2010 Rewind: The Orioles continued their losing ways in 2010 posting fewer than 70 wins for the fourth consecutive season. The franchise has not posted a winning record since they won the AL East in 1997. In that span they finished in either fourth or fifth place all but once – third place in 2004. In 2010 the team did little right at the plate or on the mound, posting the AL second-worst ERA of 4.59 and scoring the second-fewest runs, 613. The team also went through a couple of mangers. David Trembley had been manager since 2007 and was fired in early June. Juan Samuel served as interim manager for 51 games before the organization hired Buck Showalter who led the team to a 34-23 record.

The Good: After posting 17 losses and a 5.04 ERA in 2009, Jeremy Gurthrie bounced back last season with a respectable 11-14 record and 3.83 ERA. He may not rank up there with some of the other aces in the AL East but he is a solid foundation for a young Baltimore staff. On offense Luke Scott had his best season as a member of the O’s, leading the team with 27 HRs in just 447 AB. He also drove in 72 runs and posted a solid .284 average.

The Bad: After 13 losing seasons the Orioles are out of excuses. Complaints of the high spending Yankees and Red Sox only go so far now that Rays won the East with a payroll just under $72 million. In comparison, the Orioles spent nearly $82 million last year and were never near contention. What’s worse is that the team is still looking at a rebuilding season in 2011.

Biggest Loss: In his nine year career Ty Wiggington has established himself as a very good utility player. Last season with the O’s he split time at first, second and third base. He batted just .248 but belted 22 HRs and led the team with 76 RBI. He was also the lone representative for the Orioles on the All-Star team. He will begin 2011 with the Rockies.

Best Addition:  The Orioles added offense to their lineup for the 2011 season. Mark Reynolds, J.J. Hardy and Derek Lee have all been brought in to revamp the infield and drive in runs. Vladimir Guerrero was a late addition who hopes to add some pop as the DH. Reynolds and Hardy don’t hit for average and Lee and Guerrero have health issues. But if things come together they should be able to help the Orioles improve upon their lousy run total from last year.

Fantasy Slant: Nick Markakis has always been a fantasy mystery. He looks like he should be taken in the upper rounds of drafts but often disappoints. Last year his 12 HR and 60 RBI were the lowest of his career but he still finished with a .297 average. He should be helped by the new additions. Catcher Matt Weiters followed up a solid rookie year with a typical sophomore slump. Look for him to put up much better numbers in 2011.

Final Take: As already mentioned the Orioles are really still in a rebuilding mode. Power hitters who strikeout a lot and oft-injured veterans are just patches until the new manager puts a good young club together. Their pitching is not good but it actually isn’t much worse than some of the other teams in the AL East. Even the Yanks and Sox have some big questions on their respective staffs. The entire division may very well become a slugfest and with the new additions the Orioles may be able to slug it out every once in a while. Still, a last place finish is likely although with a little luck they could get close to .500 and finish in fourth over the Jays… 2011 Record: 72-90.

Image Source: Freebase, licensed under CC-BY

Fantasy Baseball, MLB 2011 preview, baltimore orioles, al east, fantasy outlook, 2011 mlb preview