| 2006 Baltimore Orioles | |
|---|---|
 | |
| League | American League |
| Division | East |
| Ballpark | Oriole Park at Camden Yards |
| City | Baltimore |
| Record | 70–92 (.432) |
| Divisional place | 4th |
| Owners | Peter Angelos |
| General managers | Mike Flanagan |
| Managers | Sam Perlozzo |
| Television | WJZ-TV WNUV Comcast SportsNet (Jim Palmer,Jim Hunter,Buck Martinez,Fred Manfra) |
| Radio | WBAL (AM) (Fred Manfra,Jim Hunter,Joe Angel) |
The2006 Baltimore Orioles season was the 106th season inBaltimore Orioles franchise history, the 53rd inBaltimore, and the 15th atOriole Park at Camden Yards. They failed to improve on their 74–88 (.457) record fromthe previous year with a 70–92 record, and missed the postseason for the 9th straight season.
Following the disappointing 2005 season, it was clear major changes needed to be made within the Orioles. In the front office, Executive VPJim Beattie was not re-signed, allowingMike Flanagan to become the sole GM of the Orioles. Shortly after,Jim Duquette was hired as Vice President of Baseball Operations, which was Flanagan's previous position. Duquette made it clear at his signing that he reported to Flanagan, so the "two-headed GM" did not exist anymore. The Orioles also fired Assistant General Manager Ed Kenney and asked for the resignation ofDave Ritterpusch, Director of Baseball Information Systems.
There were also drastic changes in the Orioles coaching staff. Perlozzo was named the new manager, and unlike Mazzilli, was given full freedom to name his coaching staff.Sam Perlozzo led off strong by convincing Atlanta pitching coachLeo Mazzone, who had revolutionized the careers of many pitchers in Atlanta, to become the pitching coach for the Orioles. He retained hitting coachTerry Crowley and first base coachDave Cash. Former base coach and1983 World SeriesMVPRick Dempsey replacedElrod Hendricks as the bullpen coach, withTom Trebelhorn resuming third base coach. Perlozzo rounded out his staff with former Cubs and Phillies managerLee Elia as the bench coach.
The roster changes of 2005 were prefaced withPeter Angelos' comments:"We are coming back strong next year. I know you have heard that tune before, but this time it will literally come true." The Orioles allowedRafael Palmeiro,Sammy Sosa, andB.J. Surhoff to become free agents. They also set their wishlist: An everyday first baseman, an experienced starter, a closer, a defensive catcher, outfield help, more defense, and more speed. However, their offseason moves showed no differences from past years. The Orioles were not able to re-sign closerB. J. Ryan, who signed a landmark deal with theToronto Blue Jays. They were also locked out in bids to sign first basemanPaul Konerko, outfielderJohnny Damon, and starterPaul Byrd. The Orioles chose not to enter the bidding for players likeA. J. Burnett andKevin Millwood, whose asking prices were far beyond what the Orioles were willing to pay, but they did sign catcherRamón Hernández.
Locked out of pursuits to sign top-tier players, the Orioles decided to make several moves to allow minor league prospects more time to develop. This led to bringing in players likeJeff Conine andKevin Millar, both of whom are known for their positive presence in the clubhouse. On February 4, 2006, Ricky Bottalico was signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles.[1]The Orioles also made several trades to bring in needed players. They first traded disgruntled relieverSteve Kline forLaTroy Hawkins, then traded for outfielderCorey Patterson, who brought speed and defense to the outfield, and traded former closerJorge Julio andJohn Maine for experienced starterKris Benson.[2] The Orioles also addressed future free agents by extending the contract of outfielderJay Gibbons and third basemanMelvin Mora, and recently signed a contract extension with second basemanBrian Roberts. The team's Opening Day roster featured top prospectNick Markakis, a potential A.L. "Rookie of the Year", the best young position player the Orioles' farm system has produced since Brian Roberts. Markakis represents the revival of the Orioles' farm system, which features four players listed in Baseball America's 2006 list of the top 100 prospects in minor league baseball.
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Yankees | 97 | 65 | .599 | — | 50–31 | 47–34 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | 87 | 75 | .537 | 10 | 50–31 | 37–44 |
| Boston Red Sox | 86 | 76 | .531 | 11 | 48–33 | 38–43 |
| Baltimore Orioles | 70 | 92 | .432 | 27 | 40–41 | 30–51 |
| Tampa Bay Devil Rays | 61 | 101 | .377 | 36 | 41–40 | 20–61 |
| Team | BAL | BOS | CWS | CLE | DET | KC | LAA | MIN | NYY | OAK | SEA | TB | TEX | TOR | NL | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baltimore | — | 3–15 | 2–5 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 4–6 | 3–6 | 7–12 | 2–4 | 4–6 | 13–6 | 3–6 | 8–11 | 9–9 | ||
| Boston | 15–3 | — | 4–2 | 3–4 | 3–3 | 4–5 | 3–3 | 1–5 | 8–11 | 3–7 | 4–6 | 10–9 | 5–4 | 7–12 | 16–2 | ||
| Chicago | 5–2 | 2–4 | — | 8–11 | 12–7 | 11–8 | 6–3 | 9–10 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 5–4 | 3–3 | 5–5 | 5–4 | 14–4 | ||
| Cleveland | 2–4 | 4–3 | 11–8 | — | 6–13 | 10–8 | 4–5 | 8–11 | 3–4 | 3–6 | 4–5 | 6–1 | 5–4 | 4–2 | 8–10 | ||
| Detroit | 3–3 | 3–3 | 7–12 | 13–6 | — | 14–4 | 3–5 | 11–8 | 2–5 | 5–4 | 6–3 | 5–3 | 5–5 | 3–3 | 15–3 | ||
| Kansas City | 1–5 | 5–4 | 8–11 | 8–10 | 4–14 | — | 3–7 | 7–12 | 2–7 | 4–5 | 3–5 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 3–4 | 10–8 | ||
| Los Angeles | 6–4 | 3–3 | 3–6 | 5–4 | 5–3 | 7–3 | — | 4–2 | 6–4 | 11–8 | 10–9 | 7–2 | 11–8 | 4–6 | 7–11 | ||
| Minnesota | 6–3 | 5–1 | 10–9 | 11–8 | 8–11 | 12–7 | 2–4 | — | 3–3 | 6–4 | 5–3 | 6–1 | 4–5 | 2–5 | 16–2 | ||
| New York | 12–7 | 11–8 | 4–2 | 4–3 | 5–2 | 7–2 | 4–6 | 3–3 | — | 3–6 | 3–3 | 13–5 | 8–2 | 10–8 | 10–8 | ||
| Oakland | 4–2 | 7–3 | 3–3 | 6–3 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 8–11 | 4–6 | 6–3 | — | 17–2 | 6–3 | 9–10 | 6–4 | 8–10 | ||
| Seattle | 6–4 | 6–4 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 3–6 | 5–3 | 9–10 | 3–5 | 3–3 | 2–17 | — | 6–3 | 8–11 | 4–5 | 14–4 | ||
| Tampa Bay | 6–13 | 9–10 | 3–3 | 1–6 | 3–5 | 5–1 | 2–7 | 1–6 | 5–13 | 3–6 | 3–6 | — | 3–6 | 6–12 | 11–7 | ||
| Texas | 6–3 | 4–5 | 5–5 | 4–5 | 5–5 | 3–3 | 8–11 | 5–4 | 2–8 | 10–9 | 11–8 | 6–3 | — | 4–2 | 7–11 | ||
| Toronto | 11–8 | 12–7 | 4–5 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 4–3 | 6–4 | 5–2 | 8–10 | 4–6 | 5–4 | 12–6 | 2–4 | — | 9–9 | ||
| 2006 Baltimore Orioles | |||||||||
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Pitchers
| Catchers Infielders | Outfielders | Manager Coaches
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Duringspring training in 2006, the Nationals and Orioles played each other inWashington on March 31 and in Baltimore on April 1. The first match up of theBeltway Series rivalry took place on May 19, 2006, during the 2006 regular season; the Orioles won atRFK Stadium. This marked first time in 35 years that the Orioles played a regular-season game in Washington, as they played theWashington Senators, another team in the American League annually from 1954 to 1960. The Orioles continued that rivalry with the newWashington Senators from 1961 to 1971.
The two teams split the season series 3–3 with each time winning two games at home and one on the road.
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Ramón Hernández | 144 | 501 | 138 | .275 | 23 | 91 |
| 1B | Kevin Millar | 132 | 430 | 117 | .272 | 15 | 64 |
| 2B | Brian Roberts | 138 | 563 | 161 | .286 | 10 | 55 |
| SS | Miguel Tejada | 162 | 648 | 214 | .330 | 24 | 100 |
| 3B | Melvin Mora | 155 | 624 | 171 | .274 | 16 | 83 |
| LF | Jeff Conine | 114 | 389 | 103 | .265 | 9 | 49 |
| CF | Corey Patterson | 135 | 463 | 128 | .276 | 16 | 53 |
| RF | Nick Markakis | 147 | 491 | 143 | .291 | 16 | 62 |
| DH | Javy López | 76 | 279 | 74 | .265 | 8 | 31 |
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jay Gibbons | 90 | 343 | 95 | .277 | 13 | 46 |
| Brandon Fahey | 91 | 251 | 59 | .235 | 2 | 23 |
| Chris Gomez | 55 | 132 | 45 | .341 | 2 | 17 |
| David Newhan | 39 | 131 | 33 | .252 | 4 | 18 |
| Luis Matos | 55 | 121 | 25 | .207 | 2 | 5 |
| Fernando Tatis | 28 | 56 | 14 | .250 | 2 | 8 |
| Luis Terrero | 27 | 40 | 8 | .200 | 1 | 6 |
| Jeff Fiorentino | 19 | 39 | 10 | .256 | 0 | 7 |
| Raúl Chávez | 16 | 28 | 5 | .179 | 0 | 0 |
| Ed Rogers | 17 | 25 | 5 | .200 | 0 | 2 |
| Chris Widger | 9 | 17 | 2 | .118 | 0 | 2 |
| Danny Ardoin | 5 | 13 | 1 | .077 | 0 | 1 |
| Howie Clark | 7 | 7 | 1 | .143 | 0 | 0 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Érik Bédard | 33 | 196.1 | 15 | 11 | 3.76 | 171 |
| Rodrigo López | 36 | 189.0 | 9 | 18 | 5.90 | 136 |
| Kris Benson | 30 | 183.0 | 11 | 12 | 4.82 | 88 |
| Daniel Cabrera | 26 | 148.0 | 9 | 10 | 4.74 | 157 |
| Adam Loewen | 22 | 112.1 | 6 | 6 | 5.37 | 98 |
| Hayden Penn | 6 | 19.2 | 0 | 4 | 15.10 | 8 |
| Jim Johnson | 1 | 3.0 | 0 | 1 | 24.00 | 0 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Chen | 40 | 98.2 | 0 | 7 | 6.93 | 70 |
| Russ Ortiz | 20 | 40.1 | 0 | 3 | 8.48 | 23 |
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Ray | 61 | 4 | 4 | 33 | 2.73 | 51 |
| Todd Williams | 62 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4.74 | 24 |
| LaTroy Hawkins | 60 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4.48 | 27 |
| Chris Britton | 52 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3.35 | 41 |
| Sendy Rleal | 42 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4.44 | 19 |
| Kurt Birkins | 35 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 4.94 | 27 |
| Julio Mañón | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5.40 | 22 |
| John Halama | 17 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6.14 | 12 |
| Tim Byrdak | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12.86 | 2 |
| Jim Brower | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13.86 | 9 |
| Jim Hoey | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10.24 | 6 |
| Brian Burres | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.25 | 6 |
| Eddy Rodríguez | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7.20 | 11 |
| Winston Abreu | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10.13 | 6 |
| Eric DuBose | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.64 | 2 |
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Frederick[3][4]
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