For years, the Baltimore Orioles have been living in the cellar of the AL East. For the last five years, the O’s have been in the midst of a complete rebuild, with two #1 draft picks and a ridiculous amount of top 100 prospects. In the second half of the 2022 season, Baltimore began to right the ship. The arrival of elite catching prospect Adley Rutschman, as well as some talented vets putting together career years, made it clear that Baltimore’s time at the bottom was coming to an end. Going into 2023, there was plenty of reason to be optimistic about the Orioles’ future, but how many people expected this?
The good:
The youth. The Baltimore Orioles have completed something that isn’t always easy to pull off: a successful rebuild. Former first-round draft picks Ryan Mountcastle (.270, 18 home runs in 115 games), Adley Rutschman (.277, 20 home runs, 80 RBI), and Grayson Rodriguez (7-4, 4.35 ERA) have emerged as above-average major-league players. Baltimore also has the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year in Gunnar Henderson (.255, 28 homers, 82 RBI) in their arsenal, and they even still have the #1 prospect in baseball, Jackson Holliday. Righty Kyle Bradish (12-7, 2.83 in 30 starts) has broken out as an above-average starter while flying under the radar when thinking about top major-league pitchers. The bullpen is good too. The 6’8 Felix Bautista—aptly nicknamed the Mountain—had a 1.48 ERA in 56 games, also logging 33 saves in the process. Bautista was lost to Tommy John surgery in August, a painful end to an amazing breakout season. Even in his absence, journeyman righty Yennier Cano broke out, posting a 2.11 ERA in 72 appearances out of the bullpen—including eight saves. One of the most underrated hitters in baseball, designated hitter Anthony Santander, hit 28 homers and drove in 95 runs, a career-high. Former top Royals prospect Ryan O’Hearn, who before this season struggled to put together a solid batting average, hit .289 while also tying his career-high in home runs with 14.
The bad:
The youth. Going into the season, many analysts warned that the O’s weren’t quite ready for the pressure of being a good team. They were wrong. Mostly. Baltimore won the AL East and earned a first-round bye in the playoffs, awaiting the winner of the series between the Rays and the Rangers. The Rangers, after sweeping Tampa, went into Baltimore and won the first two, then finished the series sweep in Texas, ending the Orioles’ season. Texas overwhelmed the young Baltimore team, outscoring them 21-11 in the three-game set. While Texas was obviously no pushover, who knows how things could’ve changed if the O’s had been more experienced?
MVP:
Rutschman. While being above average but not elite as a hitter, Rutschman also served as a very valuable defensive catcher and was the emotional leader of a young, tough team. He’s the heart and soul of the Orioles and will continue to be for many years to come.
One word:
Wow. The Orioles were expected to compete for a playoff spot but not earn one running away. They blew everyone’s expectations out of the water, and they’ll be a strong opponent at the top of the East for years to come. Their future is scary good.
