Hoping history doesn't repeat itself...

Looking back at the past few years and the players we pinned our hopes on, I really hope that this crop of players we have on our team now turn out differently.

Here's a trip down memory lane.

2003

Larry Bigbie - 25 years old, .821 OPS.
What happened: Bigbie, a former first round pick, failed to stay healthy. He had a decent 2004 season but was traded in 2005 for Eric Byrnes.
Who he best resembles on the current team: Nolan Reimold.

Luis Matos, 24 years old, .811 OPS.
What happened: Like Bigie, Matos couldn't stay healthy. He played in 121 games in 2005, but managed only a .711 OPS. He was released in 2006.
Who he best resembles on the current team: Adam Jones.

Jay Gibbons, 26 years old, .786 OPS (100 RBI).
What happened: Gibbons couldn't stay healthy either, but in the end, it didn't matter. Gibbons couldn't draw a walk to save his life, was a butcher in the field, and was listed on the Mitchell Report for steroids. He was released by the Orioles before the 2008 season despite being signed through 2009.
Who he best resembles on the current team: No one.

Sidney Ponson, 26 years old, 14-6, 3.77 ERA.
What happened: Ponson put it all together for just one season (in a contract year no less) and was traded to the Giants for Damien Moss, Kurt Ainsworth and Ryan Hannaman. He re-signed with the Orioles that offseason and his ERA never dropped below 5 again. His off the field troubles, involving punching a judge in Aruba lead the Orioles to voiding his contract after 2005.
Who he best resembles on the current team: No one.

Jorge Julio, 24 years old, 36 saves.
What happened: Julio was a a flame-throwing closer who relied on a fastball and not much else. His ERA continued to balloon and he was traded to the Mets with John Maine for Kris Benson after 2005.
Who he best resembles on the current team: Dennis Sarfate.

John Parrish, 25, 1.90 ERA.
What happened: Parrish teased the Orioles in 2003 for 23.2 IP, leading them to believe he would be a valuable LHP out of the bullpen. However, his control problems got the best of him on most occasions despite turning in a solid 2004 season. He was traded to the Mariners in 2007.
Who he best resembles on the current team: No one.

Matt Riley, 23 years old, top-rated prospect.
What happened: Riley was the #1 pitching prospect for the Orioles for years and the team hung their hopes for success on his left arm. However, he was called up to the majors at the tender age of 19 after having logged 177 IP in the minors that season and was never the same. He struggled with control problems and injuries for the rest of his career.
Who he best resembles on the current team: Brian Matusz.

2004

Daniel Cabrera, 23 years old, 12-8 5.00 ERA.
What happened: Cabrera arrived on the scene having skipped AAA all together and wowed fans with his fastball. He worked well with Ray Miller in 2004 and 2005, and those were his best seasons as a SP. But his control problems, lack of secondary pitches and poor defense eventually did him in. He was released by the Orioles after the 2008 season.
Who best resembles on current team: No one.

Kurt Ainsworth, 25 years old, top prospect acquired in trade
What happened: Ainsworth was believed to be damaged goods when he was acquired from the Giants for Sidney Ponson in 2003 and it proved to be true. The former first round draft pick made just 7 tepid starts with the Orioles before getting injured. He has never played since.
Who he resembles most on the current team: Chris Tillman.

2005

Hayden Penn, 20 years old, top pitching prosect.
What happened: Like Riley before him, Penn was a highly regarded pitching prospect who never impressed in limited action with the Orioles and then suffered a bout of freak injuries, including appendicitus and being impaled with the broken end of a bat. His final chance to make the Orioles went horribly wrong this spring, and Penn was shipped off to Florida for back-up SS Robert Andino.
Who he resembles most on the current team: Chris Tillman

John Maine, 24 years old, 3.21 ERA in MiL.
What happened: For a while, John Maine was the top pitching prospect in the Orioles system. However he failed to show that potential in his brief stints with the Orioles in 2004 and 2005. He was ultimately traded to the Mets with Jorge Julio for Kris Benson after the season where he had some success in the Mets rotation, having won 30 games in 3 seasons, with ERA's lower than 4.52 in all seasons.
Who he best resembles on the current team: Chris Tillman.

Chris Ray, 23 years old, 2.66 ERA.
What happened: Ray was dominant out of the bullpen in 2005 and 2006, and collected 33 saves as the closer in '06. However, he began to regress in 2007 before suffering an injury which caused him to miss the entire 2008 season. With the Orioles in 2009 he has a 6.64 ERA in 39.1 IP.
Who he best resembles on the current team: Himself

2006

Adam Loewen, 22 years old, top rated prospect.
What happened: Loewen, a 4th over all pick, was signed to a major league deal which perhaps forced his development in the minors. He battled control and injury problems throughout his career while showing flashes of what could have been. He was released by the Orioles after the 2008 season with the intention of re-signing with them as a positional player, but opted to sign with Toronto instead.
Who he best resembles on the current team: Brian Matusz.

James Hoey, 22 years old, 2.98 ERA in MiL.
What happened: Hoey was a K-machine out of the bullpen in the minors, but his short time in Baltimore proved to be a disaster, with an ERA above 8 in just 34 IP. He's battled injuries since then, missing the entire 2008 season and is now 26 in Bowie with a 4.50 ERA.
Who he best resembles on the current team: Kameron Mickolio

2008

Garrett Olson, 24 years old, 3.17 ERA in MiL.
What happened: Olson was a rock in the minors, exuding great control at every level. When he reached the majors he began to nibble, likely meaning he didn't trust his stuff. He finished 2008 with a 6.65 ERA and a ticket to Seattle by way of Chicago.
Who he best resembles on the current team: Brian Matusz.

Radhames Liz, 25 years old, 10.1 K/9 in MiL.
What happened: Liz was a k-machine throughout the minors, but his flat fastball didn't fool major league hitters. Liz finished '08 with a 6.72 ERA and in just 1.1 IP in '09 has an ERA of 67.50. He's fared no better in Norfolk this season, with a 5.68 ERA.

So it kind of puts things into perspective when we hang our hopes on a new slew of young prospects. There's a good chance that few of them will pan out. After all, out of all those players mentioned, the Orioles produced only Brian Roberts, Nick Markakis and Erik Bedard to become above-average players at the major league level.