There was no magic for this Orioles’ team

» FIRST BASE: Kevin Millar isn’t among the best at his position, but he hit 20 home runs and drove-in 72 runs — not bad for a 37-year-old. He’s a great teammate and energizes the clubhouse, but his .234 average and .394 slugging percentage leave a lot to be desired. The free agent may have played his last game as an Oriole. » C

» SECOND BASE: Brian Roberts received votes as the Most Valuable Oriole by the local media, played Gold Glove-caliber defense and set a career high with 51 doubles. The switch-hitter batted .296 with 107 runs and 40 stolen bases, proving he remains one of the game’s best lead-off hitters. » B+

» THIRD BASE: Veteran Melvin Mora was a pleasant surprise, batting .285 with 23 home runs and 104 RBI. He played solid third base for the better part of the season, but was prone to lapses of focus in the field, at the plate and on the bases. But questions arose whether the hamstring injury he suffered earlier this month was as bad as he claimed. Did he use it as an excuse to make sure his statistics didn’t decline? » C

» SHORTSTOPS: There’s no individual player to grade here, because, well, there was no shortstop this season. After trading Miguel Tejada in the offseason, the Orioles knew the position would be a major weakness. But they expected Luis Hernandez to fill it with his glove. He failed. So, too, did the other five players the team trotted out to the most important position on the infield. The group batted a collective .218 with 23 extra-base hits and committed 28 errors. » F

» LEFT FIELD: Luke Scott became a fan favorite in his first season in Baltimore, as he belted 23 home runs — second-most on the team. Scott played in 148 of 161 games, and the switch-hitter was better against right-handers (.269, 18 HRs) than left-handers (.215, 5 HRs). He was an upgrade over Jay Gibbons offensively and defensively, but at 30-years-old, shouldn’t be considered part of the team’s future during its youth movement. » C

» CENTER FIELD: Adam Jones was the most intriguing Oriole this season. The 23-year-old batted .270 with nine home runs, 57 RBI and 10 stolen bases before his season was cut short with a broken left foot. Jones was an above-average defender, and showed he swings a powerful bat, leaving no reason to doubt his top-flight potential will be realized. » B-

» RIGHT FIELD: Nick Markakis is the Orioles’ steadiest player since Cal Ripken. And, if he continues to improve, he could be better than the Hall of Famer. Markakis hit a team-best .306 with 20 home runs, 48 doubles, 87 RBI and 10 stolen bases. He also played fantastic defense, throwing out a major league-high 16 baserunners. » B+

» DESIGNATED HITTER: Aubrey Huff, who was voted by the local media as the team’s Most Valuable Player, also saw time at first and third base this season. He led the team with 32 home runs and a career-best 108 RBI, and was second to Markakis with a .304 average. Huff, 31, enters the third and final year of his contract as a valuable trade chip, and likely will be coveted by several teams during the offseason. » A-

» ROTATION: De facto ace Jeremy Guthrie deserves an A, but the rest of the staff flunked out of school. The Opening Day rotation included Daniel Cabrera, Adam Loewen, Steve Trachsel and Brian Burres. Cabrera started hot, faded and got hurt. Loewen will never pitch again. Trachsel was released in June. Burres was demoted to the bullpen — and eventually to the minors —  before being used as a spot-starter late in the year. Rookies Radhames Liz and Garrett Olson showed potential, but also revealed they may not be as good as advertised. The Orioles used 13 starting pitchers, who combined to go 47-62 with a 5.51 ERA. The Orioles led the major leagues in walks and hit batsmen, and ranked second in wild pitches. Cabrera led the team in hit batsmen (18) and wild pitches (15). Right now, only Guthrie is guaranteed to return in 2009. » D

» BULLPEN: Considering the team didn’t have a bona fide closer in spring training, the bullpen held together well. George Sherrill had an All-Star first half before overuse led to shoulder inflammation. Still, he finished with 31 saves in his first year as a closer. RHPs Matt Albers and Jim Johnson proved they could be valuable assets in the middle-to-late innings. RHP Dennis Sarfate was inconsistent, but showed potential. LHP Jamie Walker — the team’s best reliever last season — was terrible. » C

» MANAGER: In his first full season as a big league manager, Dave Trembley was faced the difficult task of using six starting shortstops and 13 starting pitchers. Trembley ran out of options late in the year, but he never lost the respect of his players. He also kept a team that did not have as much talent as the rest of the teams in the AL East competitive until the final month of the season. » B-

» FRONT OFFICE: Andy MacPhail traded two of the team’s best players — pitcher Erik Bedard and Tejada — before the season started, but didn’t improve the team at the trading deadline. The Orioles could have nabbed some mid-level prospects for several of their veterans. MacPhail likely will be active in the trade market again this offseason, with veterans Millar and Jay Payton as his lone free agents. » B-

» OVERALL: The record really meant nothing this year. The Orioles lost 93 games for the second straight year, and finished in last place for the first time in 20 seasons. The team got off to a good start, but was horrendous down the stretch as it limped to its 11th straight losing season. The Orioles next wave of talent — catcher Matt Wieters and pitchers Chris Tillman, Jake Arrieta and Brian Matusz — likely will arrive by the middle of next season. But don’t expect big things next year. Tampa Bay, Boston, New York and Toronto clearly were all better than the Orioles this season, and unless they go on spending frenzy during the offseason, the Orioles are headed to their 12th straight losing season next summer.  » D

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