Could the Baltimore Orioles Be MLB's 2011 Breakout Team?

Over the past decade and a half, the Orioles have been the bottom-feeders of the AL East and have not even sniffed relevance since the Jeffrey Maier series.

The 2000s were characterized by a series of extremely questionable personnel decisions (see Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro and Miguel Tejada).

Although the Orioles' major-league team bordered on abysmal, the organization was stocking the farm system with blue-chip talent, and many of those prospects are now getting the call up to the majors.

It has become apparent that the Orioles brass has become as fed up with losing as their beleaguered fanbase. A culture change is under way in Baltimore, and it began last season with the firing of manager Dave Trembley and the subsequent hiring of proven winner Buck Showalter.

The team began to show signs of life after Showalter's arrival, going 34-23 to finish up the season. Buck lit a fire under the team and made them realize what they could be with the talent they had.

This offseason, the Orioles made a series of moves intended to bolster the lineup, including the acquisitions of Vladimir Guerrero, shortstop J.J. Hardy, third baseman Mark Reynolds and first baseman Derrek Lee. The addition of veterans coupled with burgeoning young stars such as catcher Matt Wieters, pitchers Brian Matusz and Jake Arrieta, and promising first baseman Jake Fox has the Orioles poised to make some sort of run.

It may be a year early, but the Orioles are building a core of talent that will make them contenders in the American League, although maybe not in their own division.

The one thing that may be holding the Orioles back is the presence of the Yankees and Red Sox, who rank first and second respectively in terms of payroll. Not to mention the Tampa Bay Rays, who despite losing a number of key pieces still have enough talent to contend. Even the Toronto Blue Jays figure to be competitive coming off an 85-win season.

On paper the Orioles lineup is solid: Nick Markakis is consistent, Adam Jones has great potential and figures to have a bounce-back year, Luke Scott has some pop, and you know what you will get from Guerrero when healthy.

However, there are some question marks, especially with the three other additions (Hardy, Reynolds and Lee). Hardy and Lee are more than capable hitters but have been plagued by injuries recently; Reynolds has a lot of power but strikes out entirely too much and is no better than a .260 hitter.

As far as pitching goes, the Orioles have a lot of potential, with Brian Matusz at the top of the rotation; everything after that becomes a little bit sketchier. Young pitchers Chris Tillman, Brad Bergesen and Jake Arrieta have shown flashes of greatness, but it has yet to be seen whether or not they can have any sustained success.

The potential "X-factor" of the rotation could be former Oakland A's All-Star Justin Duchscherer, who has also been plagued by injuries the past two years; if he can stay healthy, the Orioles could be dangerous.

If it were not for the division in which they play, I would go out on a limb and call them legitimate playoff contenders. However, I do expect a marked improvement from them in 2011, and don't be surprised if they sneak their way into the hunt for the Wild Card.