The key with the Orioles is going to be the pitching staff. The Orioles brought in Kevin Millwood to be the #1 starter and lefty Mike Gonzalez to be the closer over the winter and those are huge upgrades for the pitching staff. The Orioles really need Brad Bergeson, Brian Matusz and David Hernandez to step up in the rotation. The Orioles should score more than enough runs this season with Miguel Tejada and Garrett Atkins manning the corners in the infield in 2010. Brian Roberts has a herniated disc and that could be a huge problem for the Orioles this season as they really don’t want to use Ty Wigginton there. I think that this will be the year that Matt Wieters, Nolan Reimold and Adam Jones will really step up. I figure that the Orioles will finish fourth place in the A.L. East but I think they will win more than 74.5 games in 2010 so take the over.

The Orioles have signed 28-year old lefty swinging outfielder Joey Gathright to a minor league deal. Gathright played in 37 games last season for the Red Sox & Cubs in which he was 8 of 30 (.267 avg, .579 OPS) with 9 runs scored and 2 stolen bases. He has now played in 445 games in his major league career and he is 309 of 1,175 (.263 avg, .630 OPS) with 177 runs scored, 1 homer, 96 RBIs and 80 stolen bases. This was a good depth signing for the Orioles as Gathright will start the season in AAA and get a call if they need him.

The Orioles have brought in Kevin Millwood, Miguel Tejada, Mike Gonzalez and Garrett Atkins over the winter so the expectations are that the Orioles should approach a .500 record in 2010. This is by far the most talent the Orioles have had in manager Dave Trembley’s tenure as the team’s manager. Trembley led the Orioles to a 64-98 record (39.5%) last season and that was pretty awful. They brought him in some help in the form of new bench coach Jeff Datz who is a good strategist on game days. Trembley has a 172-244 (41.3%) record in his three years with the Orioles. Owner Peter Angelos likely will not tolerate another awful year for his team in 2010 so Trembley’s job is in jeopardy if the Orioles don’t show significant improvement this year.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE MANAGER IN 2010: C

The Orioles have acquired 25-year old lefty swinging catcher Steven Lerud from the Royals for a player to be named later. Lerud played in 95 games in AA-ball last season in which he was 73 of 304 (.240 avg, .674 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 4 homers and 26 RBIs. He has now played in 519 games in six years in the minors and he is 396 of 1,740 (.228 avg, .677 OPS) with 202 runs scored, 42 homers and 224 RBIs. This was a move for organizational depth at catcher as Lerud doesn’t have much of a upside.

The Orioles went out and signed 31-year old lefty Mike Gonzalez to take over as the full-time closer this year. Gonzalez pitched in 80 games (0 starts) last season for the Braves and he was 5-4 with 10 saves, a 2.42 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He only allowed 56 hits in 74 1/3 innings last season while whiffing 90 batters showing how nasty his stuff really is. He has now pitched in 302 games (0 starts) in his seven years in the majors and he is 14-16 with 54 saves, a 2.57 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. The Orioles really need Gonzalez to stay healthy because the back up plans are not good ones.

26-year old righty Jim Johnson will probably be the top set-up man for Gonzalez in 2010. He pitched in 64 games (0 starts) for the Orioles last season in which he was 4-6 with 10 saves, a 4.11 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. Johnson did not pitch well when elevated to the closer job last season after the Dodgers traded George Sherrill to the Dodgers. I look for Johnson to do a solid job for the Orioles in 2010 unless they need him to close for some reason.

34-year old Koji Uehara is converting to the pen for the 2010 season. He pitched in 12 games (all starts) for the Orioles last year and he was 2-4 with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. Uehara has great control as he only walked 12 batters in 66 2/3 innings for the Orioles last season. Uehara will likely be very important for the Orioles in 2010 as he can work multiple innings at a time.

35-year old lefty Mark Hendrickson will likely have a more important role for the Orioles in 2010. He will work out of the pen full-time for the first time in his major league career. Hendrickson pitched in 53 games (11 starts) for the Orioles last season and he was 6-5 with 1 save, a 4.37 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. He pitched much better in relief last season so Hendrickson could have his best year in his major league career in 2010.

26-year old righty Cla Meredith will likely get some work early in ballgames for the Orioles in 2010. Meredith pitched in 29 games (0 starts) for the Orioles last season and he was 0-0 with a 3.77 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. He pitched in 64 games (0 starts) overall for the Padres & Orioles last season in which he was 4-2 with a 3.99 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. The Orioles didn’t seem to trust Meredith in close games so he will likely be coming in when they are losing.

27-year old righty Matt Albers needs to rebound for the Orioles in 2010. He pitched in 56 games (0 starts) for the O’s last season in which he was 3-6 with a 5.51 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP. He has now pitched in 84 games (3 starts) in his two years with the Orioles and he is 6-9 with a 4.66 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. If he is focused and motivated Albers could be effective like he was in 2008 for the Orioles.

32-year old lefty Will Ohman will be trying to make the O’s as a lefty specialist. Ohman pitched in 21 games (0 starts) for the Dodgers last season in which he was 1-0 with 1 save, a 5.84 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP. He has now pitched in 324 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 11-9 with 3 saves, a 4.25 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. Ohman was hurting last year so maybe a return to health will spark him into having a decent year for the Orioles.

34-year old lefty Alberto Castillo will also try to win a job as a lefty specialist. Castillo pitched in 20 games (0 starts) for the Orioles last season and he was 0-0 with a 2.25 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. He has now pitched in 48 games (0 starts) in his 2 years with the Orioles and he is 1-0 with a 3.32 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. Castillo has looked good in his chances with the Orioles but he seems a little far down the depth chart as 2010 opens.

25-year old righty Kameron Mickolio has a huge upside and this might be the year it all comes together for him. Mickolio pitched in 11 games (0 starts) for the Orioles last year and he was 0-2 with a 2.63 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. He whiffed 14 batters in only 13 2/3 innings for the Orioles last season showing what kind of stuff he has. Mickolio pitched in 35 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball last season and he was 3-3 with a 3.50 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. He whiffed 52 batters in only 43 2/3 innings last season in the minors while only giving up 32 hits! Mark my words…..this will be the year that Mickolio makes an impact with the O’s.

28-year old righty Dennis Sarfate has the stuff to succeed but he just hasn’t got the job done yet for the O’s. He pitched in 20 games (0 starts) for the Orioles last season and he was 0-1 with a 5.09 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. Sarfate has pitched in 77 games (4 starts) in his 2 years with the Orioles and he is 4-4 with a 4.82 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. Sarfate’s biggest issue has been his control as he has walked 76 batters in 102 2/3 innings in his two years with the Orioles. His control has wasted the fact that he has good stuff as he has only given up 83 hits with the O’s while whiffing 106 batters. If he throws strikes he can help the Orioles but that is the only way.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE BULLPEN IN 2010: C