Buck Showalter
Buck Showalter has been the manager of the Baltimore Orioles since 2010, and he has definitely changed the culture around the team. Prior to Showalter’s arrival in 2010, the Orioles has 12 straight losing seasons. But since 2012, the O’s have never finished with a losing record, while they have two postseason appearances to their credit along with winning the American League East Title in 2014. After missing the playoffs last year by five games, the Orioles have started off strong here in 2016 as through 67 games, their record of 39-28 has them in first place in the tough A.L. East.
The Orioles got off to a fast start by winning their first seven games of the year and they’ve never looked back. Baltimore has never been under .500 in 2016, while here in the month of June, they are 11-6. To the Orioles credit, they completed a four-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals who are the defending World Series Champions. And after getting swept on the road by the Toronto Blue Jays last weekend, the O’s were able to rebound by taking two out of three games from the Boston Red Sox this week at Fenway Park to maintain their spot in first place in the American League East. The O’s who are now in the midst of a series against the Blue Jays where they’ve split the first two games, have proven that they can compete and make the playoffs under Showalter, but this year’s squad has the look of a team that could win it all.
Manny Machado
So far this year the offense has really clicked for the Orioles as they are near the top of most major offensive categories in the American League. After being the third overall pick in the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft, Orioles third baseman Manny Machado is really coming into his own. Machado hit 35 home runs last last year which was 10th in the American League, and he has picked up right where he left off from as he is batting .317 with 17 home runs and 42 runs batted in. Machado is becoming one of the best third basemen in baseball, and he now finds himself in the A.L. MVP conversation. After leading the A.L. in home runs in last year with 47, Orioles designated hitter Chris Davis is picking up right where he left off from as he has 16 home runs to go along with 40 runs batted in. Second baseman Jonathan Schoop continues to come into his own as he is on pace for the best season of his brief four-year career. And as the O’s are waiting for outfielder Adam Jones to get it going at the plate, they have to be pleased with the season that right fielder Mark Trumbo is having.
After hitting 95 home runs in three years with the Los Angeles Angels, Trumbo was never able to replicate that success during his time with the Arizona Diamondbacks or the Seattle Mariners. But as Trumbo is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season, the O’s are benefiting. Trumbo’s 20 home runs this year are tops in the American League as he is on pace for his best season at the plate, while he is also in line for the second All-Star Game nod of his career.
But all isn’t well with Showalter’s Orioles in 2016 as their starting pitching leaves something to be desired. The Orioles pitching staff this year has an earned run average of 4.23 and quality starts (27) are each is 10th in the American League. Outside of starting pitcher Chris Tillman who is 9-1, Baltimore starting pitchers have a combined record of 13-21 with the worst of the bunch being Ubaldo Jimenez who checks in with a record of 3-7 and his earned run average of 7.34. Jimenez has only lasted past the sixth inning twice this year, and he was roughed up last night against the Blue Jays as he surrendered 5 runs in 2.1 innings which brought out the boo birds at Camden Yards.
Zach Britton
The O’s do have a solid bullpen which is led by relief pitcher Zach Britton who has 21 saves which is tops in the American League, but for this team to go where they ultimately want to go which is to the World Series, they are going to need to get at least one more starting pitcher via the trade market.
After dealing with several quality teams over the last month such as the Red Sox, Mariners, Blue Jays, Royals, and Cleveland Indians, the O’s are set to have a bit of a lull where they can potentially tack on some wins. After a makeup game with the Texas Rangers this Monday who are currently the top team in the American League West, the Orioles will host the San Diego Padres for a pair of games before beginning a four-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays next weekend. But it goes right back to the difficult side of the ledger for the Orioles as just before the All-Star break, they will have a seven-game West Coast trip which will see them meet the Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers. And whereas this doesn’t sound easy, it is just right for the Orioles as a Showalter led team wouldn’t like it any other way than to be battle tested for the stretch run of the regular season which could once again propel them to the postseason.
Source: Baseball-reference.com
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