O’s optimistic after dynamic offseason

It is indisputable that the last couple of weekends have been absolutely amazing for sports fans of all stripes, with March Madness taking over the sports world and providing dozens of thrilling games going down to the final buzzer. Unfortunately, the Madness will end on April 4 at the culmination of the national championship game. However, with this bad news comes great news, as the Major League Baseball (MLB) season will commence on April 3 with three games, including a World Series rematch between the Royals and the Mets.

On April 4, the national championship game will be complemented by 12 more Opening Day games, including one right here in Baltimore, as the hometown Orioles host the Minnesota Twins at Camden Yards.

The Birds will look to rebound from a disappointing 2015 campaign, and after a very strong offseason, they definitely appear to be headed in the right direction.

After years of struggles, the Orioles have finally returned to relevance in the last four years. From 1998 to 2011, Baltimore finished with a losing record every season and was unable to find any sort of consistency in the wins column.

In July of 2010, having hired and fired six managers since 1998, the O’s brought on Buck Showalter, a manager who had previously found success with the Yankees, Diamondbacks and Rangers. Showalter led the O’s to a strong finish in 2010, but the team could not continue this success the following year, finishing just 69-93. It was clear that they were still lacking the personnel to be contenders.

Following the 2011 season, the hiring of Dan Duquette as General Manager — who is largely responsible for putting together the Red Sox team that won the 2004 World Series — solved that problem.

In 2012, the Orioles took the league by surprise, finishing an impressive 93-69 and knocking off the back-to-back American League (AL) Champion Texas Rangers in the first-ever Wild Card Game before falling in the final game of a best-of-five series against the Yankees. In 2013, the O’s played well, and with Showalter’s emphasis on defense they broke the single season record by committing just 54 errors.

However, they failed to reach the playoffs at 85-77, though another winning season had solidified them as a team that could contend.

And they were contenders. Baltimore ran away with the always-competitive AL East in 2014, finishing 96-66 and winning their first division title since 1997 by a whopping twelve games. After sweeping the Tigers in the Division Series, the O’s themselves were swept by the Royals in the ALCS, but they had left their mark, once again proving their ability to contend and win in the postseason.

The Birds were unable to follow up this success in 2015, finishing a pedestrian 81-81. With many key players heading into free agency and the other teams in the AL East becoming stronger, the Orioles appeared to be on the decline. It was widely believed at the beginning of the winter that the O’s would be unable to resign their own free agents, let alone others, but they defied the doubts.

The wild winter began in November, with elite catcher Matt Wieters unexpectedly accepting Baltimore’s qualifying offer to return to the team for the upcoming season. In early December, the O’s traded for slugger Mark Trumbo, giving up little in return and bolstering their already powerful lineup.

Soon after, free agent relief pitcher Darren O’Day opted to resign with Baltimore on a four-year contract; the move once again solidified what is one of the best bullpens in baseball.

Later in the month, Hyun-soo Kim, one of the best hitters in Korea, signed with the O’s on a low-risk, high-reward two-year contract. The offseason had been going well so far, but there was still a big move that had to be made for the O’s to see their offseason as a success.

In January, that move happened. After months of negotiations, the Orioles resigned their star slugger, Chris Davis, to the most lucrative contract in team history, bringing him on for the next seven years for an astronomical $161 million. At this point, having dished out so much dough already, the Orioles decided that it was time to go all-in.

In February, they added a former All-Star starting pitcher, Yovani Gallardo, to replace Wei-Yin Chen, who left in free agency to a two-year contract.

In March, after a deal with Cubs Outfielder Dexter Fowler fell through, they signed former Pirates slugger Pedro Álvarez to cap off what was by far their most expensive offseason ever. Not only did they spend, they spent wisely — this team is going to be really good. Now let’s look at why.

Let’s start with the guy in the dugout and the guy in the front office. Showalter and Duquette are among the best in the game at their respective jobs.

The decisions and transactions they have made already, as well as the ones they will undoubtedly make down the road, are among the main reasons that the Orioles have become contenders these past several years and that they will contend once again this season.

Now let’s look at the guys on the diamond. On the mound, the Orioles have a plethora of starting pitchers vying for five spots in a rotation that has struggled over the past few seasons.

Establishing consistency will be the main focus of this group, which is headlined by opening-day starter Chris Tillman. Tillman will be joined by veterans Yovani Gallardo, Ubaldo Jiménez and Miguel González, as well as by the young Kevin Gausman, who will continue to strive to reach his enormous potential.

The bullpen is headlined by veteran set-up man O’Day — who is known for his submarine-style motion — and closer Zach Britton, a starter-turned-reliever, who is now one of the best in the business at the end of games. Both O’Day and Britton were All-Stars last year and have led the way in forming one of strongest bullpens in all of baseball.

Behind the plate, Wieters and Caleb Joseph make up a solid catching duo that plays elite defense and makes an impact in the batters box as well.

Chris Davis, Trumbo and Álvarez will likely split their time at first base, in the outfield or as the designated hitter, and they all deliver the same thing: power. Davis has led the League in home runs two of the past three seasons and has the most home runs in baseball since 2012.

Álvarez led the National League (NL) in home runs in 2013, and Trumbo has delivered 30 home runs in multiple seasons and is still definitely in the upswing of his career. These three will definitely be striking out a lot as well, but as long as they are hitting home runs, the O’s will be winning games.

The rest of the infield is comprised of rising star Jonathan Schoop, proven veteran J.J. Hardy and quintessential superstar Manny Machado.

Schoop, in limited playing time, has showcased his power capabilities at the plate and has exhibited consistently strong defense at second base. Hardy, the shortstop, is coming off an injury-plagued season, but will look to return to his Gold Glove and Silver Slugger form of several years ago.

As for Machado, the third baseman is now widely regarded as one of the best players in baseball, having finished off a remarkable 2015 campaign in what was just his second season playing in a majority of Baltimore’s games.

Machado bashed 35 home runs, won his second Gold Glove, was elected to his second All-Star Game and finished fourth in the AL MVP voting.

Machado is arguably the best defensive infielder in the game; He can hit the ball as well as anyone, he has speed and he is only going to get better.

Along with Mike Trout and Bryce Harper, Machado is leading baseball’s next generation and proving that the sport is in good hands going forward.

In either left or right field, Hyun-soo Kim will begin his MLB career looking to continue the success that he experienced in Korea. As Kim continues the difficult transition, Joey Rickard, who was acquired in the Rule 5 Draft last year, will also be given playing time as he tries to unleash his immense potential. Either way, more depth is always a positive thing in a 162-game season.

And last but not least, in center field, the heart and soul of the Birds, the electrifying Adam Jones will look to continue cementing his legacy in Orioles history.

Jones, a fan favorite in Baltimore and around the League, is known for the excitement and passion he brings to the game, his consistent hitting and impressive power and his Gold-Glove-caliber defense.

While he will not be smashing pies in the faces of his teammates after victories this season as he did throughout the past few seasons (for safety reasons!), his ever-present charismatic attitude will be there as always.

The Orioles are going to be great this year and there is no reason to not check them out. Camden Yards, one of the best stadiums in baseball, sits alongside the Inner Harbor, just a few miles down the road from the Homewood campus.

So go down to the park, grab a sandwich at Boog’s — run by 1970 MVP Boog Powell, who takes pictures with customers—and watch the O’s surge towards the playoffs. It’s going to be a great season in Birdland. Play ball!