With the Orioles playing their first meaningful September baseball in 15 years, trying to cap this most unexpected season with a run into the postseason, fans throughout the country are asking, "Where did these guys come from?"
Fair question.
Certainly, Baltimore has grown a solid number of them through the amateur draft. Others were castoffs, unwanted by the rest of baseball. But a disproportionate amount of the key figures from the Orioles' 2012 season came to Baltimore via shrewd trades.
So after vice president Dan Duquette accepts his Executive of the Year award this winter, he might want to send a thank-you note to the previous regime.
Not to mention Texas, where five of the Orioles' key contributors played last year.
Here's a look at how the Orioles acquired the key figures for their 2012 season:
Amateur Draft (10)
Brian Roberts: A first-round pick (50th overall) in the 1999 amateur draft.
Jim Johnson: A fifth-round pick in the 2001 amateur draft.
Nick Markakis: A first-round pick (seventh overall) in the 2003 amateur draft.
Nolan Reimold: A second-round pick in the 2005 amateur draft.
Zach Britton: A third-round pick in the 2006 amateur draft.
Matt Wieters: A first-round pick (fifth overall) in the 2007 amateur draft.
Jake Arrieta: A fifth-round pick in the 2007 amateur draft.
Brian Matusz: A first-round pick (fourth overall) in the 2008 amateur draft.
Xavier Avery: A second-round pick in the 2008 amateur draft.
Manny Machado: A first-round pick (third overall) in the 2010 amateur draft.
Rule V Draft (1)
Ryan Flaherty: Drafted from the Chicago Cubs in the 2011 rule 5 draft.
Waivers (1)
Darren O'Day: Selected off waivers from the Texas Rangers in November, 2011.
Free Agency (9)
Kevin Gregg: Signed as a free agent in January, 2011.
Steve Tolleson: Signed as a free agent in November, 2011.
Wilson Betemit: Signed as a free agent in January, 2012.
Wei-Yin Chen: Signed as an international free agent in January, 2012.
Luis Ayala: Signed as a free agent in February, 2012.
Nick Johnson: Signed as a free agent in February, 2012.
Miguel Gonzalez: Signed as a free agent in March, 2012.
Lew Ford: Signed as a free agent in May, 2012.
Nate McLouth: Signed as a free agent in June, 2012.
Trades (14)
Troy Patton: Traded by the Houston Astros with Matt Albers, Mike Costanzo, Dennis Sarfate and Luke Scott for Miguel Tejada in November, 2007.
Adam Jones: Traded by the Seattle Mariners with Tony Butler, Kam Mickolio, George Sherrill and Chris Tillman for Erik Bedard in February, 2008.
Chris Tillman: Traded by the Seattle Mariners with Tony Butler, Kam Mickolio and George Sherrill for Erik Bedard in February, 2008.
Robert Andino: Traded by the Florida Marlins for Hayden Penn in April, 2009.
J.J. Hardy: Traded by the Minnesota Twins for Brett Jacobson and Jim Hoey in December, 2010.
Mark Reynolds: Traded by the Arizona Diamondbacks for for David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio in December, 2010.
Chris Davis: Traded by the Texas Rangers with Tommy Hunter for Koji Uehara and cash in July, 2011.
Tommy Hunter: Traded by the Texas Rangers with Chris Davis for Koji Uehara and cash in July, 2011.
Pedro Strop: Sent from Texas as the player to be named in an August, 2011 deal for Mike Gonzalez.
Taylor Teagarden: Traded by the Texas Rangers to the for a player to be named later (Greg Miclat) and Randy Henry in December, 2011.
Jason Hammel: Traded by the Colorado Rockies with Matt Lindstrom for Jeremy Guthrie in February, 2012.
Jim Thome: Traded by the Philadelphia Phillies for Gabriel Lino and Kyle Simon in June, 2012.
Omar Quintanilla: Traded by the New York Mets for future considerations in July, 2012.
Joe Saunders: Traded by the Arizona Diamondbacks for Matt Lindstrom and player to be named in August, 2012.