The 2015 baseball season is one that many Orioles fans are looking forward too. After a strong finish in the division last year and a good run in the postseason, students are waiting to see what kind of ‘Orioles Magic’ the team can produce this year.
The Orioles will throw their first pitch of the regular season on April 6th at Tampa, Florida. Fans will get to see the team at home for the first time on April 10th at Camden Yards.
When the starting lineup takes the field however, the team may look a tad different than last years.
Two of the three starting outfielders have left this offseason. Nelson Cruz took off to Seattle to play for the Mariners. In his one year contract with Baltimore, Cruz led the team in home runs, doubles and RBIs. The Orioles must also cope with losing the long-tenured Oriole Nick Markakis. Markakis won numerous golden gloves and was also named rookie of the year in 2006. In addition to being a presence in the outfield, Markakis batted .290 career and averaged 78 RBIs a season.
However, with Adam Jones in center field and strong young players such as David Lough emerging the outfield could very well still be productive. Lough played in over 100 games last season and batted .247. Another emerging player is outfielder Delmon Young. Young appeared in 83 games and recorded 73 hits in 2014. Young mostly appeared as a DH last season but very well could find his way into the starting lineup as an outfielder in 2015. The team also signed outfielder Travis Snider, who is projected to play a lot this upcoming season.
The pitching staff for the 2015 season is expected to be Tillman, Chen, Norris, Gausman, and Jimenez. A rotation that looks pretty much exactly like the staff from last year. The bunch can prove to be successful, but the success much relies on the efforts of Ubaldo Jimenez. The Orioles gave him big money and expected big results from the former Cleveland Indian. However after a terrible season in 2014, the team needs Jimenez to bounce back and produce this year. If Jimenez as well as others can be productive, the Orioles pitching will be a force to be reckoned with. The team sits on a very strong bullpen.
Although the birds didn’t have a loud, bold, offseason as many fans would have wanted, the Orioles very well could find themselves in the heat of the playoff chase come the fall months.