Baltimore Orioles' 12-Step Journey to Success

The Baltimore Orioles are a bad franchise. As a fan, I know this. Something has to be said when your team hasn't had a winning season since 1997. They have close to no pitching, an old lineup, and poor pitching management. But how could a 15-year-old realistic fan solve this problem? I'll give you 12 steps for success.

12. Re-sign Guthrie

Last year, Jeremy Guthrie was the only bright spot in the O's rotation. Due to a lack of run support, he finished just 10-12. But his abilities showed with his 3.63 earned run average. He walked just 58 in 190 2/3 innings pitched. At 29, he is the Orioles' ace. So what do we do with him? Sign him to a four-year/$30M extension. He deserves that kind of money. The injury he suffered late last season doesn't look to be a huge problem, and by baseball standards, $7.5M a year is not a huge amount of money. He started 30 games for 19 quality starts. The O's offense is looking better and better each year, and it's not out of the question that Guthrie could have won 18 games last year.

11. Sign another veteran hurler

Whether it be Kenshin Kawakami, Koji Euhara, Braden Looper, Tim Redding, or Derek Lowe, I advise the O's to sign a starting pitcher. Kawakami has injury troubles, but would attract more Japanese players to the O's if he signed here. He'd have a Daisuke Matsuzaka/Hideki Okajima effect. My preference is Kawakami, because the Japanese seem to bring competent players into the United States year-after-year. i.e. Ichiro, Hideki Matsui, Matsuzaka, Okajima, etc. But Looper and Redding would also be decent pickups. Looper (12-14, 4.16 ERA) was good last year considering the fact that it was his second full season as a starting pitcher and he's been in the bigs for 11 seasons. Redding (10-11, 4.95 ERA) had a solid start, but injuries and lack of run support ruined his stats. I don't care who you get, but get another veteran pitcher.

10. Find spot for Ryan Freel

Weeks ago, the O's traded catcher Ramon Hernandez to the Cincinnati Reds for Ryan Freel, Justin Turner, and Brandon Waring. Freel is great when healthy, but he is inconsistent at being so. Last year, he drove in 10 runs and hit .298 in just 48 games as a backup where he could fill in. With the O's, he could play some third as Melvin Mora is in need of a rest every now and then. This guy is an igniter. The O's need to find a spot for him. Left field, second base, third base, shortstop...I don't care! But I want to see this guy get some playing time. Remember 2006, the guy who made that sick catch and won Web Gem of the Year? Oh yeah, that was Ryan Freel. The same Ryan Freel who stole 37 bases that year. I don't expect him to start, but to be a high impact backup.

9. Put two veteran catchers on the roster

The O's have a BIG time prospect in Matt Wieters. But the O's look like they are taking the Evan Longoria approach. They are going to start Wieters at Triple A Norfolk, see how he does and play it from there. But for now, the O's don't have even one catcher. My suggestion? Possibly Chris Coste of the Phillies. No, he wasn't great last year (9 homers, 36 RBI, .263 AVG) and his role with the Phillies is shrinking, which could lead to him finding the door...with the Orioles. He could be a good short-term option. But we will need another catcher. Chad Moeller has already signed a contract and is a non-roster invitee. The O's also have two other catchers that are NRI's: Jose Reyes (8 HR, 142, .238 in Minor League career) and Guillermo Rodriguez (65 HR, 349, .253 in Minor league career). Those are both good options, but I'd sign a vet. Gregg Zaun is certainly another to look at.

8. Lou, not Luke

That's right. Bench Luke Scott, and start Lou Montanez. Last year, Luke Scott was bad despite respectable stats (23-65-.257). Montanez was and still is a better option for the left field position (3-14-.295). Luke is a horrible fielder and is the guy you don't want up when people are on...if you're an Orioles fan. Scott hit .215 against lefties, including .182 against lefties with runners in scoring position. Montanez got a lot less time, of course, than Scott did, but showed lots of promise when the chance arose. He hit .283 against lefties in 53 at bats and was 9-for-24 with runners in scoring position (.375). Now I know Montanez had a lot fewer chances, and if he had the amount of bats Luke did, his stats may have looked similar. But Montanez was doing this as a rookie and if he had the at bats Luke did, he'd have 12 home runs and 59 RBI. While that is not flashy, it gets it done and Lou has clutch hitting, something Scott has never had. Montanez is also a guy with unlimited talent and who won the Eastern League MVP and Triple Crown.

7. Make the swap

In my mind, this trade is a no-brainer. In the last day, Orioles GM Andy MacPhail and White Sox GM Kenny Williams have been discussing a trade that would send O's second baseman Brian Roberts to the White Sox and pitcher Gavin Floyd and second baseman Chris Getz to the O's. My advice: make this trade! The O's have been trying to upgrade pitching for years, and now it's being served on a silver platter. Floyd is a true rising star and showed it last year. At 25, he was 17-8 and posted a 3.84 ERA, leading his White Sox in most categories. Also, Williams has said he is willing to trade Floyd and Getz. Not only would Floyd be a solid no. 2, Chris Getz would be a good replacement. He turned 25 in August and appears major league ready. In Triple A last year, he hit .302 with 11 homers, 52 RBI and 11 steals. Get this trade done, Andy!

6. Bat Markakis in the No. 2 hole

Last year, Nick Markakis was either batting the two hole or three hole. But I've found a permanent spot for him: second in the batting order! When he's batting second, he hits .345, opposed to .271 when batting third. Despite having 33 fewer at bats when batting second, he had 44 RBI's when at that spot and 43 when he is one spot lower. Markakis is the centerpiece of our future, so I think Dave Trembley and the Baltimore Orioles should do anything and everything they can to make him successful. Batting him second is just a small part of that. Also, he seems more comfortable batting second. When he is, he has a 42:44 K:BB ratio. When he's one spot lower, it's 71:50. Do the math, figure out the equation, and Cakes is batting second.

5. Moore first, less later

Since Kevin Millar doesn't appear to be staying in Baltimore for the '09 season, the options at first appear to be: Oscar Salazar, Aubrey Huff and Scott Moore. Let's get Moore into this equation. Last year with Norfolk, he struggled. I'm not going to lie. He hit .247 with seven home runs and 44 runs batted in. Not horrible, but not good, either. Andy MacPhail has said on repeated occasions that the O's are trying to get young. Are we getting young if we start Salazar (30 years old) or Huff (32 years old) at first base? No. Moore is 25 and is a pretty good player, too. He would make an aging O's infield younger. He's not the biggest first baseman (6'2", 195 LBS), but is a very good hitter and could blossom into a great one.

4. Rely on Patton, Albers and JJ

Last year, the O's bullpen was very inconsistent. They started off quite well, but fell off as the season wore on. George Sherrill had a horrible second half, Jim Johnson was plagued by bad defense behind him, Matt Albers was hit with a crucial injury, walks hurt Dennis Sarfate, Jamie Walker was his usual shameful self. But I've found the solution. Troy Patton, who could be a starter in the future, should start out in the bullpen. We'll see how it plays out. Patton was acquired in the Tejada trade but sat out the 2008 season. Make Albers was good last year (3-3, 3.49 ERA), but got hurt and missed the rest of the year after leaving a game against the Cubs. Jim Johnson, what else needs to be said? He has the material of a big time closer. 2.23 ERA, 54 hits in 68.2 IP, 0 HR's allowed speaks for itself.

3. Keep Baez out of the equation

Last year, reliever Danys Baez was out for the year. I don't think O's fans missed him. In 2006, he won zero games, lost six and posted a 6.44 earned run average while making $4M. Baez is making $6.1M this year, but the O's need to minimize his role as much as they possibly can. I can't remember the amount of times Perlozzo brought in Baez and he blew a big lead and a game. He was just another BAD move by Mike Flanagan. Of the three he spent money on to "improve" the bullpen, two of them are horrible (Baez and Jamie Walker: combined 4-11 with a 5.23 ERA in their Baltimore careers) and Chad Bradford was traded to the Rays last year. So just keep Baez out of the mix...for everything.

2. Give Wieters and Tillman a try

We are rebuilding, right? Let's give Matt Wieters and Chris Tillman a shot. Tillman is a strikeout freak and went 11-4 with a 3.18 earned run average. Wieters, the 2007 first round selection, hit .355 with 27 home runs and 91 RBI and even hit over .300 in the Arizona Fall League. Let's give them both a shot. Tillman and Wieters have incredible chemistry. Wieters caught Tillman the majority of the time at Bowie and are both on the same page and Tillman to Wieters could be one of the best pitcher-catcher duos in baseball in years to come. Tillman is just 20 years old and dominated the Eastern League last season, leading the league in strikeouts and getting 10 punchouts in a game on many, many occasions. Let's give 'em a shot.

1. Re-sign Markakis and Jones

Adam Jones and Nick Markakis are the Orioles futures offensively, along with Matt Wieters and possibly Nolan Reimold. The O's need to sign Markakis and Jones to long-term deals. Six years for each sounds about right. Nick Markakis, 25, hit .306 with 20 home runs and 86 RBI and led the American League in outfield assists. Sign him for six years/$70M. He's worth that much. In my opinion, Markakis is the best five-tool player. He has power (20 HR's), speed (10 SB), contact hitting (.306 AVG), glove (best RF in the game) and arm (17 outfield assists). Jones has it all too. Power (25 HR's in AAA in '07), contact hitting (.270 AVG), arm (four outfield assists), glove (only three errors) and speed (15-for-20 in steals). What does that spell? You got it correct. L-O-N-G T-E-R-M D-E-A-L-S!

What would my ideal O's team look like?

Batting order:

2B Chris Getz: 11 homers, 52 RBI, .302
RF Nick Markakis: 20 homers, 86 RBI, .306
3B Melvin Mora: 23 homers, 104 RBI, .285
DH Aubrey Huff: 32 homers, 108 RBI, .304
C Matt Wieters: 27 homers, 91 RBI, .355
CF Adam Jones: 9 homers, 57 RBI, .270
LF Lou Montanez: 3 homers, 15 RBI, .297
1B Scott Moore: 7 homers, 44 RBI, .247
SS Cesar Izturis: 0 homers, 24 RBI, .263, 24 SB

Starting Rotation and Bullpen

SP Jeremy Guthrie: 10-12, 3.63 ERA
SP Gavin Floyd: 17-8, 3.84 ERA
SP Kenshin Kawakami: 9-5, 2.30 ERA
SP Mark Hendrickson: 7-8, 5.45 ERA
SP Chris Tillman: 11-4, 3.18 ERA

SU Matt Albers: 3-3, 3.49 ERA
CL Jim Johnson: 2-4, 2.23 ERA