Are the O's a third place finisher?

[wildcard]

And he had a hernia.

He had hit quite well at DH throughout his career to that point.

I thought he was over the hernia by the time he went to the White Sox.

[Crazysilver03]

Link? I haven't seen where Friedman has said that. But if Manny wants to be Manny it will not matter what Friedman or anyone else says.

Okay, so Friedman hasn't said anything about it yet since the signings are official, but almost everything has said that Manny will DH and Damon will be in LF, according to their site.

[Crazysilver03]

And he had a 774 OPS at DH. In left he hit 948. We will see how it works out. It will be interesting.

Or maybe he struggled coming back to the AL? :scratchchinhmm:

We will see how it works out.

[wildcard]

I'm not saying he's played consistently at DH, I'm simply saying that he has hit well when he has been at DH and he signed with TB to be the DH. So I think you're making a mountain out of a mole hill.

I am make nothing out of nothing. I am just saying it would not surprise me to have Manny say he wants to play the outfield. I doubt any of us know what Manny has agreed to do. I do agree that Manny has the ability to do well as a DH. I just question whether he will want to.

[mweb]

I thought he was over the hernia by the time he went to the White Sox.

That's not what the article I posted earlier said.

[Stotle]

I don't see a reasonable scenario where BAL finishes in 3rd. If TAM sees pull back on the pitching front, and if none of the new everyday players and arms contribute, I could see them sliding down. But I think it's unlikely.

[wildcard]

Okay, so Friedman hasn't said anything about it yet since the signings are official, but almost everything has said that Manny will DH and Damon will be in LF, according to their site.

That is like Brit speculating on what MacPhail will do. It doesn't mean much. I do not doubt that the Rays would like Manny to DH. Heck, Manny may even start the year DHing. But Manny is Manny and he could do anything at any time.

This is a guy the staged a work slowdown to try to get and extension out of the Red Sox.

[mweb]

I am make nothing out of nothing. I am just saying it would not surprise me to have Manny say he wants to play the outfield. I doubt any of us know what Manny has agreed to do. I do agree that Manny has the ability to do well as a DH. I just question whether he will want to.

This is what you said:

Manny doesn't like to DH and when asked to over the last several seasons has not done it well. That means for Maddon to get the 900 OPS production he wants, Manny probably has to play defense in left. That will be an adventure for the Rays.

Who DHs for the Rays? How do they perform? Look at the stats. When I do I think there is a question how much Manny and Damon help. They help offensively when they play left but neither helps defensively.

Their reputations make it seem like they will help. The stats tell a different story when it is considered where they will play.

So I agree about the second nothing, but not the first.

[helloharv]

Can 77 wins get us to 3rd place?

[crowmst3k!]

Its all on the starting pitching. I think we know what we are going to get with Matusz and Guthrie. But what about Arrieta, Bergesen, and Tillman? Will Britton come up and immediately produce? Can these guys perform for an entire season?

As far as hitting, I am hoping for big years from Wieters, Lee, and Reynolds. I think we know what to expect out of Luke, Nick, and Brian. I dont think Boston will be toppled, but some over performing from the O's and some underperforming by New York could make for a very interesting season.

[mweb]

My rough estimates on 16 game ranges (obviously teams can do better or worse) for the AL East teams:

Red Sox: 88-103

Yankees: 86-101

Rays: 81-96

O's: 75-90

Jays: 71-86

If that has any validity, the O's fit in nicely in the 3-5th range with 4th being most likely and a slight chance at finishing in the top 2.

[crowmst3k!]

My rough estimates on 16 game ranges (obviously teams can do better or worse) for the AL East teams:

Red Sox: 88-103

Yankees: 86-101

Rays: 81-96

O's: 75-90

Jays: 71-86

If that has any validity, the O's fit in nicely in the 3-5th range with 4th being most likely and a slight chance at finishing in the top 2.

Rough estimates? Surely you can just add up projected WAR and be spot-on accurate!

[orayole]

I say FIRST place.

You people make me sad.

[Bradysburns]

If I were to place a bet, I would place a bet on the Orioles finishing 4th. I think 3rd or 5th is possible.

But that is just for 2011.

If I were placing a bet right now for where they finish in 2012, I would bet on 5th place.

That's a scary concept. So do you think we should fire AM now, or just let his contract expire?

[CompuCoach]

If I were to place a bet, I would place a bet on the Orioles finishing 4th. I think 3rd or 5th is possible.

But that is just for 2011.

If I were placing a bet right now for where they finish in 2012, I would bet on 5th place.

Although it's pretty pointless at this juncture to try to evaluate the 2012 team.

Sure, a number of guys have contracts expiring at the end of the season (notably Lee, Hardy, Gonzalez, potentially Uehara), so you can't count their potential production towards that team, but the Orioles could very well upgrade on those positions anyway, or make a corresponding lateral move. Given the lack of information, that's about as likely a scenario as presuming the designated replacements for those players will be comparatively less productive.

There's just no telling how the team will handle personnel turnover at that point, and how much of it there will even be remains to be seen. We could draw similar conclusions for just about any team that has a number of contracts expiring at the end of a given season.

With all of that said, I'd be really surprised if the team finished fifth this season. I see third or fourth as a 'coin flip' contingent on how a lot of different things play out, but flirtation with a winning record either way.