Orioles Eye Flight From Divisional Depths

By Alex Yoh — 3/8/12
Baltimore has been bogged down in the AL East for more than a decade.
The Orioles have not had a winning season since 1997. That’s when the team had 98 wins and won the American League East division pennant. That was also the last year Baltimore qualified for post-season play. Since then, division rival Yankees, Rays, and Red Sox have made a combined nine World Series appearances. During that time the Yankees won four titles while the Red Sox won two.
Now, the Orioles are one of the youngest teams in the division and are looking to progress during their rebuilding era.
“We have a bunch of good guys, [and] a good coaching staff. We’re making progress, we’re getting better,” said short stop J.J. Hardy.
“We’ve had a better record than the year before two years in a row now and we’re trying to keep that upward climb going. We didn’t get where we are overnight,” said manager Buck Showalter. Last season Baltimore won 69 games. That is three more than in 2010. Hardy had high praise for Showalter’s leadership to help the Orioles improve again this season.
“He communicates as well as any manager that I’ve ever played for. He’s a genius when it comes to managing a game. He’s got a lot of respect from all his players.”