It has been seven years since the last time the Orioles made the postseason, and the last time ended in unfortunate and heartbreaking fashion.
But, Oriole fans have been waiting for the day that they can say that they are postseason bound, and on September 17, 2023, it was made official. But how did the 2023 Orioles get here?
Within the last seven years, the Orioles had two first overall picks, which meant that they were the worst team in baseball. They were considered the laughing stock of baseball between 2019 and 2021.
There are three key factors between 2018, when the O’s rebuild began, and now that brought the organization back to success and overall healthy status.
KEY ACQUISITIONS
I could go on and on about Mike Elias, and we actually have multiple pieces on why Mike Elias is the main reason for the Orioles’ success. But nothing is better than what Elias has done with building this 2023 Orioles roster.
Between trades, waiver wires, free agency, drafting and rebuilding, Elias has done everything he could possibly do to make the 2023 roster a postseason contender.
Here are some of the significant moves he’s made in the last few years that have directly impacted this year’s club:
- Trading Jorge López for Yennier Canó
- Signing Adam Frazier and Kyle Gibson and trading for Ryan O’Hearn prior to the 2023 season
- Selecting Tyler Wells in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft
- Claiming Cionel Pérez, Jorge Mateo and Ramón Urías off waivers
- Trading Dylan Bundy for Kyle Bradish
Now, obviously there are other moves like the Manny Machado trade that included Dean Kremer. But Elias has been making calculated moves to add to this now-postseason club.
https://x.com/kazknowsball/status/1703577366608396602?s=20
DRAFTING
The Orioles may be one of the best drafting teams in recent history, and it’s really starting to show. It starts in 2017, when the Orioles, with the 21st pick, selected high school left-hander D.L. Hall, who has been a major part of the O’s bullpen as of late. Then we fast forward to 2018, when the Orioles, with the 11th pick, selected another high school arm in right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, who has been a young ace for this team.
It wasn’t until 2019 that the organization received the two main contributors of the rebuild, first overall pick Adley Rutschman and 42nd overall pick Gunnar Henderson, who is currently the AL Rookie of the Year favorite.
There is also the 30th overall pick of the 2020 draft, Jordan Westburg, who has shown signs of excellence this season. These selections are just during the 2017-2020 timeline and not even including the 2021-2023 drafts.
You could go further back and talk about Austin Hays in the fourth round of the 2016 draft and Cedric Mullins in the 13th round of the 2015 draft, where he was drafted alongside first-round pick Ryan Mountcastle. The Orioles drafting as a whole is nothing short of excellent, and there are still names like Jackson Holliday and Enrique Bradfield Jr. lurking in the shadows.
https://x.com/MLBPipeline/status/1703191447250649450?s=20
2023 SURPRISES
Four players had their chance to shine this year and had breakout seasons that helped the Orioles get to where they are. Those players are Ryan O’Hearn, Adam Frazier, Yennier Canó and Kyle Bradish.
O’Hearn is currently the best utility player for the Orioles since Steve Pearce. His 2023 season brought in career-highs in runs, hits, doubles, RBIs and stolen bases. Frazier had a bounce back year after his 2022 campaign. He tallied career-highs in home runs and RBIs with this O’s team.
https://x.com/MLBHRVideos/status/1702472988631711925?s=20
Canó and Bradish have led the charge in the pitching category. Canó was a lights-out reliever after a rough 2022 season, finishing the year with a 2.12 ERA and 65 strikeouts. Bradish, however, might receive AL CY Young votes, finishing with a 2.83 ERA, 168 strikeouts and held batters to a .215 average.
https://x.com/PitchingNinja/status/1702481962101862565?s=20
So, while we celebrate making the 2023 postseason, it’s important to remember where the Orioles were just a short time ago. Today, we can proudly say that the O’s are AL East Champions and 101-game winners, with a real shot at winning in all.
What do you think of the O’s season and how they got here? Let us know in the comments below! Make sure to follow The Baltimore Battery on Facebook, Twitter (X) and TikTok, and use the hashtag #baltimorebattery when sharing our content!
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