PREVIEW - Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Orioles (AL) eryanf View Hardball Dynasty Profile

Overview
The Baltimore Orioles finished the season by capturing their second straight World Series title. The Orioles cruised to 112 wins during the regular season, easily capturing the AL East and a #1 seed in the playoffs. However, things were not so easy for the Orioles once the playoffs began. The Orioles needed seven games in both the ALCS and in the World Series in order to reclaim their title. These ultra-competitive series appear to show that the talent gap between the Orioles and the other contenders is minuscule. As a result, the Orioles are going to need to continue to improve if they want to defend their title once again.

Key Changes
Orioles lost Glen Rhodes and Ray Gilmore to free agency. The Orioles also traded away Glaive 3000 all-time great Rico Estrada . In return for Estrada the Orioles received Bronson Stone , Jorge Lopez , and John Cain . The Orioles also decided to promote phenom Chris Camilli . In addition, the Orioles made a series of smaller moves to cut salary and bolster their bench.

Key Players
Edgardo Rosario 's break out season led the way for a dominant Orioles offense. Rosario will have to have another huge season if the Orioles have any chance of filling the void left by the trade of Rico Estrada.

Reginald Hall leads what looks to be Glavine 3000's deepest pitching staff. While there are teams that have more superstar pitchers than the Orioles no one has more talent top to bottom. However, Orioles depth took a significant hit when Jorge Lopez went down with a season ending injury in spring training.

Outlook
As a result of management's effort to maintain the Orioles success without sacrificing the future, the Orioles under went a tumultuous off-season. Consequently, there are more question marks surrounding this team than last season. Can young Chris Camilli fill the void left by Rico Estrada? Can the five rookies on the opening day roster equal or surpass the production of the veterans that they have replaced? Can the Orioles' bull pen continue their remarkable consistency? These are just some of the questions facing this Orioles squad that hopes to continue their remarkable championship run.