Thanks to an overachieving pitching staff, the Orioles have actually been hovering around the .500 mark this season. That's a bit of a surprise considering their 88-loss club lost their top pitcher (Mike Mussina) and top hitter (Albert Belle) in the offseason. This isn't to say the Orioles should be proud of themselves, because they've had their share of disappointments. Closer Ryan Kohlmeier was demoted to Triple-A, 2000 team MVP Delino DeShields got released and veteran regulars like Cal Ripken Jr., Brady Anderson and Brook Fordyce have all been as terrible as the front office who have run this club into the sewer since 1997.
First-half MVP: You know a team is horrendous when a 35-year-old with nine homers is the team's offensive MVP. Jeff Conine has been clutch all season for the Birds, with a team-leading .314 average and 48 RBI. In terms of pitching, Jason Johnson has been tremendous (8-5, 3.22 ERA) after a disastrous 2000 campaign (1-10, 7.02 ERA). The 27-year-old staff ace hasn't made Baltimore fans forget Mussina, but he has made a home for himself, going 6-1 with a 2.07 ERA at Camden Yards.
Biggest surprise: Other than the shock of finding 40-HR man Tony Batista on the waiver wire, rookie hurler Josh Towers has been one of the biggest surprises in the majors. The 24-year-old is 6-3 with a 2.22 ERA, but his most remarkable stat is his eight walks in 65 innings. He doesn't have overpowering stuff, but the kid continues to live up to his "Control Towers" nickname by simply throwing strikes. He's only reached 100 pitches in two of his eight starts, and has a 1.76 ERA as a starter.
Biggest disappointment: To think it only took Mike Hargrove three months to realize that Brady Anderson isn't the answer. Hargrove finally told the 37-year-old on July 6 that he'll receive less playing time from now on. Anderson, who has reached 25 homers once in his career (50 in 1996), has been atrocious. He's batting .205 with just six longballs and an on-base percentage of .306.
|
Orioles first-half comparison
|
|
|
2000
|
2001
|
|
W-L
|
38-48
|
40-47
|
|
HR leader
|
Johnson, 20
|
Gibbons, 11
|
|
BA leader
|
Johnson, .308
|
Conine, .314
|
|
ERA
|
Mussina, 3.68
|
Johnson, 3.22
|
Second-half goals: The Orioles need to fully enter a rebuilding mode. Holding onto mediocre veterans like Anderson (37 years old), Mike Bordick (35), Conine (35), Buddy Groom (35) and David Segui (34) makes no sense for a team whose slogan is, "The Kids are Here to Play." So let the kids play. Speaking of kids, Hargrove has to make sure he doesn't overuse his young arms for a team that's not in any kind of playoff race. Sidney Ponson has been grossly overworked in his young career, and the Orioles don't want to see Johnson and Towers see similar fates. And beating the Yankees every now and then wouldn't be a bad idea either. Baltimore is 2-11 against its rivals this year.
Minor-leaguer to watch: Not that Baltimore has many prospects left in their farm system, but southpaw Richard Stahl is developing into a great one. The O's first-round pick in 1998 was named the club's second-best prospect by Baseball America in 2000. The 6-foot-7, 185-pounder was promoted to Class A Frederick this season and has posted a 1.95 ERA in six starts. He has struck out 24 and walked 15 in 32 1/3 innings with the Keys.
Grade:  -- Since the Orioles are actually playing better than expected, they'll get a 2-rating here. Just don't be confused into thinking they are an average ball club, because they are much worse than mediocre.
(Scale: 1 to 4 baseballs; 1 = worst, 4 = best)
We told you what we thought of the Orioles' first-half performance, now here's a sample of what you had to say.
Brian Gramling is an assistant editor at ESPN.com
| |
|
