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No. 30 Baltimore Orioles
2000 Record: 74-88 (4th in AL East) The Baltimore Orioles spent the second half of last season trading veterans for prospects. They had the right idea, but the prospects they got aren't exactly impact players. The biggest hit was losing Mike Mussina to the Yankees in free agency. The Orioles finished just 12th in ERA in the AL last year, and doing without Mussina won't help in that department. Baltimore will be using guys who are past their prime like Brady Anderson and marginal prospects like Melvin Mora in the everyday lineup. That means Cal Ripken will likely play the final season of his Hall of Fame career for a team stuck in transition. The O's will have to get a big year from Albert Belle to score on a consistent basis. A hip condition has put Belle's career in jeopardy after ruining his 2000 season. He hit .295 with 19 HR in the first half of last season, but he managed just .231 and five home runs in the second half. That makes Belle a question mark ... and the rest of the team isn't much better. That's why I rank the Orioles as the 30th best team in baseball.
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