Can the Birds Fly Into the Playoffs?

Can the Birds Fly Into the Playoffs?

 

The Baltimore Orioles in my opinion are the biggest question mark of the 2014 season. They could be a playoff team or they could be terrible. It all will come down to how well their pitchers perform. Their starting rotation will not scare any opposing offenses and none of them throw particularly hard but if they can perform well enough, there’s no telling the success the team will have. The Orioles have a terrific nucleus of young players offensively who can create and drive in runs and they also field the ball extremely well which is a great thing for the pitchers.

Ubaldo Jimenez performed well last year which earned him his new contract in Baltimore, but needing him to be the staff ace and face the lineups of the AL East could prove to be a disaster. He doesn’t throw as hard as he did when he was a Cy Young contender in Colorado, relying more on finesse and off speed stuff. That isn’t something you can get away with often in this division. Dylan Bundy could be just the spark the team needs. He is coming off Tommy John surgery but he is young and needs to show he can live up to the hype surrounding him for the last few years.

There may be no better group of players at premium positions than what the Orioles can throw at you. From Matt Weiters, one of the top catchers in all of baseball, to Crush Davis, Adam Jones, the supremely underrated J.J. Hardy, and most especially Manny Machado. Machado should be ready to go on Opening Day and will continue his path to greatness and one of the best all-around players in baseball. Adding Nelson Cruz to the mix gives them a great left-right combo with Davis, they just need to make sure Cruz never sees the field. Giving him a glove routinely and trotting him out there to play defense will cause the chiropractic business in Baltimore to skyrocket with all the head shaking that would occur. Having him as your everyday DH will do wonders for the lineup and keep the team’s defensive metrics where they should be.

Between the summer weather in Charm City, one of the most beautiful ballparks in the game, and an explosive offense, the Orioles will be a fun team to watch. If you happen to make it out to a game, be sure to stop by Pickles across the street and fall in love with the crab pretzel. It will make the game day experience that much better.

We will be back tomorrow with a look at the young and exciting Miami Marlins. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @changingspeeds for all our coverage of the national pastime.