The Orioles have been in the midst of their best season since 2016, and with that, they’ve garnered much more attention from the sports media world.
The majority of it has been positive, but there does seem to be a growing crowd of fans/analysts who don’t believe this team as currently constructed is a threat to win it all. I’ll do my best to show you why that’s a foolish assessment of one of baseball’s most talented ball clubs.
For the record, since Adley Rutschman’s call-up on May 21, 2022, Baltimore is 150-105. Playing at a 94-win pace over a 250-game sample size is not a fluke and is a testament to the new culture this young core has brought to Camden Yards.
Building off that, the O’s are 83-50 this season and have played greater than .500 baseball in every single month this season. Their ability to win as consistently as they have over the course of a season and a half should tell you this team is very unlikely to experience any significant regression.
A common statistic that is brought up to knock the O’s is their +96 run differential despite being 33 games over .500. I don’t believe there is much merit behind this because run differential often can fluctuate drastically because of blowouts, where teams often mail it in to save their pitching for the games to come.
To add to that, unlike other sports, pitching and defense controls the game in baseball, meaning, yes, winning close games can be sustainable. It becomes even more sustainable when you are lucky enough to have one of the league’s best bullpens.
Unfortunately, the Félix Bautista injury definitely lowers the ceiling, but if there is any silver lining to Félix’s extended absence, it’s that some of the guys who have been in his shadow now have a chance to step up.
Yennier Canó will presumably slide right into the closer role, and rightfully so. He would already be the closer on most MLB teams, and his very good August has his ERA down to 1.56.
D.L. Hall, the Triple-A call-up to replace Félix, also offers some exciting upside, and in his first inning back, retired three of the four batters he faced to hold a late lead. Jacob Webb, Shintaro Fujinami, Danny Coulombe and Cionel Perez will also all need to work overtime to keep this bullpen afloat.
They’ve collectively pitched to a 3.56 ERA for the Orioles this season, so although things got a lot trickier, manager Brandon Hyde still has so many different buttons he can press. It’s easy for analysts and fans to say winning close games isn’t sustainable forever, especially when your closer goes down. But even without ‘The Mountain’, bullpen battles are exactly where the Orioles want to be, and their 24-12 record in one-run games backs that up.
The offense is another area the Orioles have been quite good in. They rank 11th in batting average at .255, 11th in OPS at .745 and seventh in runs per game with 4.98. None of these numbers may jump off the page to you, but what makes the Orioles offense as good as it’s been is how deep it runs.
A man many Oriole fans are probably familiar with, Nathan Ruiz of the Baltimore Sun, highlighted in a recent article that while the Orioles only have three qualified hitters with an OPS over .800, which ranks 28th in the MLB, they have eight with an OPS over .750, which ranks second. With the ability to set almost an entire lineup of above average hitters, this team makes life difficult for opposing pitchers who never know who will be the thorn in their side on any given night.
Finally, we get to the starting rotation, many people’s biggest question mark for the team. While I wouldn’t argue there isn’t some cause for concern with the lack of consistency we’ve seen throughout the year, there is still plenty of reason for optimism.
The O’s rotation ranks 15th in team ERA at 4.37, and ninth in WHIP at 1.25. Kyle Bradish, Grayson Rodriguez, Dean Kremer and Cole Irvin have all been very good lately.
Bradish has the sixth best ERA in baseball at 3.03, while Grayson Rodriguez has been stellar since being recalled, owning a 2.83 ERA and lighting up the radar gun in the process. Cole Irvin and Dean Kremer have also been huge for the Orioles down the stretch, as Irvin has been a huge innings eater. Kremer at times struggles with command but has been sturdy since the break with a 3.12 ERA.
Jack Flaherty and Kyle Gibson, the two veterans in the rotation, have been the blemish, both struggling as of late, but have battled through some very gritty outings when they’ve been needed and offer up playoff experience to a young core.
The Orioles may have been among baseball’s worst for several years, but in my opinion, it’s unfair to hold that bias against this year’s team. They have the talent top to bottom to compete with anybody, and don’t be surprised if they end up going further than the consensus expectations they will have.
Do you think the Orioles are over performing, or is the rebuild finally paying its dividends? 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!
Represent The Baltimore Battery and show off your fandom with our official merchandise! Reasonably-priced attire made just for you! Visit our official shop site by clicking here!
Like RJ’s content? Follow him on X – @blaw690
THE BALTIMORE BATTERY 
Leave a comment