How The Orioles Went From Doormat To Penthouse


When you think of the Baltimore Orioles, one of the first things that come to mind would be their iconic stadium - Camden Yards. Cal Ripken Jr. and his legendary iron man streak of consecutive games played also has to be on that list of proud Orioles moments alongside their 2014 AL East title run.

But since that 2014 AL East title, the Orioles have made the postseason party only one other time - 2016, when they went 89-73.

After that: 75-87 in 2017, then 110 loss seasons in 2018, '19 and '21 (115, 108 and 110 losses respectively). 

But last season, things started to change for the Orioles despite missing the playoffs for a sixth straight season as they posted a winning record at 83-79. The question is what...what changed? What happened to the Orioles that helped them go from the MLB's doormat to the penthouse?

It started with the Manny Machado deal to the Dodgers. In that trade, the Orioles would pick up someone who would become a big piece of their rotation in Dean Kremer. In that 2018-season, he would go 10-5 and post a 2.88 Earned Run Average.

He would debut during the later stages of the 2020 COVID season and would allow just one run against the Yankees in a winning effort. After a down 2021 where he went winless, he would bounce back in 2022 - posting an 8-7 record. So far in 29 starts this season, he has a 12-5 record with an ERA of 4.25 with 141 strikeouts and an opposing average of .258.

The next piece of the rotation to come up was Kyle Bradish, who came over in the Dylan Bundy trade with...the LA Dodgers. After a rough start to his career and a 4-7 record in 2022, he has shined as the top starter for the Orioles, posting an 11-6 record through 26 starts this season, an ERA just over 3 and opponents hitting .223 against him.

The Orioles also have veteran talent in Kyle Gibson and Jack Flaherty that came over in trades to fill out the rotation to go along with the return of John Means and the young up and coming Grayson Rodriguez.

The Orioles' bullpen is also quite formidible led by 24 year old DL Hall, a back end consisting of Shintaro Fujiname, Danny Coulombe and Yennier Cano to go alongside shutdown closer Felix Bautista, their pitching staff can prove to be a tough out in the postseason.

Their lineup is full of young, talented players as well...

Gunnar Henderson - 22 years old

Ryan Mountcasle - 26

Jordan Westburg - 24

Adley Rutschman - 25

Austin Hays - 28

Cedric Mullins - 28

Colton Cowser - 23


They have solid veteran leadership with the likes of Aaron Hicks and Adam Frazier plus they have Jackson Holliday coming up to join the Show soon. With just over 2 weeks still to go in the season, it's led to the best record in the AL at 91-53. How deep they'll go in the postseason is anyone's guess, but rest assured - the Orioles rebuild has led them to the penthouse of the American League and they'll look to be the Goliath of the AL for many years to come.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Legacy Of The Trenton Titans - 25 Years Later

Image
  It's now been 25 years since the Titans first graced the ice of what is now Cure Insurance Arena in Trenton. The Titans were successful out of the gate, regularly selling out their home barn, posting the best record in the league in just their 2nd season and making the East Coast Hockey League's Kelly Cup Finals twice - winning it all in 2004-05 during the infamous NHL lockout that year. But after 14 seasons and three ownership changes, the Titans were no more, leaving Cure Insurance Arena empty in the fall and winter months. So what went wrong? Why was a successful minor league hockey team torn away from the fans after a little more than a decade? What is the legacy of the Titans 25 years later and...what will it take to bring them back? Origin To better understand the legacy of the Trenton Titans, let's first go back to 1996, when Trenton - New Jersey's capital - was awarded a franchise in the burgeoning East Coast Hockey League. Back then, the then 8 year old leagu...
Read more

Is Daniel Jones All That?

Image
This past Tuesday, it was announced that Daniel Jones, the Giants’ 6 th overall pick in April’s NFL Draft, would start at QB in place of Eli Manning. On Sunday, he lined up under center against Tampa Bay and we all got a glimpse of the Giants’ future. Jones quickly shook off the nerves, going 23/36 for 336 yards with 4 touchdowns. He also showed his mobility, carrying the ball 4 times for 28 yards and accounting for 2 of the 4 touchdowns. Best of all...ZERO PICKS! The question – is Daniel Jones really all that? Is he really Eli Manning’s successor? Well, after watching Jones’ performance, I can tell you that my reservations about Jones have flown out the window. He is the next great Giants quarterback. He reminded me of Eli in his prime – a man who can find open targets, buy time for himself, escape pressure and even take the ball for himself every now and then. Jones even proved that he can come through in the clutch as he orchestrated the game-winning drive for the Giants in t...
Read more

RAMS' LATE RUN FALLS SHORT AGAINST EWING

Friday night, the Rams hosted CVC rivals Ewing in a crucial pre-MCT matchup at Hightstown High School. The Rams took an early 14-13 lead after the 1 st quarter and hang tough throughout, despite falling behind 29-25 at the half and finding themselves down by as many as 10 at one point following a 7-0 Ewing run to put the Blue Devils up 47-37. But an 11-3 run by the Rams kept them in contention right up to the final horn when one of Hightstown’s own attempted to channel her inner Stephen Curry and make a last second 3 to win the game only to have it clang off the rim as the Rams fell to Ewing by a 50-48 final.  As Maxwell Smart would say on ‘Get Smart’ – “Missed It By…THAT MUCH!”  Despite having 2 players foul out late, Hightstown showed the grit and determination that champions like the 90s Chicago Bulls and the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers are made of as they looked for a bounce back game after the loss Tuesday against Trenton Central.  During the 2nd quarter, ...
Read more