"Orioles manager Buck Showalter will take part in his second FanFest on Saturday, and he will be one of the first to say there's not as much buzz around the team's expectations as there was a year ago heading into the unofficial kickoff to the season.

This time last year, the Orioles were coming off a 34-23 finish under Showalter. The team made moves that, while not flashy, were substantial, strengthening its lineup with the offseason acquisitions of shortstop J.J. Hardyand third baseman Mark Reynolds, and there was excitement to see how the club's stable of young, unproven pitchers would test in the American League East. The Orioles were also beginning to toy with the idea of adding veteran slugger Vladimir Guerrero.

Contrast that to now. The team has a restructured front office full of new faces, most notably executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette. While Hardy, Reynolds, center fielder Adam Jones and catcher Matt Wieters made strides at the plate last season, the pitching failed to live up to expectations. And aside from a three-win improvement over 2010 — and a tremendous win in game No. 162 to help eliminate the Boston Red Sox from playoff contention — fans were left to ponder a 14th consecutive losing season."