2008 Baltimore Orioles Predictions & Season Preview

The Baltimore Orioles are on the verge of an 11th straight losing season in 2008. They hate using the word "rebuilding" but trading away Miguel Tejada to the Astros for 5 players led by 22-year-old Troy Patton kind of brings that dreadful word front and center for Orioles' fans. They traded away their best pitcher in Erik Bedard to the Seattle Mariners as well. It appears that even a 4th place finish in the A.L. East Division would be a monumental achievement. What does Larry Cook think about their chances? Find our here with Larry's 2008 Baltimore Orioles Predictions along with a detailed season preview of what the O's are working with.

Starting Rotation:

Now that Bedard and his 13 wins are gone, it appears that Baltimore is in even worse shape than they were a year ago. Bedard had challenged for the AL lead in strikeouts with 221 before a strained oblique muscle hampered his inning production in September. Jeremy Guthrie has emerged as one of the best young rookies in the league as the former top draft pick of the Cleveland Indians. Guthrie also came down with a strained oblique, but he is expected to be fully healthy this season and take over the No. 1 roll. Adam Loewen underwent elbow surgery but is expected to be recovered by spring training. Daniel Cabrera continues to tease and frustrate the Orioles with his flashes of dominance and ongoing control issues. He'll get one more chance this year to prove he can be the consistent pitcher the O's need to compete in the AL East. Contenders for the final two spots will rest with lefthanders Patton, Brian Burress and Garrett Olson. Olson gets the nod as the early favorite for the No. 4 spot.

Bullpen:

The bullpen was a mess last season after losing closer Chris Ray and setup man Danys Baez to ligament reconstruction surgery. Manager Dave Trembley put the bullpen as his main concern heading into 2008. Jamie Walker is more valuable as a setup man then a closer. Walker and righthander Chad Bradford got tired arms last year because they were way overused. Righthander Dennis Sarfate, acquired from the Tejada trade to the Astros, will be given every chance to win the closer role. Burres could be a long reliever is he doesn't make the starting role because he simply has to be on the field for this staff to be effective. Randor Bierd, Fernando Cabrera, Rocky Cherry and Greg Aquino will all be in the mix. Ever heard of any of these relievers? Well the answer to that question tells you a little bit about how poor of shape this bullpen is really in.

Line-Up:

With Tejada gone, the Orioles will likely give the nod at shortstop to Luis Hernandez, who impressed with his range on the defensive side in Tejada's absence during injury. He will be a defensive upgrade, but a serious deficiency with bat-in-hand unless the O's hitting coach can work some miracles. Brian Roberts mans the 2nd base position where he has become a 2-time All-Star and tied for the AL lead with 50 stolen bases. With his name appearing in the Mitchell Report and no more performance enhancing drugs at his disposal, it will be very interesting to see if Roberts can keep up the numbers he has produced the last 2 seasons. On the Corners the O's will be relying on 3rd baseman Melvin Mora and 1st baseman and veteran Kevin Millar very heavily to make up for Tejada's absence in run production. Jay Gibbons, Aubrey Huff and prospect Scott Moore should all see significant playing time whether being in the DH role or on the field. The outfield has seen right-fielder Nick Markakis become the MVP of the Orioles in 2007. Markakis will continue to hit in the 3-spot for this team, but he gets little protection from the guys around him. Will anybody pitch to him with this line-up? It will also be something to watch for. Luke Scott should man left field after coming over in the Tejada trade. If he can't produce then veteran Jay Payton will platoon with Scott out in left. Payton could be asked to play center field if the O's don't make a trade before the deadline. Tike Redman was resigned in the outfield, but he is much more suited for a reserve role. Huff and Gibbons can man the corners in case of emergency. Romon Hernandez definitely qualified himself as one of the club's biggest disappointments last year. Hernandez had some injuries while catching, and the Orioles are hoping that this was the reason for his ineffectiveness. The O's hope he returns to his old form, the one that forced them to sign Hernandez to a 4-year contract in 2005. Guillermo Quiroz was signed as a potential replacement. However, anyone wearing the gear is only doing so until Matt Wieters, last year's top draft pick out of Georgia Tech, is ready to take over. Aubrey Huff and Jay Gibbons are paid mainly for their explosive bats and the ability to hit the long ball. Each will get their shot at the DH position for most the season while playing sparingly in the field. Gibbons will have to sit out the first 15 games of the season due to violating the league's rules against performance-enhancing drugs. Gibbons may not be there physically or mentally any more after an atrocious season last year.

Orioles' 2008 predictions:

Despite not wanting to be referred to a team in rebuilding mode, this is clearly the case for Baltimore in 2008 no matter what management and team officials say. The rewards will be slow to come in the unforgiving AL East. Team President Andy MacPhail stayed away from the big free agents as he knew his team was more than one player away from reaching the postseason. The Orioles may even take another step back this season despite their 69-93 record last year, before taking another step forward. The coaching staff underwent big changes with the hiring of Dave Trembley as manager. The problem is that the losing will not change, especially in 2008. The O's will likely finish 5th in the AL East Division.

Larry Cook finished with the #5 World Ranking with his baseball picks last season. You won't believe the kind of profits you can make by signing up with Larry Cook for a 6-month package for just $499.95 to get in on all of his winning baseball betting action this season. Larry will guide you to profits you have never seen before once he makes his move to the #1 spot in 2008.

2008 Baltimore Orioles Odds:
Odds to win AL East: 50/1
Odds to win 2008 AL Pennant: 80/1
Odds to win 2008 World Series: 150/1