5 Reasons for Baltimore Orioles Fans to Be Thankful Heading into 2014
5 Reasons for Baltimore Orioles Fans to Be Thankful Heading into 2014
Though it is easy to focus on the fact that the Baltimore Orioles failed to reach their goal in 2013, there are still plenty of good things going on. As they look forward to the 2014 season they can claim already to one of the more powerful batting orders in the American League. There were only three top MVP candidates in the A.L. this past season and one of them plays for the Orioles. There are more things that just that to be thankful for however.
It would be silly to say that fans should be thankful for the great pitching staff of the Orioles because it simply isn’t. However, the O’s do have in place the right people to be able to build a better pitching staff. Two young pitchers are just about ready for the MLB scene with Kevin Gausman surely fighting for a rotation spot and Dylan Bundy recovering from Tommy John surgery.
The future is bright in other areas of the diamond as well. One thing that everyone in the Orioles fan base would be thankful for is if Scott Boras went out of business and stopped ruining baseball. Not one but two huge players for the Orioles are very unlikely to remain after their current contract just because of Boras.
He has to change his way of business or leave baseball alone. The Orioles fans should worry about that but that comes later. For now they should be thankful of the five things that follow. Leave a comment below if you chose to do so. Here we go.
David Miller is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @davidmillerrant, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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5 – Adam Jones
Though Jones might not always find his name at the top of the MVP discussion, his name should at least be in the talking points at the beginning of every season. His 2013 numbers of 33 home runs and 108 RBI along with a 4.4 WAR stack up nicely to anyone in baseball. Add that to his gold glove ability in the outfield and you have a reason to look forward thankfully to every Orioles season through 2018 at least.
4 – Buck Showalter
Showalter might not get the most positive press all the time and certainly is rare to accept credit for the good job he has done but that doesn’t mean he isn’t one of the best. He knows the game of baseball and knows how to teach it to young players while in the position of manager. He does a good job of giving his team a chance to win and manages with a shrewd and sharp mind that makes any managerial opponent stay on task.
3 – Manny Machado
Machado is clearly one of the best young superstars in MLB and his 6.4 WAR could have him in MVP talks as early as the 2014 season. That isn’t the best reason to be thankful going into 2014 though. Recently the O’s stated that they expect Machado to be fully healthy and ready to play by 2014 Opening Day. If that isn’t a reason for O’s fans to be thankful after what could have been a terrible injury, I don’t know what is.
2 – Jim Johnson
This might seem a little high to place a closer on the list but two consecutive 50-save seasons puts Johnson up there with the very best in the game. One thing every team needs to be able to win and go deep into postseason play is a good to great closer. The Orioles have that right now. All fans should be thankful now however because Johnson is a free agent at the end of the 2015 season. Who knows what happens after that? Be thankful while you have him.
1 – Chris Davis
This one is easy. The guy had 53 home runs and 138 RBI while taking two-thirds of the triple crown categories on offense. His career appears to be on the upswing and the Orioles fans get to enjoy watching what could be the jump-start of one of the best several season runs of any first baseman in recent memory. The 2014 season should probably be no different.
