Uncustomed Heroes of 2023: Orioles

 

Last year, I had a feeling about the Orioles. The AL East was still a four-man race, and the O's had perpetually been the fifth man in the equation. And then last year, Adley Rutschman was MLB-ready, the outfield was awesome, the young pitchers were getting there, and Gunnar Henderson was just proving himself by the time things wrapped up. I figured if they made the right moves and the kids were all they were cracked up to be, they had a chance of competing in 2023.

Sure enough, the Orioles finished the season in 1st place, defying the Rays and their unstoppable April, and finishing with 100 wins or more for the first time since 1980. Did it amount to any postseason glory? Not really, no. But that's because the O's made the mistake of...uh...being one of the top 2 teams in the AL. 

This team has a lot to be proud of. Ramon Urias, one of the guys who's seen this team grow around him, had another strong year at the corner, with some impressive play at third, in addition to hitting .264 with 42 RBI and 95 hits. What's going to be tough going forward is that Urias is now seeing competition from several young infielders, and while he's an excellent defensive option, some of these other guys are a bit more well-rounded.

2024 Prediction: In his age-30 year, improves mightily at the plate and gives the Orioles some reason to start him more often.

Meanwhile, Jorge Mateo, coming off a season with a league-leading 35-steals [tame in comparison], cooled down significantly. When Mateo does less defensively, and on the base paths, his true flaws, his hitting, become more evident. While Mateo still stole 32 bases, he hit .217, delivering lackluster numbers that led to Henderson taking the position full-time towards the end of the season.

2024 Prediction: I hate to say it, but Mateo might be looking at a utility role full-time next year, and if his stolen bases go down even further, they'll be out of uses for him. 

Grayson Rodriguez, in his first full season in the majors, got a ton of opportunities to prove his worth after years of deadly minor league work. Things didn't start out perfectly, but after some time to retool he ended the year with a much better second half, with a 2.58 ERA, a 5-2 record and 73 Ks in 13 games. This is the kind of stuff the Orioles have been waiting for from Rodriguez, and despite getting lit up by the eventual World Series champions in October, the team still has a ton of confidence in him.

2024 Prediction: Finally rises above Bradish and Kremer to take the head of the rotation.

A few truly shocking developments in regards to hitting additions midyear. Ryan O'Hearn was a longtime Kansas City DH who was dropped due to, well, not hitting. So the O's brought him on quietly, and somehow this was the right fit for O'Hearn. In 112 games, he hit .289 with 14 home runs and 60 RBIs, which are some nice power numbers for a former one-dimensional power guy.

2024 Prediction: Either the O's fixed him for good or he goes back to what he was doing before. I'm thinking it'll be a tougher year for him now that the pressure's on, but he could do some damage, though likely in a bench role.

Then, after he burned all of his bridges in New York, Aaron Hicks found his way in Baltimore, and wound up as an extra OF bat around June. In 65 games for the O's, Hicks hit .275 with 7 homers and 35 RBIs, similar to his old bench outfielder stuff in the late 2010s. I think he just needed the pressure off, and while he did come down a few pegs from when he debuted in Baltimore, he was a nice extra piece this team didn't know they needed.

2024 Prediction: How the hell do you predict anything Aaron Hicks does anymore. The man lives to defy expectations. I say he's a bench guy for Oakland or something, but watch him hit 30 homers for Atlanta or some shit. 

The next step in the slow roll of the youth movement was bringing up infielder Jordan Westberg, who will likely be covering 2nd base full time soon enough. Westburg hit .260 with 23 RBIs in 68 games, and was 2 for 9 in the postseason. After a few straight seasons of getting rent-a-guys to fill 2nd, Westburg could be what they need.

2024 Prediction: Not a flashy season, but an efficient one, and enough to cement him as a mainstay going forward. 

At the time, I called Jack Flaherty going to Baltimore the best move of the trade deadline, because it gave them the ace they had been so desperately missing in Means' absence. Of course, Flaherty got the ball and reverted to his old, flighty self, and in 9 games he had a 6.75 ERA, a 1-3 record and a 1.675 WHIP. Clearly not what the O's wanted.

2024 Prediction: Not a very reassuring year in Detroit. Guys, we might have our new answer to Matt Morris.

And so, after Flaherty failed to fill the ace role that John Means had left, the O's turned...to John Means. After being injured the last few years, Means finally looked ready to return to the head of the table. For four games, Means was electric, with a 2.66 ERA, and a 0.718 ERA. Then...he got hurt again. And if the Orioles didn't have Kyle Bradish to comfortably stay at the top of the rotation, they'd be a lot worse off.

2024 Prediction: I really hope he's healthier next year than he was in the last 3. Cause if not, they might have to say goodbye to Means.

Coming Tomorrow- A Padres team that only got good towards the end, and now we may have the reason why.