The 2023 season is underway, and the Orioles are out to a 9-7 start. Of course, as fans of the Orioles, we are hanging on every game, watching every player and noticing everything that is happening.
Just for the fun of it, this writer has decided to let Birdland know what the state of the Orioles is looking like as we head to our series against the Nationals.
Before we start, we want to give the team’s celebrations an A+ for creativity and fun factor.
Without any further ado, let’s get to grading:
PITCHING GRADE: D
Where to start under this category, as it is sure to be the one area that most fans have been upset over. The truth is, there is some good in what has been a frustrating position.
The Birds rank in the bottom five of the league in ERA. It’s definitely not what we want to see, but the Birds do have a starter with an ERA under 4.00 (Tyler Wells 3.86).
The Oriole bullpen is running in the middle of the pack with a 3.86 ERA. They also sit in the middle in saves (4) and earned runs (26). While the bullpen is performing less than expected, they are ranked 11th in WHIP with a respectable 1.220.
Between Kyle Gibson (3-0) and Tyler Wells, the starting staff is still a work-in-progress. Grayson Rodriguez has shown flashes of dominance but has struggled in the first inning. Dean Kremer is trying to find his rhythm, and Kyle Bradish has only pitched 1.2 innings due to injury.
With Cole Irvin being demoted, the starting staff is hanging on at this time. The bullpen, outside of Austin Voth, has been serviceable and will only get better with the return of Dillon Tate (May) and Mychal Givens (late April/early May).
DEFENSIVE GRADE: C-
The Orioles had one of the better defenses in all of baseball last season. Coming into 2023, the addition of Adam Friazer at second and Gunnar Henderson at third was supposed to make the defense even better.
Unfortunately, that has not been the case. The O’s defense is currently ranked 22nd with a .982 fielding percentage and tied for 23rd with 10 errors.
Henderson has made some spectacular plays in the field, as has Jorge Mateo, but both lead the team with three errors at this stage of the season.
Not all the blame falls to them, as the outfield has had its fair share of gaffs as well. Being out of position, misplaying hits and wrong angles to the ball have been a problem for this group.
I do expect this to change and improve going forward. While I could have given a lower grade, there is enough upside to make me think this will correct itself going forward.
OFFENSIVE GRADE: B
A lot of people will see this and argue it should be higher. And yes, Baltimore does rank in the top 10 in most offensive categories. They are second in runs, RBIs and stolen bases and are third in walks.
What has been the downside of the club is its ability to capitalize on opportunities. Though the Birds are hitting .260 with RISP, they rank ninth in strikeouts (146) and are tied just outside the top 10 of grounding into double plays (13).
It’s safe to say that if you’re leaving an average of 3.63 (ranked 17th) runners in scoring position in each game, there are opportunities not being taken advantage of when they’re presented.
For the most part, the offense is clicking and does not back down. Players such as Jorge Mateo (1.082 OPS), Adley Rutschman (.481 OBP) and Ryan Mountcastle (6 HR, 20 RBIs) are helping make a difference and add excitement to an impressive lineup.
OVERALL TEAM GRADE: C
The Orioles are already ahead of last year’s pace with their nine victories. It took until May 4 for the Orioles to reach their eighth victory in 2022.
The offense is fun and exciting and has provided some amazing moments in the first taste of the season. The pitching has been inconsistent, to say the least, but Bradish, Givens and Tate will be back to add some stability towards the end of the month.
Going forward, I expect the defense to take huge steps forward and the pitching to balance out with the bullpen returning to a top 15 league standing.
As of now, the Birds are on pace for 91 victories. This writer predicted 88, so I’ll be glad if we exceed my projections.
How would you grade the O’s so far? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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