Singing The Beltway Blues

If a lack of talent was Sam Perlozzo's club's only problem, one might not feel so bad for the Baltimore Orioles. However, when you look up at the three teams definitively ahead of the O's (Yankees, Red Sox, and Blue Jays in no particular order), you begin to get a sense of the despair in Baltimore. Sure, there are some promising young hitters and a few potential surprise pitchers. But, barring any life-threatening accidents during those 3 teams' travel plans, the Orioles seem destined for another 4th place finish.

Let's Be Honest:

Last year, the hype was around Leo Mazzone. Could the former Braves pitching coach work his magic, turn players like Daniel Cabrera, Erik Bedard and Rodrigo Lopez? Well, the answer was, by and large, a big, stinking N-O. Bedard had a pretty good season, but the other two were downright awful. Lopez was so bad, he had to be shipped to Colorado. Keep in mind folks, this is the same Rodrigo Lopez who started and won the last two Opening Days for the O's. Cabrera, on the other hand, showed flashes of brilliance, sandwiched in between borderline Gulf Coast League performances. Which of these Cabrera's shows up, along with how well Adam Loewen progesses will determine whether or not this team can even think about challenging for 3rd place.

The Hayden Penn Watch:

I'll be the first to admit, I loved this kid. I did. I had him on a deep fantasy league team, and waited all year for him to be called up. Though, when he did, he certainly disappointed. Once heralded as the best prospect in the system, Penn is now an afterthought. In two seasons, he is a combined 3-6, with a era just under 10 (at 9.31), and a whip just above 2 (at 2.03). Not that anyone else even cared about this kid, but we can officially put him to rest, once and for all.

Where's Tom Hanks When You Need Him?:

The reason I ask is because the roster for this team looks like a bunch of castaways, from all over the league. Jay Payton, Aubrey Huff, Jaret Wright, Steve Traschel, and Scott Williamson. They all played for different teams last year, and they all figure to contribute quite heavily this year. Not a good thing to have to plug in that many new players to your lineup and staff.

1st And Forever:

Former first overall pick, Kris Benson has elected to have surgery on his right shoulder, effectively ending his 2007 season before it began. The oft-injured right hander has experienced pain for a while and it makes you wonder how much left he has in his tank.

Share The Wealth:

Last season, Miguel Tejada lead the Orioles in every major offensive category except for steals. As is the case with the pitching staff, if this team wants to think about competing someone else is going to have to step up and help lighten Michael's load. Whether it's Melvin "Five's a Charm" Mora, Aubrey "Don't Get Yourself In A" Huff, or Brian "Don't Call Me Bip" Roberts, someone has to do it.

Bold Statement (s):

Nick Markakis will bring it all together this season, he'll finish with respectable though not world beating numbers. I'd say 290-25-90.

This year's Russ Ortiz and Bruce Chen (aka AL batting practice twice a week) will be Jaret Wright and Steve Traschel. The former walks too many and the latter's ERA has gone up each of the last 5 seasons.