Daniel Clark: AL East champion Orioles overcome doubters and adversity

The Orioles are the 2014 American League East champions - it has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? As I sit here writing - some 10,201 miles away from the wild scenes of celebration last night at Camden Yards - I can't help but think how appropriate the following quote is with respect to the Orioles' 2014 season, a season that has seen the team win just its ninth division title in 60 years and its first since 1997. "Everyone is handed adversity in life. No one's journey is easy. It's how they handle it that makes people unique." - Kevin Conroy Quite simply, this division-champion Orioles team is unique and when stories are told of their success in the future, one thing that will be remembered is its ability to overcome setbacks which would have potentially destroyed many other baseball teams. Despite the big offseason signings of Nelson Cruz and Ubaldo Jimenez, prior to the 2014 season, very few analysts predicted the Orioles to win the AL East. Instead, most of the hype surrounded the reigning world champion Red Sox, the cashed-up Yankees and the ever-determined Rays. The Orioles and Blue Jays were expected by most to battle it out for last place and many believed the Orioles' successful seasons in 2012 and 2013 were nothing more than an abnormality during a losing period dating back to the end of 1997. For the Orioles to compete in MLB's toughest division, surely everything would need to go smoothly. However, almost six months have now passed and the Orioles' season has been far from smooth - in fact, it has been littered with adversity. Manny Machado's return from a left knee injury took almost a month longer than originally hoped and not too long after, he received a five-game suspension in June for throwing his bat against the Athletics. To top it off, his campaign ended prematurely for the second consecutive season when he injured his right knee in August. He played just 82 games. Matt Wieters started the season on an absolute tear, hitting .308 with five home runs and 18 RBIs. However after just 26 games, the three-time All Star was ruled out for the season in mid-May with a right elbow injury. Ubaldo Jimenez, the four-year signing that cost $50 million, has had a season to forget. The season started poorly in April and in between some time spent on the disabled list, the rest of his season hasn't been much better. He's been tried as a starter and in relief. Thus far, all that's produced is a 5-9 record with a 4.90 ERA. While the numbers are extremely disappointing, his performance last night - after a real tough first two innings - suggests a glimmer of hope remains. Chris Davis, coming off an incredible 2013 season, has had a season to forget in 2014. Having spent time on the sidelines due to injury in April and paternity leave in May, Davis struggled to find rhythm at the plate. Despite hitting just .196 with 26 home runs, things had been improving of late. But late last week, he was suspended for 25 games after testing positive for Adderall. He played 127 games. Other key players who have missed games during the season due to injury or bereavement leave include J.J. Hardy, Steve Pearce, Miguel Gonzalez, Bud Norris, T.J. McFarland and Tommy Hunter. Setbacks suffered by key players such as this would typically destroy a team's chances of winning a pennant, especially a team that many doubted as a challenger to begin with. But for the braintrust of Buck Showalter and Dan Duquette, they're just setbacks that can be overcome in order to make the taste of success even sweeter. Showalter and Duquette have always possessed crafty list management skills and both are highly respected individuals within baseball circles. However, the creative player management displayed by the duo through adversity this season has been more impressive than ever before and this has been the catalyst for the Orioles' success. Continuing to show faith in less-heralded players such as Caleb Joseph, Nick Hundley, David Lough, Ryan Flaherty, Brad Brach, and more recently, Jimmy Paredes, Alejandro De Aza and Kelly Johnson has paid off big time, with each of them contributing to the team's success in recent weeks. Orioles Magic is alive and well in Baltimore and as the focus now shifts to the postseason, only a fool would discount this team from going all the way. A number of stars may be on the sidelines, but the roster has unrivaled depth. And under the watchful eye of Showalter, you can be sure that every last inch of talent will be squeezed from those chosen to lead this resilient team forward. Daniel Clark blogs about the Orioles at The Big Leagues Daily from Melbourne, Australia. Follow him on Twitter: @DC_TBLDaily. His thoughts on the O's appear here as part of MASNsports.com's continuing commitment to welcome guest bloggers to our little corner of cyberspace. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our roster of writers.