By Chris Ruddick, MLB Analyst (My Sportsbook)
2004 FINISH (78-84) - Third Place (AL East)
OVERVIEW
Lee Mazzilli's maiden voyage into the managerial waters got off to a shaky start, but the first year skipper turned his Orioles around in the second half, guiding them to a 41-36 mark after the break and a 78-84 record overall - good enough for third place in the American League East. It was the best season for Baltimore in five years.
Mazzilli, who has one more guaranteed year left on his contract, has been told by management he will be back next season, but his job security came into question in June when his team started the month 3-14, then again in August, when the Orioles endured a 12-game losing streak.
What went wrong for the O's? Well injuries played apart, but more importantly Sidney Ponson went through a stretch that saw him lose nine consecutive starts in the first half, but the Aruban righthander rebounded in the second half (8-3) to finish the season 11-15.
Miguel Tejada shined in his first year of a six-year, $72 million contract, while Rodrigo Lopez returned to the form of his 2002 season by going 14-9 with a 3.59 ERA. Melvin Mora continued to be one of the best hitters in the AL, as he hit .340.
PEAK PERFORMER
Miguel Tejada more than lived up to his end of the bargain this year for the Orioles, as the 2002 AL MVP hit .311 with 34 home runs and a team-record and an AL-high 150 RBI.
He led the AL with 14 sac flies, was 4th in hits (203), 8th in HR (33), tied for 7th in doubles (40), 10th in batting (.312) and 11th in slugging (.536).
Tejada also played in every game this season, extending his games-played streak to 756 games, the 11th longest of all-time and the longest in the majors since Cal Ripken started his streak in 1982.
WEAKEST LINK
After a 23-homer, 100-RBI campaign in 2003, Jay Gibbons was expected to have a breakout season this year. However, the 27-year-old slugger failed to live up to expectations, as he endured a plethora of injuries and played in just 97 games.
Gibbons never seemed to be able to get on track and finished the year hitting .247 with a career-low 10 home runs and 47 RBI.
OFF-SEASON NEEDS
About $18 million should be freed up with Baltimore no longer contractually tied to injury-disaster David Segui, Marty Cordova, Omar Daal and Buddy Groom. Also, Rafael Palmeiro's $4.5 million option won't kick in next season because he didn't play 140 games in the field, so the O's have some money to spend.
Even though, Ponson and Lopez showed signs in the second half of becoming an ace,the team could always use another front-line starter. Some names tossed about have been Minnesota's Brad Radke, Philadelphia's Eric Milton and Florida's Carl Pavano.
Another bat in the lineup would not hurt either and the team is expected to go after Chicago White Sox free agent outfielder Magglio Ordonez.
The team will also be in the market for a catcher for the second straight year, as Javier Lopez has been told that he will play more first base next season.
