The Curious Case of Leon Manarez

38 year-old RHP Leon Manarez has had one of the most bizarre careers in the history of baseball. Manarez made All-Star teams for both the Padres and Royals due to his mix of excellent control and a very good curveball - and even was a Gold Glove award winner in 2035. Over 15 major league seasons, Manarez racked up 153 wins, 1880 strikeouts, and was one of the most consistently solid pitchers of both the 2020s and 2030s. However, his career has shown one major weakness - his inability to get minor league hitters out.

Manarez has struggled mightily for the Orioles this season, posting a whopping 11.12 ERA for the team's AAA affiliate, the Norfolk Tides. Many people have called for his retirement, stating that his performance this season shows he is no longer worthy of being a major league pitcher. It may be true that Manarez may never play a major league game again, but his performance this season actually lowered his career ERA in the minor leagues.

Despite a major league career where he has been a consistent top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher for over a decade, Manarez's minor league record is a staggeringly awful 3-144, which means he has more losses as a minor league pitcher than as a major league pitcher; despite pitching in over 200 more games as a major leaguer. One look at the career numbers at each level shows such a remarkable difference that few people would believe these stats are from the same pitcher:

Leon Manarez Career Stats (as of May 1, 2040)

Majors: 153 W-123 L, 0.554 W%, 2565 IP, 3.70 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 2.67 BB/9, 6.60 K/9, 0.57 HR/9

Minors: 3 W-144 L, 0.020 W%, 665 1/3 IP, 11.88 ERA, 3.37 WHIP, 9.52 BB/9, 13.07 K/9, 2.15 HR/9

His career minor league line wouldn't even the legendarily wild and inconsistent Oliver Perez jealous, with Manarez transforming from a gifted control artist in the majors to arguably the worst pitcher in the history of the minor leagues. The only improvement for Manarez is the fact that his strikeout rate doubles - but that improvement is more than offset by the fact he allows over 3 baserunners an inning and over 2 homers every nine innings, causing his ERA in the minor leagues to more than triple.

No explanation has ever been found for this bizarre statistical anomaly, but it appears to be continuing to this day - and it will unquestionably go down as one of the weirdest moments in the history of FCM.

O's Captain Izquirdo out for 3-4 months

May 1st, 2040

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - If the Orioles are going to return to the playoffs this season, they will have to do it without the leadership and production of Robi Izquirdo for most of 2040.

The Orioles transferred their team captain to the 60-Day DL and announced that their team captain would miss a minimum of 3 months with an elbow injury suffered in a April 24th game against the Boston Red Sox. Izquirdo suffered a posterior fracture of his right elbow after he was hit by a pitch in the 4th inning. Izquirdo

was miraculously able to finish the game, including hitting the deciding 3-run homer in the 8th inning in a 6-4 Orioles win. However, an MRI the next day showed severe damage to the elbow, requiring the 31-year old 3rd baseman to miss extended time for the second straight season.

Izquirdo only played in 75 games for Baltimore last season, as an elbow injury in July shelved him for the rest of the 2039 season, with his injury cited as a major reason for the Orioles highly disappointing 82-80 record last year. At the time of the injury, Izquirdo was hitting .308 with a .936 OPS in 11 games this season.

Robi Izquirdo was not considered an impact player during his tenure in the minor leagues, or in brief major league action with the Texas Rangers, but blossomed into a superstar when he was traded to the Orioles in 2032 in exchange for cash considerations. Izquirdo has long been a fan favorite in Camden, due to his underdog story and great numbers on both offense and defense, with many Orioles fans calling him the team's best third baseman since Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson.

Team GM George Fitzpatrick was highly confident than Robi Izquirdo would return at some point this season, stating that "Robi is the last player you should count out when the chips are down," and is confident the team can stay in the race without the 4-time All Star. "We have a lot of talent in our lineup, and we are one of the few teams that can afford to lose a player of his caliber and still put a top offense on the field."

Replacing Izquirdo at 3rd will be former Oakland starter Geoff Johnson, who was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk today. Johnson signed a 2.4 million, 2 year contract with the Orioles in the off-season and was signed by Fitzpatrick to give the team extra depth in the infield. Johnson is known for his incredible arm and glove at 3rd base, but also has some pop, hitting at least double-digit homeruns in 6 straight seasons. However, Johnson only hit .220 last season and struggled with the bat mightily in 2038 as well, with many scouts only considering the 30-year old to be a platoon or bench player at this stage of his career. Fitzpatrick appears confident in Johnson, stating that he will be playing at 3rd base every day for the foreseeable future and added "challenges like this are the reason why we signed Geoff over the winter, and he will do a fine job for us."

The Orioles currently stand at 15-12 and have won 7 of their last 10 games.

Controversial trade of Anketell puts Orioles GM Fitzpatrick on Hot Seat

February 21, 2040

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - Less than a year after taking the job, George Fitzpatrick has found himself in the center of Orioles controversy.

His decision to trade 27 year-old All-Star 1B James Anketell to the World Champion Toronto Blue Jays did not sit well with many Orioles fans as well as the local media, with many questioning the rationale behind the move. Before the press conference to announce the trade officially, a number of bloggers and Orioles beat writers questioned the move, including long time Baltimore Sun reporter Peter Schmuck:

I was around for George Fitzpatrick's first run with the organization over 25 seasons ago, and back then I was impressed by his boldness, creativity, and ability to think outside of the box. However, today's trade is a move I cannot defend. It seems bizarre to me that Fitzpatrick, a man who covets superstar talents like Anketell and desperately tried to acquire players of his caliber during his last reign in Baltimore would so willingly give one up, especially to the team standing most in the Orioles' way.

Schmuck's editorial seemed absolutely glowing compared to that of Chad Bryant IV, the lead blogger of popular team blog "Money, Cash, O's," who said the move was proof that Fitzpatrick was not cut out for the job:

Today's trade is a low point for the Orioles organization and is a microcosm of the damage George Fitzpatrick has caused to the franchise in just 8 months.

I was willing to give him a pass for trading prospects for an arm (Gary Gaskins) even while the O's were out of the race last season, considering the team's need for pitching. But the decision to trade Anketell today was obscenely stupid - and there can be no rational defense of it. This trade comes after the decision to hand a 31 year-old Sean Cargill a $107.8 million deal over the next four seasons - meaning that he decided to keep the older, less productive, more expensive first baseman (and one who was a DH nearly all of last season) as part of his long term strategy instead of the 27 year old hitting the prime of his career. Yeah, that makes perfect sense.

This mistake alone was compounded by the fact that all he acquired back in the deal were a 26 year-old second baseman who is known more for his glove than his bat and an injured first baseman who may not be ready for Opening Day with a career OBP of .289. Do the Orioles owners just have so much blind faith in Fitzpatrick that they signed off on this deal without looking at it? That's quite honestly the only way I can imagine how this deal could have possibly happened.

After the trade, #FeastOrFired was trending on Twitter worldwide, with Oriole fans using the tag to symbolize their frustration with the organization and their opinion that General Manager Fitzpatrick should be fired if there is not significant improvement from last season's 82-80 record.

Fitzpatrick vehemently defending his move in the press conference today, stating that the trade was "...a major step toward the goal of bringing Oriole fans their first World Series win since 1982," and added that "Chad Noah and Brent Stawell are perfect fits with the team," citing Stawell's tremendous power from the left side of the plate fitting in well in Camden Yards, as well as Noah's incredible defense at second base. "James Anketell is a tremendously gifted athlete who could improve any team, but the additions we made today solidify us as a contender both this year and beyond. If people think this is some sort of surrender move, they will be very disappointed."

Fitzpatrick also stated he was not worried about the negative reaction from the fans, stating that "Orioles fans are the best fans in the world, specifically because they have tremendous pride and passion for winning baseball - we have the same goal in mind, and that's to see the Orioles bring a World Championship to Baltimore. I believe in myself and my abilities enough that I'm not afraid to make an unpopular move if it improves the team, and once our fans see [Chad] Noah and [Brent] Stawell in Orioles black and orange, they will absolutely love this move."

He refused to answer questions about whether or not the move was related to team finances, stating that "ownership does not want team financial information out in the public."

Only time will tell if this controversy will simply be a blip on the radar screen of a successful run by GM Fitzpatrick or the catalyst to an early end to his second tenure in Baltimore.

Anketell Heads to Canada

 gets
2B Chad Noah 86/90
1B Brent Stawell 88

 gets
1B James Anketell 92

The O's Gave this reason as to why they did the trade, "Middle infielders who play defense like Noah are a rarity in this league. With a decent bat to match, he is a star in the making. Stawell will mash as a lefty bat in Camden, with his best years about to start. Hard to trade Anketell to a division rival, but I couldn't pass this up."

How 'Bout 'Dem O's!

Baltimore, Maryland ---

The Baltimore Orioles have been baseball's greatest success story after finishing 97-65 and reach the ALCS in 2014, just a year and a half after they wrapped up their 114 loss season that captured them the 2013 1st overall pick. How have the Orioles been able to do it? How, in a division that features the World Champion New York Yankees and great teams like the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays? How do you take a team with nothing and pull it within 3 wins of the World Series just a year and six months later? Their GMs make it simple.

"We've got a defense that works with our pitching." states Co-GM George Fitzpatrick. "We knew the only was to build a team from grass and soil in this division was to obtain what we could right away, then addressing what we needed later." Wait, what? So you guys are saying that you do not need to address your needs in the situation you were in? "To an extent, yes. Good pitching is what we needed, but good pitching is so hard to find that it would take a couple years to establish a ground in that area. We needed to address team concerns right away, and what we found was that we could obtain good defense for cheap and right away. We started with that as a building block, and then we planned to build the pitching slowly from there." Although their methods were pretty well organized, they didn't totally go as planned, Co-GM Thomas Sanabria explains.

"We tried to get pitching during the winters of 2012 and 2013, and we failed." "It was the winter of 2012 that we realized it was easier to land hitters than pitchers, so we went where the bright light was showing us to go." "I think what George means is if you cannot address a certain need right away, your better off addressing other needs that you can get done right away, even though those needs aren't as important." Sanabria explains. "The pitching somehow just fell into our lap late last season. We landed Mike Leake who completely obliterated hitters for us once he got here, William Wilson who did a nice job of turning his season around and we built upon it during the winter with the acquisition Brett DeVall. I also think the biggest key here is, these pitchers are worth nothing without a defense behind them. There is a reason Wilson and Leake felt more comfortable on our team than their previous teams. Defense was the best decision to build upon when we did because had we done it later, these guys might not have performed the way they did."

When asked how they felt about their chances this year, both GMs humbly agreed, "With the team we have out there now, we always have a shot. This AL East division is a bloodbath, Toronto has a great team, Boston has a great team and New York is New York, but we've overcome large obstacles before and this is just another challenge for our boys. It's a long season and we've only finished month one, there are five more to go. Anything can happen." The Orioles currently sit in 4th place with an 11-14 record over the last month. Most people have doubted the Orioles every step of the way, but now more than ever. It seems very very unlikely Baltimore will finish anywhere but 3rd in the standings this year. The Oriole Voo Doo chants need to start whipping up a strong whoop ass recipe quick or these birds might just find themselves the main target during hunting season. Nevertheless, we've seen crazier shit happen. One thing is for sure, the Orioles are finally playing baseball!

"Our Future is Looking Bright" - Orioles Brass

This week we got a chance at an interview with both heads of the Orioles front office, George Fitzpatrick and Thomas Sanabria, during their weekend stay in Denver, although no one really could come up with a reason they would spend a 4 days there. The duo claimed they needed some time to rest their heads in a city that was great at soothing the mind, a full no-break year behind the desk in Baltimore had called for a well earned vacation. The Sun got an exclusive sit down with the GMs at their Oxford Hotel suite. When we got into the suite we we're greeted by both GMs, had a couple of good laughs and got down to business.

Peter Schmuck: I guess we'll start with a question for both of you. Many speculated that having 2 general managers at the head of one front office would create a vast amount of dilemmas do to the different philosophies you two possess. How do you feel the job of having an associate at the same level has played out so far for you guys?

George Fitzpatrick: I guess I'll start. First off, it's been great having Tommy around. He's a real intellectual and is also just a great guy to hang out with. His creativity is something that I overlooked while doing a background check on him before I gave him a shot, and I love the way it's turned out for not only him and me, but for the whole organization. I really needed someone I knew could bring great energy to a ball club that was in dire need of a jump start. I, being a bit older than Tom, tend to err on the side of caution when things come up, so it was a real positive feeling to see that here in Baltimore we have two sides of the coin. Not to mention, I also needed his farm system skills. In contrast to all our critics, I believe we've been able to fuse our philosophies to work in a way that pushes this franchise on a full course ahead, talent wise and financially. With that being said, we won't be able to sustain any type of success we gain through our youth without fielding a competitive team now. We need the help of the Oriole faithful to feed the engine we are rolling on right now. Tom understood my point, and I understood the fact that the future of the organization was just as important as fixing the team's major league talent and getting fans to come to the game. It's been a great ride for us so far and I'm glad every day I step into my office that I decided to bring Tommy along for the ride with me.

Schmuck: And what's your take on this Tom?

Thomas Sanabria: To tell you the truth, I was hesitant at first to come and help Baltimore. I had been off of a job for a couple of months and was really ready to just lay back and be a husband and father. Truth is, my kids wanted me back in an office for a team, and when George called all they kept talking about was how fun it was going to be to have a dad working for an MLB club again. So, with the approval of my family, I had no problems coming back to the game I love, especially when I would be working along side a guy I knew had great knowledge of the game. Back in Cincinnati, I had really lost my touch of putting together a team that could win on the field. George's philosophy has been something I've really bought into, the fact that we need money to keep the engine running. We need fans to come to the game and support the Orioles, without that our jobs are pretty much pointless. The only way to get the fans to support us and keep the money rolling in is by putting the best team we can that is capable of winning out onto the field. My main goal was to get this farm system pointing into the right direction, but the main goal of the organization is to win, and keep winning, so I took that in and really went with what George had planned. He's been a great guy to work with, we have a great amount of fun at the office and I think that has corresponded to our teams play on the field. It's just been a fantastic experience so far.

Schmuck: Has there been any disagreements between you guys while making decisions? With how different both of you think, it's hard to believe you have got along about everything.

Sanabria: There hasn't been one disagreement about a decision we have made with this team. Every time something presents itself, we always find a way to make sure each other feel it's the right deal to make. That doesn't mean we get along about everything. There have been times where a decision I have made was not all too well with George, and visa verse. However, deals must be made, and we concentrate on making sure that both of us will be fine when a deal is stamped. We've done a fine job so far and it's been going well.

Schmuck: The Orioles have been the most surprising team in baseball this year, going 54-45 by the trade deadline after losing 114 games last year. What do you both believe has been the key to the rising success of Baltimore?

Fitzpatrick: It clearly has been the deals we have been able to pull off. Tommy has been able to get key players that I had no idea we had a play for. The probable cause for that is because I might not have wanted to go out and get said player, but when I looked deep into it I figured "Hey, this might not be a bad idea, let me go with what he's thinking". Tom's been just as big a part of our major league success as he has the success of the farm system. We went out and didn't shy away from spending money this past off season as well, getting quality players we believed could put up winning numbers. Funny thing about that is, we actually lowered payroll by more than $10 million, while drastically improving the team. I think that's a point that has really put us in a great spot. Our future is looking bright.

Sanabria: We've just been able to find productive players on all sides of the market, whether it be a free agent signing or an acquisition. For the most part we've been able to find cheap production which has been a big plus for us going into the final stretch of the year. We've been able to put a good offensive team out there, as well as a pretty great defense. Our pitching was something we knew would take some time, since pitching is the most valuable asset in baseball in our eyes, so we aren't worried about our pitching struggles this year. I have to say, the way George has been able to set up the different combination of platoons has been incredible. The chemistry between our players are at a level I personally did not expect, and it's been translated into success on the field. Some players that George had suggested gave me second thoughts, like say [Gilbert] De La Vara. But given the time and commitment, Geo was able to get those few players to work out the kinks and start producing consistently. De La Vara has been able to settled in quite well his past couple of starts, and we hope he can keep the work up. It's been the combination of our two philosophies that have been able to get this team rolling.

Schmuck: The Orioles are have been ranked 13th in the latest power ranking list. Do you guys feel your team has over performed to a certain degree this season?

Sanabria: Our team deserves every bit of the success that they have earned. They went out there and had the courage to play for a team that had almost no fan support, a team everyone looked down upon. They knew they had the talent to win, and we're determined to prove they could play alongside the cream of the league's crop and have a great outcome. Nothing should be taken away from these guys. They've worked too hard and have come a long way to be subdued to a group of "overachievers".

Schmuck: (Said with a big grin on my face) Now that leads into my next question. Baltimore sits 3.5 games behind Oakland for the Wild Card lead, with 3 teams in between. Any surprising chance we see the Orioles making a legitimate push for October?

Both GMs gave out a big laugh and smiled at me as well as each other.

Fitzpatrick: Well we're concentrating on building a team that will have ultimate success as soon as a few years pass, however that's a process that takes time and careful surveillance. As far as us making a significant push for the playoffs, that is not our goal and not what we are concentrating on, however anything is possible in baseball, and we'll have to see how everything plays out.

When asked what their off-season plans we're this year, both said simultaneously: "Pitching, pitching, pitching, and more pitching". For associates with very different baseball philosophies, these guys seem to be on the right page with this team, and the Orioles organization, including the fans, are loving every bit of it.

Orioles Season Preview - Money for Nothing?

When it was first announced that the new regime in Baltimore would consist of not just one GM, but two, some were worried that the differing philosophies of George Fitzpatrick and Thomas Sanabria would lead to gridlock - with too much infighting within the organization to agree on any sort of move.

So much for that.

The Orioles have been one of the most active teams in the league in terms of both trading and free agency - not only have a number of new prospects been added to the fold, but only 6 players on this year's projected Opening Day roster were there before Fitzpatrick and Sanabria took office on July 31, 2012. Despite a payroll of only around $29 million (over $10 million below where it was last season), the Orioles are projected by many analysts to be an improved squad over last season's 48 win disaster.

However, some analysts have actually viewed the Orioles offseason as a sign that the new leadership will not be the panacea that fans have been hoping for. Among the most critical of the new regime has been Jordan Donaldson, a longtime blogger at "Power of Boog Powell." In his most recent post, he describes the problem with this new look Orioles squad:

Few would dispute that the organization had nowhere to go but up before the two-headed monster took over our beloved Orioles; but lost in the sound and fury of the signings of Fukudome and Ward and the trades for Russell and De la Vara are the fact that these moves signified nothing - well, nothing positive at least.

Rather than the smart strategy of loading up on any prospect they could find and making sure this team could "achieve" the number one pick again next season, it seems that Fitzpatrick and Sanabria have decided this team should not only trade promising young talents like Jason Wolverton and Reid Rourke, but actually spend money on the major league squad.

The hubris of both of these GMs is outrageous - thinking they could put together a $28 million dollar squad that would finish anything other than in last place. And in their arrogance, they have put together another season of spending money for nothing in Baltimore and set the team back from actually having a chance to turn around this sinking ship in 5 years. They should be following the example of an organization like Pittsburgh and not following in the footsteps of the failed leadership that came before them.

Neither GM would respond to these comments directly, but George Fitzpatrick said that "another 48 win season would be something that this city and this franchise could absolutely not afford. We cannot expect to turn this thing around without the help of the fans, and they will not tolerate another 2012 from this team - and we will not either."

Fitzpatrick said he was "cautiously optimistic" about this year's Oriole team. The roster for this year's squad is as follows. New players to the team are in bold.

C: Brian McCann/Caleb Joseph

The Orioles will bring back two catchers from last year's squad, with former Braves All-Star Brian McCann platooning with Caleb Joseph, who will also be used as a defensive replacement.

McCann showed that some life was still left in his bat, putting up a solid OPS of .854 in 24 games with the Orioles at the end of last year, and the team is hoping he can put up similar numbers full-time.

1B: Carlos Pena/Brandon Snyder

Baltimore targeted left-handed power bats in the offseason, thinking that they would be an excellent fit in Camden Yards. One player that will be important in legitimizing that strategy is slugger Carlos Pena. Pena struggled mightily as a member of the Diamondbacks last year, but scouts still say he has tremendous power. Perhaps a timeshare with holdover Brandon Snyder will be the tonic Pena needs to regain his old form.

2B: Scott Moore/Travis Denker

Former Oriole Scott Moore, who was buried on the Yankees depth chart behind Robinson Cano, found his way back to Baltimore in a trade this offseason, and he is hoping to showcase his above average bat at 2B before he can become a free agent next season. He will team up with platoon specialist Travis Denker, who is superior at hitting left-handers and also has the better glove.

SS: Justin Jackson

Scouts are split on the talented Jackson, who seems to profile similarly to Adam Everett and Rey Ordonez; although he is a tremendous defensive shortstop with great range and a throwing arm to match, his offense caused him to lose his job to veterans like Edgar Renteria and Brendan Ryan at the end of last season. He will not be relied upon for offense, though, as he is projected to bat 9th.

3B: Neil Walker

Coming over from the Pirates, Neil Walker can be best described as a role player. He lacks the 30+ homerun power that many corner infielders are known for, but he is a switch-hitter that makes solid contact and has a strong glove for the hot corner.

LF: Kyle Russell

Unexpectedly traded to the Orioles from the Dodgers in the offseason, many believe that the 26-year old Russell is the team's best player. He has shown himself to be at least average in all of the 5 tools, with his best asset being his power - he hit 26 homeruns last season and seems the mostly likely candidate on the team to hit over 30. Moving from his natural position of right field to left, his glovework is only average; but the team can manage that if he provides the same patience and power combination he did in LA.

CF: Shane Victorino

The Flyin' Hawaiian will be an important piece in the Baltimore puzzle this year, as he will be relied upon not only to anchor the outfield, but hit leadoff for the team as well. He was solid as a bench player in Toronto, hitting a robust .292, but this will be his first season as a full time player since 2010.

RF: Kosuke Fukudome/Moises Sierra

Fukudome was the most expensive and controversial signing for the Orioles this year; he was handed a 3 year/$18 million dollar contract which many viewed as being far too lucrative for the 35 year old outfielder (incidentally, he will make more then the entire Oriole starting rotation will this season). However, the former Gold Glover combines patience at the plate with decent power numbers, and will prove a potent defensive combination with former Blue Jay Moises Sierra. Sierra put up 17 outfield assists last season - tied for second in the American League.

DH: Daryle Ward/Alfonso Soriano

Daryle Ward's remarkable turnaround has turned him from an afterthought whose regular playing days were long gone into an offensive force that crushes right-handed pitching. Fitzpatrick was alleged to have made critical comments toward Ward last season when he was a member of the Kansas City Royals - these comments did not seem to deter Ward from joining the Orioles. Fan favorite and former 40/40 player Alfonso Soriano will team up with Ward in order to ensure top production from the DH slot.

Rotation: Glibert De La Vara, Derrik Lutz, Chad Rodgers, Jorge Buchardo, Tim Dillard

Although the new look rotation for the team is not considered very strong, the best pitchers on the staff are De La Vara, who put up a 3.68 ERA in Seattle last season despite poor defensive support, and Derrik Lutz, who was considered the ace of the staff even while Big Z was still a member of the team. New additions Rodgers, Buchardo, and Dillard were added based on their ability to produce groundballs and keep the ball in the park - hopefully their numbers will improve behind what is expected to be an improved Oriole defense.

Bullpen: Hideki Okajima, Matt Capps, Brandon Cooney, Wade Leblanc, Fausto Carmona, Duane Below

Okajima will get his chance to close after a number of solid years as a setup man in Boston and LA. Matt Capps will look to revive his career after a disastrous 2011 season with Houston forced him out of MLB altogether in 2012. Hicks, Carmona, and Below all have experience as starters, and should be able to eat innings in the event of a poor start from the rotation or an injury to the staff.

The Verdict:

The Oriole offense and defense looked to have improved significantly over last year's squad, but the pitching is still a question mark. If the team stays healthy and the strategy of groundball pitching pays off, the team could find themselves leaving last year's win total in the dust -although that likely would still mean a last place finish, it would help to revive a Baltimore market that has seen almost no quality baseball in over a decade. But if things go wrong, we may not see a team that is all that much better than the 2012 debacle. This team should be quite a bit better (and probably will not be the worst in the league again), but another putrid season means the honeymoon in Baltimore will be over quickly.

How 'Bout 'Dem O's!

Ain't nothin' like a cold beer and crisp EL at Camden on a Saturday night with the boys!

State of The Orioles Address

There are four teams in the AL East with 80+ wins racked up this season. Somebody has to do the losing, right? This is where the Baltimore Orioles take the stage. Over 100 losses stamps a cap on another disappointing season for the boys at Oriole Park. Nothing seemed to be going right this year, as fan attendance plummeted to a new organization low and talks of relocation began fluttering the streets of Baltimore. However, on July 28th 2012, the Baltimore Orioles announced what might be the biggest piece of light for the O's since Cal Ripken Jr. broke the Iron Horses consecutive games record.

The Orioles searched far and wide for someone who had the type of determination, commitment, and baseball intelligence that would turn an organization, who hadn't been anywhere near playoff contention for fourteen years, around. While there were candidates that were definitely qualified for the job, the O's saw nothing they were looking for and, unfortunately, were at a deadlock. That is until an adviser threw in a former long time general manager's name, George Fitzpatrick.

Ten minutes into the interview, the Orioles knew they had their man. However, there was one set back, a huge one at that. Fitzpatrick had almost no experience drafting or developing young prospects, a dire need if the O's are ever to get back to the shape of the Ripken days. At that point, the Organization gave Fitzpatrick the green light to call an old acquaintance, former Cincinnati Reds general manager Thomas Sanabria, who was eating arose con gandules in his Bedford-Stuyvesant Condo at the time of the call.

"Hey Tommy?. Yea man how's it going? Listen I'm sitting with Peter Angelos. Yeah. I got in this morning, they called me about their general manager job. Well they've told me I've got the job, but I've never really been with a team in this situation, a team so down in the slums ya know? To make a long story short man, I want you to come to Baltimore and help me manage this team as a Co-GM. I need you to run the minor league systems and the draft, you know all too well I'm not good with that stuff. Yeah they've approved the suggestion. I'd need a decision by tomorrow night the latest. Alright take it easy man and I just want you to know I'd really appreciate you coming down here and making moves with me, I know you've probably gotten use to the good life settled with the wife and kids, but I believe you and I can make things happen. No problem man, god bless. "

It didn't take long for Sanabria to make a decision. He called back later that night to tell the team of his acceptance. The next day Sanabria was in Baltimore sitting next to Fitzpatrick, both taking questions from the media about the contracts they had just signed.

"We're just looking to focus on adding talent everywhere in the organization." said Fitzpatrick. "Obviously the farm system is where we will be stacking up talent on, and with Tom heading that department, knowing how great he is at pointing out promising potential and high ceiling talent, we feel both confident and excited that the future of this organization is in for a great turn around. That being said, we don't intend to have anymore 48 win seasons here in Baltimore. We are focusing on putting the best possible team we can on the field that is capable of winning. This team will be committed to being competitive as long as Mr. Sanabria and I are in office."

When asked about how he would go about turning around a farm system that was as bad as the major league team itself, Sanabria kept the optimism high in the air.

"We've got some work to do, but this system has some great potential that I feel it doesn't get credit for." said the confident GM. "We've got some quality guys such as Matt Hobgood and Kirk MacHaffie that show signs of promising skills in the future. If you think we're coming in here and thinking we've got a farm system we can sit back on, you're dead wrong. This team will be a task to manage, but for the guys we have right now we believe we have the right foot stepping forward."

With the trade deadline just hours away, the new general managers wasted no time getting down to business, officially beginning a new era of Oriole baseball. Lefty ace Brian Matusz entered the clubhouse the next morning to be greeted with a letter informing him that he would be taking his talents down south to Atlanta, in a deal that sent 4 prospects up to Baltimore.

Despite still losing 114 games in 2012, and with all the darkness Baltimore has endured in the past 14 years with it's baseball club, it finally looks like life and color is returning to the Charm City.