Buck Showalter and his Baltimore Orioles stunned the Major League Baseball world last season when they went coast to coast in the American League East.
The 2014 Baltimore Orioles signified a team on the rise – one who also shocked us from start to finish.
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For many years the mighty and powerful division known as the American League East boasted two beasts known as the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Year in and year out, one of these stalwarts would win the division crown while the other would take home the Wild Card.
It went on like that for years.
From 1998 through 2009, the Yankees and Red Sox finished in the top two spots in the division for all but two of the those seasons (2006, 2008). It a long while to crack the code, but finally it has happened.
The Tampa Bay Rays burst onto the scene in 2008 by taking the crown and winning the pennant, and the Buck Showalter led Orioles made their presence felt in 2012 claiming one of the two Wild Card spots.
Last season they started out strong and never looked back, winning the division going away. Actually, they took it home by 12 games over the second place Yankees and sported the second best record in the league behind the Los Angeles Angels.
Power and a solid bullpen lead the way as Baltimore hit a Major League leading 211 home runs during the regular season.
Late in the 2013-14 offseason the club signed free Nelson Cruz. It seemed like a solid move at the time, but by smashing a league leading 40 home runs, he earned every penny of that one-year deal.
No matter how great a regular season the O’s enjoyed, it came crashing down in the ALCS against the Kansas City Royals team – a team that finished last in the majors with 95 home runs.
Instead of it finally being Baltimore’s time, and finally time for Showalter to earn his well deserved trip to the World Series, they ran into that sea of blue magical carpet ride known as the Kansas City Royals.
With some major losses this offseason, many folks will doubt the Orioles carrying that same dominance into 2015.
How in the world will they be able to replace Nelson Cruz who smashed 40 home runs and 108 runs batted in last season? Nick Markasis also left town with his team leading .342 on base percentage.
To make matters worse, not many replacements were gathered which disappoints many in Baltimore.
Here’s our preview of the 2015 Baltimore Orioles.
2014 Notes:
- Record: 96-66, 1st Place in AL East
- Playoffs: Lost to the Kansas City Royals in four games in the ALCS
- Major League leading 211 home runs
Leaders:
- Nelson Cruz: 40 HR
- Nelson Cruz: 108 RBI
- Adam Jones: .281 BA
- Nick Markakis: .342 OBP
- Nelson Cruz: .525 SLG
- Adam Jones: 88 Runs
- David Lough: 8 SB
- Wei-Yin Chen: 16 Wins
- Chris Tillman: 150 K’s
- Miguel Gonzalez: 3.23 ERA
- Bud Norris: 1.22 WHIP
- Zach Britton: 37 Saves
Next: Roster Movement