5, 8, 22, and 33 hard to miss, Orioles tradition tells a different story.
Finally, the Orioles will likely say goodbye to third baseman, Melvin Mora, obtained in a fire sale trade for shortstop, Mike Bordick, originally intended for a utility roll. Soon, Mora proved indispensible playing a number of positions before finally settling at 3rd base where he’s played more games at the hot corner than any other Orioles’ 3rd baseman besides Brooks Robinson. He proved a dependable, versatile hitter, a good glove, and an absolutely enthusiastic positive member of the Orioles organization. Here’s a fellow who intends to remain with his family in the Baltimore area who could be a possible asset to future organizational plans in some capacity. If he fits in well with the Ripken family, for instance, he lives a short distance from Aberdeen.
While fans don’t see it on the field, there are so many positives materializing that could help support a solid team. The reality the Orioles will never overcome is that they play in the same division as the Yankees and Red Sox and will always be hard pressed to have the financial resources to take them on in a sport that has no salary restrictions.
Finally, providing for developing the team’s future, the Orioles will have a professional quality spring training complex in Sarasota, Florida closer to their competition, with the modern necessities they’ve lacked in aged Fort Lauderdale. How fortunate the Orioles are to have their major minor league teams all in close reach within the mid-Atlantic region. Norfolk at the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay provides a great AAA location and big secondary market to develop a fan base. Salisbury, Frederick, Bowie, and Aberdeen are all close by with the rookies down in the West Virginia Mountains not that far away. Building the organization internally requires a strong minor league system and with all of them close by, the task of scouting and development to keep tabs on their vital developing assets becomes much more efficient.
The long 2009 season for the Baltimore Orioles finished on a nice upswing winning their last four games including a series sweep at home against the Toronto Blue Jays. It was a small reward considering going into Thursday night’s game in against Tampa Bay, the team seemed almost certain to fall to 100 losses, still they lost 98 games. 2007 and 2008 were thought to be miserable seasons but they lost 93 games in those campaigns.
What went wrong? Wasn’t the conjecture fans should have expected an upswing in the second half of the season? We were assured there would be a massive infusion of young talent, the players who’d play key rolls in the Orioles future.
These things did not help. Trading George Sherrill to the Dodgers revealed a flimsy bullpen with no pitcher suited to close the deal as Jim Johnson failed miserably in the closer’s roll and nobody else was up to the task. Aubrey Huff was traded to Detroit robbing the middle of the lineup of the surest RBI threat they had. Adam Jones injury took away a multifaceted emerging offensive threat, a player who clearly seemed to have arrived as a potential major force in the lineup and a fielder who covers much ground in the outfield, but a freakish injury September 1, removed him for the year. Nolan Reimold could have been a rookie of the year candidate who had solidified the final spot in the Orioles’ outfield but a nagging injury proved more serious requiring surgery removing him for most of September. Rookie pitcher, Brad Bergesen, appeared to be the most developed of the young crop arriving at Camden Yards but missed the last two months of the season after taking a shot off his leg. Koji Uehara was signed as the potential #2 starter but had arm trouble while active before being shutdown for the season. Rich Hill, a journeyman starter, was dreadfully ineffective nursing a torn left labrum. Even replacement player, Felix Pie, who struggled early in the season but showed promise filling in for Jones and Riemold suffered a season ending injury with a strained left quad.
Much attention focused on the call-up of number #1 draft choice from 2007, Matt Wieters in May. While he certainly showed his inexperience having never played a full season in the upper minors, as the season progressed he found his stroke with a .288 batting average and developing more power and RBI ability with each passing week. Pitching call ups Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman gathered much attention showing potential but also needing more refinement. Only allowed limited action, lefty Matusz finished at 5-2 having been rushed through the minors. Tillman, a top prospect when acquired from Seattle in the Erik Beddard trade, clearly needs more work with a 2-5 mark but showing the tools that if properly nurtured could make him a valuable starter for years to come. For Jason Berkin, things were much more difficult, working to a 6-12 mark and a 6.54 ERA, he certainly would have been sent back to Norfolk or Bowie for more work if the need for starting pitching weren’t so strained. David Henderson was the final rookie receiving serious consideration with 19 starts, 4-10 record, 5.42 ERA.
It’s probably useless to consider the “would have, should have, could have” scenarios for 2009. The bottom line is the team lost 98 games, but some valuable questions for the team’s future are answered. The future winning Orioles will field Matt Wieters at catcher, Brian Roberts at second base, Nick Markakis in right field, Adam Jones in center field, and Nolan Reimold in left field. Brian Matusz looks like a genuine top notch starter. Chris Tillman is well on his way.
The Orioles crucial needs to be a solid competitor are the corner infield positions, first and third base. They require a veteran #1 or #2 quality starter to anchor the rotation while the youngsters develop. Jeremy Guthrie has been thrust into that roll but does not command that presence. He could be a key player mixed in with the youngsters lower in the rotation but the future of the Orioles starting rotation does not rest on his shoulders. Whether the Orioles can pull together the right personnel to cover DH or they should opt for a proven veteran would be perhaps the final question to be answered in the rebuilding process.
Cesar Izturis is a fine defensive shortstop who could fit into future plans if there is sufficient offense elsewhere. He forms a formidable double play combination with Brian Roberts.
Rehiring manager Dave Trembley is reassuring to some and baffling to others. Given Andy McPhail’s stated intention that the team should show improvement in the late season did not happen. Jim Palmer clearly identified a team lacking a sense of “urgency.” Sloppy base running and fielding problems showing poor coordination and communication were issues all season long. These were not as much issues of lack of talent but lack of leadership, drilling, and discipline. To Trembley’s credit, the clubhouse remained under control and the players continued to play with enthusiasm and good behavior. However, could there be a culture developing that accepts losing? Baltimore fans will not embrace the Orioles as a bunch of lovable losers as Chicago once embraced the Cubs. With the courtyard numbers of 4, 5, 8, 22, and 33 hard to miss, Orioles tradition tells a different story.
Finally, the Orioles will likely say goodbye to third baseman, Melvin Mora, obtained in a fire sale trade for shortstop, Mike Bordick, originally intended for a utility roll. Soon, Mora proved indispensible playing a number of positions before finally settling at 3rd base where he’s played more games at the hot corner than any other Orioles’ 3rd baseman besides Brooks Robinson. He proved a dependable, versatile hitter, a good glove, and an absolutely enthusiastic positive member of the Orioles organization. Here’s a fellow who intends to remain with his family in the Baltimore area who could be a possible asset to future organizational plans in some capacity. If he fits in well with the Ripken family, for instance, he lives a short distance from Aberdeen.
While fans don’t see it on the field, there are so many positives materializing that could help support a solid team. The reality the Orioles will never overcome is that they play in the same division as the Yankees and Red Sox and will always be hard pressed to have the financial resources to take them on in a sport that has no salary restrictions.
Finally, providing for developing the team’s future, the Orioles will have a professional quality spring training complex in Sarasota, Florida closer to their competition, with the modern necessities they’ve lacked in aged Fort Lauderdale. How fortunate the Orioles are to have their major minor league teams all in close reach within the mid-Atlantic region. Norfolk at the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay provides a great AAA location and big secondary market to develop a fan base. Salisbury, Frederick, Bowie, and Aberdeen are all close by with the rookies down in the West Virginia Mountains not that far away. Building the organization internally requires a strong minor league system and with all of them close by, the task of scouting and development to keep tabs on their vital developing assets becomes much more efficient.
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