Bob Haynie: Orioles Should Crush HR's On Offense
The Baltimore Orioles let first baseman Chris Davis get reacquainted with members of the local media on Thursday night at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The slugger's new 7-year, $161 million deal is now official and he along with manager Buck Showalter and GM Dan Duquette were on hand to celebrate.
With Davis staying in the Bird's nest, the Orioles--on paper--look to be very potent with the bats. If everyone stays healthy, they will have one of the most powerful lineups in all of Major League Baseball.
Since the start of the 2012 season, Davis has hit 159 HR's. That is more than any other player in MLB. He's led the majors in HR's in two of the last three seasons. He can crush, hence the nickname.
As we all know, Davis is not the only player in the Baltimore lineup who is capable of hitting the ball out of the park. There are a few proven power hitters on this club.
CF Adam Jones, 3B Manny Machado and DH/OF Mark Trumbo are legitimate power threats. C Matt Wieters is able to hit the long ball as is fellow catcher Caleb Joseph.
J.J. Hardy has hit over 30 HR's in a single season before. However, due to injuries he has tallied only 17 homers over the previous two seasons combined. OF Nolan Reimold has some pop and 2B Jonathan Schoop's home run potential seems unlimited.
As a team, the Orioles have hit 854 home runs over the last four years. They have been to the playoffs twice and they have had four-straight non-losing seasons. Obviously, hitting the home run has benefited them.
In 2016, the power potential looks to be just as impressive.
Given the uncertain state of the starting rotation, the Baltimore Orioles may need all of the offensive firepower they can get.
