Nick Markakis, right fielder for the Baltimore Orioles, started in college as a pitcher and outfielder. His pitching statistics were as impressive as his batting ones, having a 12-0 win-loss record with a 1.68 ERA and a .439 batting average.
Nate McLouth, left fielder for the Baltimore Orioles, was first drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2000 and he made his first major league appearance in June, 2005. McClouth played in 41 games that season, ending the year with a .257 batting average and 5 home runs. He struggled in 2006, batting only .233 with 7 home runs. The 2007 season was a better one for McLouth, with 13 home runs and a .258 batting average.
Adam Jones, center fielder for the Baltimore Orioles, started his major league career as a shortstop with the Seattle Mariners in 2006. Later, he was moved to the outfield. Jones played two partial seasons with the Mariners before he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles prior to the 2008 season. In his first year with Baltimore, Jones played in 132 games and finished the season with a .270 batting average, with 9 home runs, 21 doubles and 7 triples. He also had 10 stolen bases.
Matt Wieters, catcher for the Baltimore Orioles, was a star baseball player at Georgia Tech. The Orioles drafted him in 2007 and after just one year in the minor leagues, Wieters was catching for Baltimore in 2009.
JJ Hardy, shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles, was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2001. He didn't get a start in the major leagues until 2005, having played in the minors from 2001 through 2003 and sitting out the 2004 season due to injuries. In his first season as the starting shortstop for the Milwaukee Brewers, Hardy batted .247 and had 92 hits, 22 doubles, and 9 home runs in 124 games. The following season, Hardy was again injured and he played in just 35 games in 2006.
Buck Showalter, manager of the Baltimore Orioles since 2010, did the seemingly impossible last year, leading the Orioles to a Wild Card win in the American League. Prior to last season, the Orioles had been one of the worst teams in the American League, finishing in last place of the AL East division from 2008 through 2011. For the 10 years before that, the Orioles had finished with a win percentage under .500. Last year, they ended up in second place in the AL East with a win percentage of .574 (93 wins, 69 losses).