LOS ANGELES, March 13, 2013 — The Baltimore Orioles are a young team that is starting to come into its own. The Orioles were able to finish second in the American League East in 2012 and get one of the wild card spots with a 93-69 record.
The Baltimore rotation is young and in need of a fifth arm to fill the role that I don’t think Jair Jurrjens will be able to earn. The Orioles could definitely benefit from the Dodgers’ abundance of starting pitchers. They could also look to sign available free agent pitcher Kyle Lohse.
The Orioles’ offense is also young but ready to start mashing. Catcher Matt Weiters is looking to continue his progress and be should part of one of the better 3-4 hitter combinations in baseball along with Adam Jones.
The offense should be exciting to watch, but the lack of experience in the rotation could be what holds this team back in 2013. Like many young teams, they are on the right track, just a few years away at this point.
Matt Weiters attempts to tag Ichiro/AP Alex Brandon
Projected payroll: $87,205,333
Notable Players Out: 1B Mark Reynolds, DH Jim Thome, 2B Robert Andino, LHP Joe Saunders,
Notable Players In: RHP Jair Jurrjens (might be notable?)
Prospect Watch: L.J. Hoes and RHP Dylan Bundy
Highlight Hitter: CF Adam Jones (ZiPS 2013 Projections: .277/.326/.474 27 HR/89 R/83 RBI 13 SB)
Highlight Pitcher: Jason Hammel (ZiPS 2013 Projections: 9-6, 3.72 ERA, 7.98 K/9, 133 IP)
Projected Lineup: C Matt Weiters, 1B Chris Davis, 2B Brian Roberts, 3B Manny Machado, SS J.J. Hardy, LF Nate McLouth, CF Adam Jones, RF Nick Markakis, DH Wilson Betemit
Projected Rotation: RHP Jason Hammel, LHP Wei-Yin Chen, RHP Chris Tillman, RHP Miguel Gonzalez, RHP Jair Jurrjens (A trade for a starter from the Dodgers or signing Kyle Lohse are both possibilities)
Projected Closer: RHP Jim Johnson
Manager: Buck Showalter
Projected 2013 Finish in AL East: 1. TBA 2. TWA 3. Baltimore Orioles 4. New York Yankees 5. Boston Red Sox
Kevin J. Wells writes about Major League Baseball and punk rock music. Follow him on Twitter @WellsOnBaseball
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