by Tim Anderson

Created on: October 17, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

Since, as an Orioles fan, I am deprived of postseason baseball, the only thing left for me is next season. Therefore, I bring you the Bold Predictions for 2009 for the Orioles.

Bold Prediction #1- Luke Scott will break out and be a feared hitter in the AL East.

Scott's 23 homeruns and 65 RBIs with a .257 batting average were nice numbers to have in the line-up; but, you can expect more from him this year. His stats didn't really come in bunches. However, he did have 3 games in which he hit 2 homeruns. In one of those games, both of those homeruns came off of the Cy Young contender Roy Halladay. In his first two at bats ever against Roy, Luke hit 2 bombs. This brings me to my point. Seeing that Luke Scott hit 23 homeruns in his first year ever in the American League, his stats can only go higher barring injuries. I say Luke Scott will have 30 homeruns. If not 30, darn near close. For average, you probably will never get .300 from him. But you will see .280+ from him this season. And as a kicker, 90 RBIs.

Bold Prediction #2 - Ramon Hernandez will not finish the season in an Orioles uniform

When the Baltimore Orioles brought Ramon Hernandez in during the off-season before the 2006 campaign, they were hoping for a power bat that could guide their pitchers and be a defensive presence. Long story short, he is not that anymore. His FLD% has dropped from a peak of .992 in 2002 to a now .988. His arm has also diminished. A total of 99 bases were stolen off of Hernandez this year. Only 24 were caught. The last time close to 99 bases were stolen off of Ramon was in 2001 when 98 bases were stolen. But, even then he threw out 44 attempts.

On the offensive side, his numbers slumped as well. Since Ramon hit .290 in 2005, his batting average has severely dropped. The year after his .290 performance, Hernandez batted .275. In the two seasons following, he batted .258 and .257. In 2006, his homerun total was 23, the highest for his career. However, in 2007 he swatted only 9 balls out in 106 games. Then in 2008 he batted 15 balls out in 133 games.

But, the Orioles would be satisfied with those numbers if only there wasn't a prodigy next in line. Matt Wieters was drafted in 2007 and already won Minor League Player of the Year. He is tearing up everything. He can hit for power and average. Just as icing on the cake, he is a switch hitter. He is compared to Jason Varitek; but with more power and better offensive skills. He is more closely compared to Joe Mauer; just once again, more

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