Sunday June 3rd, 2012

John Burns (MLB reports Intern Candidate):  As we have just entered the month of June, it is worth pointing out that the AL East leader for most of the season has been one of the most surprising teams in the all of baseball so far during this young season.

The Baltimore Orioles, who finished 2011 last in the AL East with a 69-93 record, have emerged as one of the early East leader this seasons. It helps that they have arguably one of the best bullpens in all of baseball, and recently locked up their superstar centerfielder by the name of Adam Jones.

The Orioles currently are 2-8 in their last 10 games, mostly due to the inconsistency of their young starting pitching. But here is why I believe that the Orioles will be in the race for the East longer than most “experts” think:

The Orioles are only a veteran starting pitcher away from being a consistent threat in the East- with vet pitchers like Jake Peavy and ex-Oriole Erik Bedard reportedly on the trading block. The Orioles would definitely be willing to consider parting ways with some of their prospects to stay in the East race.  Some prospects that may be attractive to other clubs would be: Outfielder Xavier Avery or Shortstop Manny Machado- both highly regarded prospects in the Oriole Farm System. It would take a top player in return for a team to land Machado, but in this baseball landscape anything can happen. Orioles GM Dan Duquette has already shown interest in adding pitching depth, as reportedly Baltimore had inquired on Roy Oswalt before he signed a one year deal with the Texas Rangers.  Pitching will be a major factor for the Orioles if they want to continue to contend for this division.

A giant problem for Baltimore is that they are playing in the AL East, where all 5 teams are over .500. So the trade deadline this July could really “make or break” the season for Baltimore. I expect the Orioles to heavily pursue pitching depth and who knows, maybe they even have a blockbuster trade up their sleeve.

So the answer to my original question: Are the Orioles a real threat in the AL East? The answer is yes, but they have to add pitching depth and stay healthy. Don’t get me wrong it’s definitely going to be a challenge for the Orioles with such a tough division. Their young pitching is going to have to step up, no doubt about it. I see Baltimore finishing the season over .500 for the first time since 1997 and will continue to contend for the AL East crown in 2012 and for the foreseeable future. Between Duquette and manager Buck Showalter, the Orioles have the right management in place with growing talent. The glory days in Baltimore are due to come back very soon. 

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