Baltimore Sports Then and Now

Nick Markakis has quietly developed into an offensive force for the Baltimore Orioles.

After 12 straight losing seasons, optimism is high in Baltimore that 2010 could be the season the Orioles move back over the .500 mark. However, considering that they won only 64 games a year ago, even with a plethora of young talent there is much to be done if the O’s are really going to move to the plus side of the ledger.

This is part two of a three part series about the 2010 Orioles. In part one we looked at keys to the season. In this article we are looking at some of the strengths and weaknesses. In the third part we will explore exactly what could be considered a success for 2010.

So, below we take the position groups and other elements of the team and analyze those that are areas of strength and those where work is needed if the Orioles truly will be able to contend in 2010:

Strengths:

Outfield: It is quite possible that by the end of this season the outfield of the Baltimore Orioles could be considered the best in major league baseball.

Because he is not a dominant power hitter, rightfielder Nick Markakis has gone somewhat unnoticed across baseball. He has yet to earn an All-Star selection in four seasons with the Orioles, but has emerged as the most consistent offensive threat for the squad.

He has a career batting average of .298 and has driven in more than 100 runs in a season twice. With protection around him and a likely move to the number four spot in the lineup, watch for Markakis to have another big season in 2010.

Flashy centerfielder Adam Jones got off to a hot start in 2009 and made the All-Star team. He also earned a Gold Glove in centerfield and illustrated that he can be a solid everyday player.

He finished the 2009 season with a .277 average, 19 home runs and 70 RBI despite playing in only 119 games. You can expect him to settle into the lineup in 2010 and again be a solid performer.

Second year player Nolan Reimold displayed flashes of brilliance as a rookie and many believe he will post numbers similar to Jones and Markakis in 2010. He finished 2009 with a .279 average and 15 home runs in 104 games and will be given the chance to play every day in leftfield in 2010. Read the rest of this entry →

To begin the 2010 Major League Baseball previews on Sports Then and Now let’s look at the American League East. The most dominant league in baseball over the last decade, the AL east has put a team in last three World Series and seven out of the last ten. It doesn’t get anymore impressive than that.

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1. New York Yankees

Will Andy Pettitte give the Yankees his usual dependable starts in 2010?

While most talking heads no longer rank the Yankees pitching staff as the best of the division, they are still pretty darn impressive, at least at the top of the rotation. CC Sabathia promises to have an even better year than last now that he’s had a full year to get used to his new surroundings. Being that last year was not too shabby (19-8 records, 3.37 ERA, 4th in AL Cy Young votes), Sabathia looks to be a real terror on the mound for New York. Even though A.J. Burnett was a bit shakier than Sabathia, he still managed to win 13 games. He, too, will see improvement this season.

With the top two in excellent shape, a big question mark hangs over Andy Pettitte. While this is a guy who has been the meter stick of consistency (Pettitte has won between 14 and 18 games in 9 of his fifteen seasons, which leaves out a 19 win and two 21 win seasons) he will turn 38 during this upcoming season. The Yankees gave him a one year deal because they have come concerns about his durability (read: no more “healing” aides).

The real mysteries are the four and five spots in the Yankee rotation. Javier Vasquez is a big deal gain for New York as he offers a very, very solid middle of the rotation guy. The club seems intent on leaving Chamberlain as a starter despite overwhelming evidence that he should be a reliever, but now that Vasquez is in town, perhaps logic will prevail and put Phil Hughes in that fifth spot. If that’s done, the Yankees will win 100 games again this year. Read the rest of this entry →

Adam Jones and the Orioles will look to make a move in the American League East in 2010.

With Spring Training starting and the 2010 baseball season only weeks away, it is the time of the year when fans of the Baltimore Orioles can start dreaming that maybe this is the year that their decade long nightmare ends.

The Orioles were not among the most aggressive or highest spending teams in the offseason, but they did make a number of lower-key moves designed to make the team better in 2010.

Considering that they went 64-98 (including a 20-39 record to end the season) in 2009, it shouldn’t take much to illustrate improvement.

In the first of a three part series looking at 2010, we will look at some of the keys for the Orioles if they hope to show significant improvement and perhaps even register their first winning season since 1997.

Make a Statement Immediately that it is a New Era

Even during their decade of despair, the Orioles have often started the season hot. Since 1998, the Orioles have registered a .500 or better April record in seven of 12 seasons, including five of the last seven.  A year ago, Baltimore started the season with a 6-2 record, but quickly cooled off to finish April with a 9-13 record. In 2008 the Orioles started the season with a 16-12 April, which was their best opening month since starting 16-7 in 2005. Read the rest of this entry →

Jeremy Guthrie and the rest of the starting rotation hope to have a great season as a whole.

The Baltimore Orioles are at the bottom when it comes to starting pitching production, but the Orioles hope to improve that with their young arms, and with help from the veteran pitching that is on the ball club and that was acquired this off season should help the Orioles starting pitching to finally turn the corner. Let’s take a look at the Orioles starting rotation for the baseball season up ahead.

In the number one spot Jeremy Guthrie should be at number one, because the Orioles are familiar with him and knows the production he can put up, it’s just matter of him getting the first batter out in the beginning of innings and getting more run production, which should be there with the Orioles revamped line up, so look for Guthrie to have a great season for the Orioles pitching staff.

In the number two spot Brad Bergesen, who was having a great season before he was injured, if he looks at the positives of how great he was pitching before his unlikely shin injury, and then he should be a big part in the Orioles success. Bergesen is in the second spot, because he showed a lot of pitching ability and proved that he can pitch at this level rather easy.

In the number three spot newly acquired veteran Kevin Millwood, he should be a big help for himself and the young pitchers that pitch ahead of his spot and after his spot. Millwood and the Orioles should have a great season, as Millwood is a inning eater, and the Orioles are not used to that, so that should benefit them in the pitching department, mainly including giving the bullpen rest. So Millwood and his veteran presences should help the Orioles young pitchers to get a better understanding of what goes into pitching consistently at this level.

In the number four spot Brian Matusz who got his chance to show his stuff last season, after an injury to one of the Orioles starters. He showed a lot of poise, and surprised the Orioles with his magnificent pitching ability; he should help the Orioles big time in the upcoming season. He should benefit from this spot in the rotation, as he still has a lot to prove to the Orioles and the rest of the major leagues, so in this spot he should be able to relax and improve his pitching.

In the fifth and final spot Chris Tillman who started off his career on a high note with a win against a pretty good Angels team. He started to decline after that, as he only recorded one more win after that. Tillman hopes to take what he learned last season and turn it into something great for the upcoming season. He should have a big season, as he was a rookie in training last season, so he should be more aware of his surroundings in the major leagues and focus on getting better. This spot in the rotation should give Tillman time to watch and learn some pitching techniques from the pitchers that pitch in front of his spot, especially newly acquired Kevin Millwood.

After a two-year exile to Houston, Miguel Tejada is returning to the Orioles as the new third baseman.

After a two-year hiatus, former Baltimore Orioles star Miguel Tejada is rejoining the O’s after agreeing to a one-year, $6-million contract according to a number of reports. He is expected to move from his traditional shortstop position to third base.

His first stint with the Orioles from 2004-2007 was full of offensive production, but was also not without controversy.

Tejada was a three-time All-Star for the Orioles. He led the American League with 150 RBIs in 2004 and paced the league with 50 doubles in 2005.

In four seasons with the O’s, Tejada hit .311 with 102 home runs and 429 runs batted in.

Tejada has been linked to the baseball steroid era and in 2009 was the first high-profile player convicted of a crime related to steroids.

Former teammate Rafael Palmeiro claimed that Tejada mistakenly injected him with a tainted substance in 2005, resulting in a positive steroid test for the former Baltimore first baseman. Read the rest of this entry →

Curt Motton spent parts of seven seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, but his biggest moment came in the 1969 ALCS.

Baltimore Sports Then and Now was very sorry to hear of the passing on January 21, 2010 of former Baltimore Orioles outfielder Curt Motton. In parts of seven seasons with the Orioles, Motton played in 268 games and hit .218 with 24 home runs.

Here is a link to a story about his life and death in the Baltimore Sun.

Motton is best remembered by Orioles fans for his game-winning hit in the second game of the 1969 American League Championship Series against the Minnesota Twins. Last September, Baltimore Sports Then and Now posted a feature on his heroics written by Matt Taylor from Roar from 34.

In memory of Motton we again print that feature. Baltimore Sports Then and Now also wants to express our condolences to Motton’s friends and family.

“The pitch was away on the outer part of the plate, and I did something I rarely did – I hit it to right field. I just wanted to make good contact and hoped things worked out.”

-Curt Motton, on his game-winning RBI single in the 1969 ALCS

Curt Motton played some outfield, but really he was a career pinch-hitter.

One of Motton’s most famous pinch hits – an 11th inning RBI single against the Twins forty years ago – carried the Orioles to a 1-0 victory in Game 2 of the 1969 ALCS. The O’s won the series 3-0.

A powerful pull hitter, Motton set what was then a major-league record in 1968 when he hit consecutive pinch-hit home runs. Motton’s power earned him his keep with Earl Weaver; however, his game-winning hit in the ‘69 ALCS was an uncharacteristic opposite-field single.

Read the rest of this entry →