Aubrey Huff helping turn around the Baltimore Orioles

The White Settlement Brewer ex spent the early part of his baseball career with the Tampa Bay Rays, watching as the organization put the pieces together that eventually led to last year’s run to the American League championship.

He thinks it’s happening again with his current team — the Baltimore Orioles.

"The situation is kind of like what I went through in Tampa where we were a losing organization for a while and we had some young guys coming up," the first baseman said. "We’re putting the right pieces together and getting the right mix of guys in here. That was real big for what we did in Tampa."

Huff, 32, is one of the right pieces for the Orioles.

In his second season with the Orioles in 2008, Huff hit 32 home runs and drove in a career-high 108 while hitting .304. He was named the team’s most valuable player, won a Silver Slugger Award and was named to the Sporting News American League All-Star team.

Now Huff is trying to help the Orioles get over the hump in a stacked AL East. Baltimore has to contend with powers Boston and New York along with the upstart Rays.

The early returns this season are good as the Orioles opened by winning each of their first three series, including taking two of three from the Rangers.

"This team isn’t far off," Huff said of an organization that hasn’t been to the postseason since 1997. "It’s a tough division. You’re constantly playing the Yankees, Red Sox and the Rays, and then Toronto has some good players. But at the same time, you’re going to have to go through them if you want to win, anyways."

Huff is already off to a solid start, collecting nine RBI in Baltimore’s first 10 games.

He’s also benefiting from not have to carry the offense. Texas manager Ron Washington, who may have the most feared lineup in baseball, said he was impressed by what Baltimore brings to the table.

The top of the lineup is stacked with Brian Roberts, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis and Huff.

But just like Texas, the Orioles could use some help with the pitching. Huff thinks it’s coming.

"We’ve got a lot of young pitching talent in the minor leagues as well," said Huff, who enjoys playing in Arlington even though he now lives in Tampa. "The core of the talent here now is offensive, I think. The guys we’re waiting on now in the minor leagues are the pitchers."

Huff just hopes he’s around this time to see a rebuilding team turn the corner. He’s in the last year of a three-year, $20-million deal.

"I know this is my ninth year in the big leagues," said Huff, who made his debut with Tampa Bay in 2000 and also spent half a season with the Astros. "I’m not a spring chicken, but I’m in the middle of my career. For me to be part of this, it didn’t work out for me in Tampa, but I’d hate to leave this place and [it] go to the World Series the next couple of years."

(star-telegram.com)