No team in all of Major League Baseball hit more home runs in 2014 than the Baltimore Orioles – and it wasn’t particularly close. The Orioles lived and died by the long ball this season, and most of the time they were living right. They finished with the second-best record in the American League and will host the Detroit Tigers in the American League Division Series. Led by Nelson Cruz, the Orioles were able to overpower most of their opponents even while getting a sub-par year (and suspension) from Chris Davis. If the homers keep coming, the Orioles could cause some serious trouble for opponents in October.
Power Outage?
But will they? That is the question. Traditionally, teams that are built on power struggle to keep up the pace during the playoffs. The pitching naturally gets better, making it more difficult to hit home runs. The weather usually gets colder, depending on the location of the games. Since most teams don’t end up using their back-end starters, or lesser relievers, during the playoffs, it’s simply tougher to use power to score runs. Generally, teams that are able to create runs with speed and singles are the ones that rise to the top.
Big Home Field Edge
With that said, the cozy confines of Baltimore’s home park could be a big help in terms of getting on the scoreboard. Camden Yards is one of the easiest parks in the league in which to hit homeruns, so the fly balls should still be able to reach the stands even if the weather cools off. The Orioles will have home field advantage over everyone else in the American League other than the Angels, but of course the games in L.A. should still be plenty warm. Thanks to the American League victory in the All-Star game, the Orioles would have home field advantage in the World Series as well, should they advance that far.
The bats of guys like Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, Nelson Cruz, and more will have a lot to say about how far the Orioles are able to advance in the playoffs. Baltimore doesn’t have the quality pitching of some of the other teams in the playoffs, so they will have to have the big bats step up if they want to advance. Those bats have proven all season long that they are capable of rising to the occasion, but it is a different kind of game in October. Only time will tell if they are able to keep sending the home runs over the fence as the temperatures drop and the pitchers improve. If they do, the Orioles just may be the team to beat.
