Mark Viviano: The Orioles Comeback Trio
Are you one who sees the Orioles glass as half-empty or half-full?
The "half-empty" camp points out the departures of Nelson Cruz, Nick Markakis and Andrew Miller.
The "half-full" camp points out the expected healthy returns of Manny Machado, Matt Wieters and Chris Davis.
The three returnees are a talented trio: all three are All-Stars, Machado and Wieters have won Gold Gloves and Chris Davis was named the Most Valuable Oriole in 2013 when the set the franchise record with 53 home runs. In 2014, Machado had knee surgery, Wieters had elbow surgery and Davis struggled with an oblique injury that saw his batting average plummet and he was suspended for the final month of the season after testing positive for a banned amphetamine.
I sat down with all three of the "comeback trio" during my visit to Orioles spring training in Sarasota. All three voiced a strong confidence not only in their individual ability to bounce back but in the team's ability to repeat as division champs. I asked Davis if there's a sense among the three "comeback" players about what effect they could have, he said "Absolutely," and added "this may be our last chance to do this all in an Orioles uniform. We have eleven free agents after this season, we all understand that and we understand if we all go about our business the right way we can be successful."
Much of that success could be determined by the play of Machado, Wieters and Davis. Tune in to WJZ-TV for more from each of them from spring training in the coming days.
