Adam Jones flails helplessly at a slider that is well out of the strike zone. Matt Wieters grounds out meekly to second base. Nick Markakis slaps an opposite-field single, and his homerless streak continues. Nolan Reimold takes an 0-for-4 against Triple-A pitching.
These snapshots have dominated an Orioles' 2010 season, which was supposed to yield substantial improvement and a more competitive team. Instead, the Orioles have the worst record in the major leagues, a manager who could be entering his final days in charge and a disabled list dotted with some of their highest-paid players.
But perhaps of even more concern than any of that, the team's core of young hitters has seemingly regressed or, at the very least, not made the progress expected this season. That has been one big reason the Orioles' scoring the fewest runs in the American League and being near the bottom of the league in pretty much every prominent offensive category.
"We have guys that are not having the same kind of years they had last year," Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said. "Some of it might be the usual, what they refer to as the sophomore slump. The league is starting to make adjustments to them, and they are going to have to make adjustments back. And they are going to have to demonstrate the ability to do that or their stay in this league isn't going to be as long as we hope it is going to be and they hope it is going to be."
While MacPhail and other team officials never expected this team to compete for a playoff berth, they figured, at worst, the organization's long-suffering fans could go to Camden Yards and watch the components of the next good Orioles team mature on a nightly basis.
Jones, Reimold and Markakis — all 26 or younger — would form one of the game's most promising outfields. Wieters, a 24-year-old switch-hitter, would be behind the plate, catching a young and talented staff and working in front of an infield that included Brian Roberts and perhaps Brandon Snyder and Josh Bell, the latter two having forced their way up from the minor leagues.
Markakis is the only member of that group who is hitting above .270. Bell, a 23-year-old third baseman, leads the group with six home runs, all coming for Triple-A Norfolk, whose roster includes first baseman Snyder (232 average, two home runs). Only Markakis has an on-base percentage above .325, and nobody from that group has a slugging percentage above .450.
"I think regression is an easy response. That's something that people can just assume," Orioles manager Dave Trembley said. "I could probably point out a big sampling of players around major league baseball with numbers down as well, but I also understand that those guys are earmarked as very key and important guys on the Orioles. It's been the center of attention since the beginning of the season.
"Guys are not totally developed yet. They're not finished products, and I still honestly believe before it's all said and done that they'll be very good, bona fide, productive major league players. It's just unfortunate the way that they have started, but they still have a lot of at-bats left."
Who's to blame?
The offensive struggles extend throughout the organization — Norfolk and Double-A Bowie each entered Monday with only one player with more than 40 at-bats for his current team hitting over .280 — and have prompted questions about the club's approach to developing hitters.
Did MacPhail, he of the "grow the arms, buy the bats" mantra, do a poor job surrounding the young hitters with productive veterans? Is it more of a player-development and scouting issue, where the club is failing in drafting and teaching young hitters? How much has the loss of leadoff man Roberts affected all the young big league hitters, specifically Jones? And how much of the blame should fall to Terry Crowley, the longest-tenured hitting coach in the majors, who has worked under five managers and five different general managers?
"One-hundred percent unfair," Markakis said of the criticism of Crowley. "He's doing everything a hitting coach should do. It's up to us players to make those adjustments. Right now, we're lacking in that department. As a big league hitter, you have to go up there, face the pitcher and figure it out yourself."
The only unanimous view from scouts and talent evaluators who have followed the club and its affiliates this season is that the Orioles were probably expecting way too much, way too soon, specifically in the pitching-rich AL East.
MacPhail acknowledged that it would have been "naïve" for the organization to think every one of its young hitters would take a step forward, but it had to expect much more than this.
Even Markakis, who leads the team with a .307 average and a .405 on-base percentage, has drawn criticism for producing just three homers and 17 RBIs this season, and six homers in his past 344 at-bats dating to 2009. While the right fielder is the least of the Orioles' problems, the organization signed him to a six-year, $66.1 million deal expecting him to continue to develop into an elite middle-of-the-order hitter.
"For most of these guys, they've been rushed through the system and they've had some success, but the difference between big league pitching and minor league pitching is incredible," one National League scout said. "A lot of these guys haven't had a lot of at-bats, and they're just trying to figure it out on the fly. You can't indict player development on it. It's a lot to do with the talent you initially get and those guys' aptitude in terms of figuring it out and making adjustments."
Another National League scout pointed more to the injuries to Roberts and Felix Pie and the inability of several of the veterans, mainly free-agent pickup Garrett Atkins, to produce and take pressure off the younger hitters. That meant players such as Jones, Wieters and Reimold were thrust into spots in the lineup they weren't yet ready for and asked to help carry a struggling offense.
"I don't think they've taken a step backwards," the scout said. "The club is playing basically where they should be at. I don't see regression. If each one of them was in a different situation, I'd dare to say you'd see a completely different player."
Crowley, in the 12th season of his second stint as Orioles hitting coach, acknowledged that it is less than ideal to have so many young hitters in the lineup at once.
"A lot of times when you break in young players, you'd like to break in one or maybe two and have them surrounded by veterans, where the amount of production you need from the younger guys is minimal," said Crowley, who also attributed the Orioles' offensive woes to better pitching league-wide. "Then, they actually will contribute more. But when we lost Roberts and Pie, that was devastating. And what's magnified some of the problems this year is we're having trouble scoring runs. That puts additional pressure, and that's a different kind of pressure, the pressure of wanting to do good for your teammates, for your starting pitcher."
Jones' struggles stand out
Nobody has been more affected by the pressure than Jones, the 24-year-old center fielder who drove in the winning run in the All-Star Game last year and also won a Gold Glove. However, instead of continuing his ascent to superstardom, Jones is hitting just .251 with five homers and 15 RBIs. He has grounded into two more double plays (seven) than he has walks (five) and has struck out 41 times in 207 at-bats while showing little ability to lay off pitches outside the strike zone.
While some blame a portion of his struggles on his failed stint this year as the Orioles' leadoff hitter, Jones' problems date well back into last season. Since the All-Star break last year, Jones is batting just .239 with 12 homers and 38 RBIs in 89 games.
"I would be worried about Jones because I see clear regression there," an NL scout said. "I see a guy that jumped up and had a lot of success, and now he's completely lost, and has to find his way. With his power and bat speed, there's no reason he shouldn't hit 25 to 30 homers, but he gets himself out so much and doesn't get into [hitters'] counts. You're talking about somebody that is not only not identifying pitches and seeing the ball, you don't have to throw a strike to get him out. Why would you?"
Two other scouts questioned about Jones said they still think he will be a very good player and he's going through the normal maturation process of a young hitter. Jones acknowledged that he has put too much pressure on himself to make up for Roberts' absence and hasn't made the necessary adjustments as quickly as he had hoped.
"You're going to go through ups and downs," Jones said. "I would rather go through them now. I'm still learning the game. I'm not saying that I know everything that is going on."
Wieters, Reimold scuffling, too
Wieters celebrated his one-year anniversary in the big leagues Saturday, and no Oriole in recent memory has had to deal with such expectations. Over one full season, he has hit a respectable .276, but he has only 13 homers in 522 at-bats, doesn't consistently make good contact and scouts have noted that he is often overmatched by above-average fastballs.
That didn't stop three talent evaluators from saying they still expect Wieters will hit with power, as that is often the last thing to come for a young hitter, and be a perennial All-Star.
"I've never considered myself a power hitter," Wieters said despite having hit 32 homers in 578 minor league at-bats. "Every time I've tried to hit home runs, bad things happen. Power is something that I was able to have some success with in the minor leagues, but I was just hitting the ball hard and it was carrying out. Right now, I just want to learn to be a good hitter first — get on-base, hit for a good average, and then the power numbers will come. I'm not disappointed. You can hit .350 in the minor leagues, but it's a little different when you are here for the first time."
Reimold, 26, was one of the team's best hitters last year, batting .279 with 15 homers and 45 RBIs before he had season-ending Achilles surgery. He was hitting just .205 with two homers and 10 RBIs when the Orioles jettisoned him to Norfolk on May 12, hoping he would regain both his confidence and his swing. The results haven't been immediate as Reimold entered Monday's game hitting .130 with two homers and four RBIs in 13 games for the Tides.
However, several scouts said Reimold should get a little bit of a free pass as he still recovering from foot surgery. They say they feel he'll be a much better player next year after another offseason to rest.
The Orioles can only hope. MacPhail's plan to bring the organization back to prominence hinges on the young hitters showing far more development than they have this season.
"As you fill in the pieces going down the road, these guys will get better," Crowley said. "They're all going to look back on this year and think about how tough runs were to come by. They probably don't feel it right now, but in five years or so, they'll say, 'Man, that year was a struggle.' "
Baltimore Sun reporter Dan Connolly contributed to this article.
What a difference a year makes
The Orioles were counting on steady progression from several of their younger hitters who are considered core pieces for the organization going forward. However, that hasn't happened this year, one of the biggest reasons for the Orioles' dreadful start. Here's a look at several of those hitters and where they were last year through the same number of games with the big league club.
A. Jones (50 games); N. Markakis (50 games); *N. Reimold (29 games); M. Wieters (47 games)
;2009; 2010; 2009; 2010; 2009; 2010; 2009; 2010
Avg.; .343; .251; .299; .307; .281; .205; .275; .250
HRs; 11; 5; 7; 3; 7; 2; 3; 4
RBIs; 36; 15; 40; 17; 16; 10; 15; 16
On-Base; .395; .274; .362; .405; .361; .302; .324; .323
Slugging; .597; .382; .493; .434; .531; .337; .389; .351
*—Currently at Triple-A
Bottom dwellers
A look at where the Orioles rank in several key offensive categories out of the 14 teams in the American League. Statistics are through Sunday.
Runs: 175 (14th)
Batting Avg.: .249 (10th)
Hits: 431 (11th)
Total bases: 642 (11th)
HRs: 44 (8th)
On-base pct.: .312 (13th)
Slugging pct.: .371 (11th)
Walks: 143 (14th)
Steals: 18 (13th)
Double plays: 56 (second most)
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