Demolition Mancini

 This is the absolute wrong way to start a post about a player who recovered from cancer, but, uh, IN THE MOVIE DEMOLITION MAN...

Sylvester Stallone's character is unfrozen after years of incarceration in order to aid the new police force. However, while he was frozen, everything has changed, including the scope of society, and the softened edges of policemen in general. 

Now, I'm not saying that the Orioles team Mancini is walking into only has Taco Bell as the only restaurant option, but thematically there are similarities. When Trey Mancini left the Orioles, there was no hope, no pitching, and some veterans like Jonathan Villar and Andrew Cashner holding things up. It was absolutely dire, and it was a dark and gritty place to do some damage.

But in 2021, things have changed drastically. There is a pitching staff, led by John Means, and featuring potential young stars like Dean Kremer and Keegan Akin, and they could potentially get things done this year. There are more homegrown stars around the Orioles lineup, and people like Anthony Santander, Ryan Mountcastle and Cedric Mullins are finally playing to their potential. Plus, this season the Orioles actually managed to get decent veterans from around the league to help out, and Freddy Galvis, Maikel Franco, Yolmer Sanchez and, yes, Felix Hernandez are all looking at crucial roster spots. The veteran additions aren't looking like they're here to overshadow the youth movement, as I imagine people like Franco and Sanchez will be phased out as Luis Urias and others find their stride in the majors.

So...Trey Mancini's return means that, while this team could still be a last place team, they're further towards good than they were when he left. Which is a start.

Like last season, a lot of wild things could happen to the O's this year, especially with a solid star reattached with Mancini. Him, Santander, Mountcastle, Means and Severino could all do great things this year, and the slow train of young players could keep delivering hits [I don't think Rutschman is ready yet this season but you never know]. Considering that the top four teams intend to be good this year, even Boston, I'm still not sure if the Orioles are a last place team or not, but even if they are, they'll be a better last place team than they've been in years.

Coming Tomorrow- An outfielder waiting for a huge season for his team that may or may not be happening.