Cafardo: Despite losses, Orioles still perched on top in AL East

[mdbdotcom]

I've posted something similar in the recent past. Glad to see Cafardo gets it.

They lost Nelson Cruz (to Seattle) and his 40 homers, Nick Markakis?s solid defense in right, and reliever Andrew Miller, but are they any worse for wear? They played so much of last season without their trio of Chris Davis (127 games), Matt Wieters (26 games) and Manny Machado (82 games) and still won the division. So they?re not panicking about replacing Cruz and Markakis.

[AlbionHero]

He's exactly right. I'm not too worried since we should have more production we didn't have in the lineup last year.

The sky isn't falling because we lost an aging DH and RF.

[El Gordo]

Interesting about Zobrist. What would it take to get him?

[foxfield]

This is definitely the flip side to the "pitchfork" and "sky is falling" crowd. I definitely am on board with this article. That doesn't mean I don't want to see additions, just that I am ok that the FO knows what it wants to do and the best way to get it done. I also feel comfortable saying that my expectations are to repeat as AL East Champs.

[LoyalBirdFan]

He doesn't pay any atention to Fangraphs either. Smart man.

[O's84]

The sky is indeed not falling, but we need to make some moves. Still time for that.

[DrinkinWithFermi]

The sky is indeed not falling' date=' but we need to make some moves. Still time for that.[/quote']

Exactly. The holes that need patching are not nearly as gaping as many folks seem to think, and we have plenty of time left to fill them.

[25 Nuggets]

1. Orioles: 90+ wins

2. Boston: 84-88 wins

3. Toronto: 84-88 wins

4. New York: 80-84 wins

5. Tampa: 78-84 wins

I like these projections. I agree that there are no truly bad teams in the AL East, but there will likely be only one team making the playoffs. History states that one of these teams will drop back like Boston did last year, and injuries will be the biggest factor there.

[weams]

The sky isn't falling because we lost an aging DH and RF.

A right fielder that had a .712 OPS and is recovering from neck fusion surgery.

[Frobby]

I think it's wrong to take a "sky is falling" attitude, but it's also a mistake to assume we won't feel the loss of these players. Cruz wasn't likely to replicate last year's performance, but the fact remains that those 40 homers are gone. And players will get hurt next year, so it's not like Wieters, Machado and Davis are likely to make up for the players we lost.

[backwardsk]

We always talk about the return of Weiters, Machado, and an improved Davis picking up the lost production from Cruz and Markakis. One guy who doesn't get mentioned in this is Hardy. His back sapped him of his power in the first half. I could see him have 10-15 more homeruns in 2015 than he did in 2014. Will we have more homeruns this year than we did last season? Maybe not. Will we score more than 705 runs. I would put my money on yes.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Can_of_corn]

We always talk about the return of Weiters, Machado, and an improved Davis picking up the lost production from Cruz and Markakis. One guy who doesn't get mentioned in this is Hardy. His back sapped him of his power in the first half. I could see him have 10-15 more homeruns in 2015 than he did in 2014. Will we have more homeruns this year than we did last season? Maybe not. Will we score more than 705 runs. I would put my money on yes.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I am not expecting his back to be problem free for the entirety of the season.

[foxfield]

I think it's wrong to take a "sky is falling" attitude, but it's also a mistake to assume we won't feel the loss of these players. Cruz wasn't likely to replicate last year's performance, but the fact remains that those 40 homers are gone. And players will get hurt next year, so it's not like Wieters, Machado and Davis are likely to make up for the players we lost.

You are much more eloquent than I, but this is where I am. I think Wieters, Machado and Davis are likely to produce more than they did collectively, but I think we need more to close the gap of what we lost. I am definitely not part of the "sky is falling" crowd, and I do believe that the Orioles are still the team to beat in 2015 in the AL East. But I also believe the margin is thinner than we would like.

[wildcard]

I think it's wrong to take a "sky is falling" attitude, but it's also a mistake to assume we won't feel the loss of these players. Cruz wasn't likely to replicate last year's performance, but the fact remains that those 40 homers are gone. And players will get hurt next year, so it's not like Wieters, Machado and Davis are likely to make up for the players we lost.

I think we have to remember that the O's led the AL in homers by 34 in 2014 and 24 in 2013. The O's could probably drop a dozen homers and still lead the league in homers.

The making up of the 54 homers that we lost with the departure of the Curz and Markakis is likely to be made by many of the Orioles including

Wieters who will pay 5 more months than he did last year,

Davis who will likely play 6 months instead of 5,

Pearce who will likely get more at bat in 2015,

De Aza who only played a month with the O's last year,

Hardy who seemed to be bother early in the year by not being extended. I have heard Buck mention this as a cause of his offensive stuggles.

And the lefthanded hitting outfielder that is likely to be sign before ST.

Also if injuries do hit the replacement are likely to be:

Walker who hit 27 homers last year in the high minors

and Alvarez who hit 15 homers last year.

Overall I think the O's have a good chance of hitting 200 homers again in 2015.

[LA2]

I think we have to remember that the O's led the AL in homers by 34 in 2014 and 24 in 2013. The O's could probably drop a dozen homers and still lead the league in homers.

The making up of the 54 homers that we lost with the departure of the Curz and Markakis is likely to be made by many of the Orioles including

Wieters who will pay 5 more months than he did last year,

Davis who will likely play 6 months instead of 5,

Pearce who will likely get more at bat in 2015,

De Aza would only played a month with the O's last year,

Hardy who seemed to be bother early in the year by not being extended. I have heard Buck mention this as a cause of his offensive stuggles.

And the lefthanded hitting outfielder that is likely to be sign before ST.

Also if injuries do hit the replacement are likely to be:

Walker who hit 27 homers last year in the high minors

and Alvarez who hit 15 homers last year.

Overall I think the O's have a good chance of hitting 200 homers again in 2015.

You forgot to mention Manny, who, in his curtailed season, showed more home run (but less doubles) power last year than in 2013. I'm also guessing that Schoop, should he remain the starting second baseman, will homer more than even the impressive 16 in 455 ABs of last season.