Thank God. Spring Training is officially over. Now the stats count...Opening Day 2009 is finally here! The O's begin the season on Monday at Camden Yards, as they host the division-rival New York Yankees.
Let's be honest...the Birds didn't look great this offseason, particularly the starting pitching (no big surprise there). The O's finished the spring with a 13-21 record, second-worst in the American League (the Yankees were second-best with a 24-10 record).
But none of that matters now...the regular season is just a day away and both teams start with identical records. If you've been following the Birds this offseason, you are well aware that the team has improved over last years' version (check out my 2008 Year in Review post to see what I mean). The O's shed some aging players and added a host of fresh young talent. Unfortunately we won't be seeing some of these young players until next season, but Andy MacPhail, Baltimore's president of baseball operations, has a master plan. The Birds WILL BE contenders sometime in the very near future. The Yankees spent $400 million over the offseason to improve their club for the present...let's see if it worked.
I'm not ruling out the playoffs this year...far from it. The O's should surprise a lot of skeptics; no one picked the Tampa Rays to make it to the World Series last year, so it's definitely a possibility. You gotta believe...
Although the starting rotation is questionable, the bullpen looked pretty solid over the past few weeks. George Sherrill may still be the closer, but it looks like Chris Ray has recovered from his surgery and rightly deserves the role. Ray pitched 13 scoreless innings in 13 relief appearances this spring, and recorded 11 strikeouts to only 4 walks. Give that man the ball in the 9th...
The offense was solid last season and it looks like that will carry over into 2009. Nick Markakis leads the team with a .407 batting average, and designated hitter Luke Scott slapped five homers during Spring Training. Expect the rest of the Birds' bats to heat up with the weather...
So that's about it for now. I had considered blogging during Spring Training but decided against it...I was WAY too busy these past few weeks buying and moving into my new house, and I figure the 162 game regular season will keep me plenty busy over the next few months!
I'll be at the Home Opener (section 65 if you're going to be there too...look for me in my Roberts jersey) and hope to have some good news for my next post! Just like last season, I'll upload some of my own pictures on the site, and this year I may even add some video...GO O'S!!!!!!
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