It takes a certain kind of man to turn around a Major League Baseball team and Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter is that kind of guy. When Showalter took over as the Orioles manager in the middle of the 2010 season, he inherited a club that had consecutive last place finishes in the American League East. Showalter has built a reputation for turnarounds as he had previously reversed the fortunes of the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers while jump starting the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks. The Orioles finished 2010 with a record of 66-96, but under Showalter the team was 34-23. The Orioles went 69-93 in 2011, but it wasn’t the same feel as the Orioles were no longer pushovers as they knocked the Boston Red Sox out of playoff contention on the final day of the season. The Orioles carried that momentum over to 2012 as they made the playoffs for the first time since 1997 as they sported a record of 93-69. Now Showalter is doing something that is very hard to which is turning to the Orioles into a consistent contender.
After 70 games this season, the Orioles have a record of 40-30. Baltimore took three out of four games this past weekend against the Red Sox as they now only trail their division rivals from the north by 1.5 games for first place in the AL East. The Orioles also own the top Wild Card spot in the American League.
Showalter has revitalized this team and the fan base in Baltimore by putting stars back onto the field. The people of Baltimore appreciate Oriole baseball as it has a lineage of Baseball Hall of Famers such as Jim Palmer, Eddie Murray, Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, and Cal Ripken Jr. The current Orioles team has the second best batting average in the AL at .273 and it is loaded with potential MLB All-Stars.
Outfielder Adam Jones along with infielders Manny Machado and Chris Davis are all sporting batting averages over .300. Davis’ 23 home runs currently lead MLB while the trio could all represent the Orioles at next month’s MLB All-Star Game in New York City. This Orioles team would make former Orioles manager Earl Weaver proud. Weaver lived and died by the three-run home run and this team is tops in Major League Baseball with 92 home runs.
The Orioles acquired Jones in a trade in 2007 from the Seattle Mariners and he is blossoming into one of the finest five-tool players in the game. With 14 home runs and 48 runs batted in, Jones is on pace for his second consecutive 30 home run season. Davis was acquired from the Texas Rangers in 2011 and now that he has become an everyday player for Showalter, he is becoming one of the better power hitters in baseball. Davis has power to all parts of the yard so it makes things that more difficult for opposing pitchers to pitch to him. Davis and Jones are establishing themselves, but when the dust settles Machado could be the best of the bunch.
The Orioles drafted Machado third overall in the 2010 MLB Draft and he is giving the Orioles a legitimate threat at third base. In 51 games last season, Machado belted 7 home runs with a .445 slugging percentage. So far Machado has five home runs to go along with a .327 batting average and a .495 slugging percentage. Machado is wise beyond his years as he is an instinctive baseball player with the power of Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and the range of Ripken Jr.
Baltimore’s team earned run average is 4.43 which is 14th in the American League, but the Orioles have been able to navigate around it with a superior offense that has 252 extra base hits which are tops in baseball. Showalter must be able to sure up the starting pitching if this team is going to contend in the postseason as strong pitching is what allows teams to hoist up the World Series Championship Trophy. Orioles closer Jim Johnson leads the AL in saves with 25 so the ninth inning is taken care of for Baltimore.
With Showalter at the helm things have changed in Baltimore. As far as the AL East goes, The Tampa Rays are scrappy and The Orioles are no longer a sleeping giant as they are prepared to go all 12 rounds with the Yankees and Red Sox for division supremacy.
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