The AL East is widely regarded to be one of the most competitive divisions in baseball, and in all of sports for that matter. Unfortunately for the Orioles, 85 wins may only be good enough for fourth place in the division in 2014. With Opening Day only a few weeks away however, it is time to make picks in the division, and time to look in detail at the other four teams competing with the Orioles. This time a year ago, the Toronto Blue Jays had “won” the offseason and were a trendy pick to win 90 games and contend for the World Series, and the Boston Red Sox were coming of a 69-93 season and looked unlikely to contend in 2013. As we saw, the Blue Jays went on to finish last in the division and the Red Sox won 97 games and eventually won the World Series as well. It’s quite difficult to predict the 2014 season, as every single team in the AL East can realistically contend for a playoff spot. That being said, here we go:
Baltimore Orioles
The O’s were arguably a better team in 2013 than they were in 2012 when they made the postseason. Unfortunately, they were just simply luckier in 2012 when they won an inordinate amount of extra-inning and one-run games.
In 2013 the magic ran out, as did Jim Johnson’s ability to close games at an elite level, and the Orioles took a slight step back to finish with 85 wins.
While Chris Davis likely won’t hit 50 home runs again, the offense is better now than it was last year when it led all of baseball in long balls after adding Nelson Cruz as the likely designated hitter, a position the Orioles struggled to find production from in 2013. Cruz gives the team a power bat to protect Adam Jones and Davis in the lineup if he is able to produce at a level similar to his previous career numbers.
The O’s pitching has improved as well, as starting pitching was the most obvious weakness in 2013. Since the end of last season the Orioles have signed Ubaldo Jimenez, Suk-min Yoon and Johan Santana to compete with an already decent rotation of Chris Tillman, Wei-Yin Chen, Miguel Gonzalez, and Bud Norris. With Zach Britton waiting in Triple-A, and top prospect Kevin Gausman not far from contributing in the majors, the Orioles suddenly have a lot of depth.
Jimenez, Tillman, Gonzalez, Norris, and Chen seem most likely to open the year in the rotation. The bullpen has no closer yet, but Tommy Hunter looks like the most likely candidate. The rest of the bullpen is strong, as Darren O’Day and Brian Matusz were reliable in 2013 and are a good setup duo heading into the season.
Prediction: 88-74, Second Place
The team got stronger almost everywhere, and should almost certainly build on last season’s 85 wins if they can find a capable closer in the bullpen. If the Orioles can summon a little bit of that magic in close games that they had in 2012, and can avoid blowing 27 saves, this team has a chance to win 90 games and potentially the AL East.
photo: Craig Landefeld
