t makes things different this time around? When it comes down to it, not much. The team will probably finish 20 or so games under .500 and they will struggle to fill up the best ballpark in baseball. However most fans, including myself, truly believe that the Orioles' ship is guided and headed in the right direction. Andy MacPhail (pictured) has the proven track record and appropriate mentality while the team's prospects are starting to line up. MacPhail has said that fans need to give it time. Time that is starting to run out on my clock, and the clocks of thousands of die hard fans. When it comes down to it, what choice do O's fans have? We need to stick through the tough times knowing that the possibility for extended success is within reach.Here are my predictions for the 2009 season:
Orioles Record: 70-92 (5th place)
Team MVP: Nick Markakis. There is no doubt in my mind that Markakis will continue to develop in multiple areas this year. Last year, he blossomed into one of the best right fielders in baseball. Why can't he blossom into one of the most solid hitters in baseball as well?
Biggest Bust: Melvin Mora. Mora shocked the entire organization during the second half last season but I can't expect that burst to continue. He is 37 years old and I suspect he won't be able to sustain the grind of a 162 game season.
Most surprising player: Koji Uehara (pictured). He comes to the Orioles with no experience playing in the United States but that may not necessarily be a bad thing. Very proven and successful in Japan, Uehara has something new to bring to the Orioles organization. His bevvy of pitches and location control should go a long way this season.
Rookie of the Year: Matt Wieters. There is no need to comment further on his oozing potential and indication that the club is headed in the right direction with this prodigy.
Bold Predictions: Adam Jones bats .310 and Alfredo Simon records 13 wins. Jamie Walker gets demoted or put on waivers after two months with an ERA over 7.00.
Expect a new post about once a week during the regular season.
i'm going to make my bold prediction and say: orioles have a 78-84 record (their best since 2004) and get fourth place. i have less faith this year in the starting rotation than i did last year, but i feel that the bullpen will remain mostly healthy throughout the year, which will help the staff overall. however, the first sign that jamie walker looks like shit, we have to get him out of there. he sucks. ("fuck you, jamie).
ReplyDeleteas you mentioned, simon has looked very good, which is a good sign for our pitching staff. uehara has looked solid also. but guthrie had a rough spring, and eaton and hendrickson are mediocre at best (two steve trachsels). so i'm worried about that, obviously.
however, the offense is great, which will help a little. adam jones is gonna have a great season, as you mentioned.
i'm pumped for opening day tomorrow! i'm gonna be there, and will be going to two additional games this week. can't wait for the start of the season! let's go o's!
I think 78-84 is reachable, next year. The Orioles just don't have the starting rotation to be able to compete with the likes of Roy Halladay, CC Sabathia, Josh Beckett, and James Shields. I really don't see how the Orioles are going to make it out of the cellar in the AL East unless Koji Uehara, Alfredo Simon, and either Hendrickson or Eaton have solid seasons. There is no doubt in my mind that the O's offense is going to produce. At the least, it will be a fun season if you're a fan of slugfests...
ReplyDeleteThat win on opening day looked pretty good. I think we're going to be similar to last year in terms of a record, but since we're using a mostly rag-tag group of pitchers as placeholders, I feel pretty good about the direction we're going. We need to be aggressive for pitching next year though, because our offense is not exactly murderer's row, though I do like it. Oh and Jamie Walker sucks.
ReplyDeleteWhile agree with you that the Orioles need to be aggressive with pitching next year, I disagree that the offense isn't 'murderer's row.' I think Roberts, Jones, Markakis, Huff, Mora, and Wiggington make up a great top 6. If only the Orioles had two or three more legitimate starters, the O's could have a shot at a wild card spot. However, today's game was the first of 162. There's a long way to go...
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