The awards keep piling up for the 2023 Baltimore Orioles, as executive vice president and GM Mike Elias has been named the 2023 Executive of the Year.
This is the first time Elias has received the honor since its debut in 2018.
Elias’ season was one to remember for the Orioles. It all started on December 5, 2022, when he signed free agent veteran right-hander Kyle Gibson to a one-year deal. Gibson won 15 games in 33 starts and carried a 4.73 average in 192 innings pitched in orange and black.
His reign of signing veterans continued when he signed free agent second baseman Adam Frazier, who had a career year hitting 13 home runs, 21 doubles and compiling a .696 OPS.
On May 30, 2023, Elias signed former Yankee outfielder Aaron Hicks, and while he took a huge gamble on the aging outfielder, Hicks did not disappoint whatsoever. After having a .188 average and .524 OPS with the Yankees, Hicks compiled a .275 average, seven home runs and an .806 OPS in his 65 games with the Orioles.
Elias also played the waiver wire very well for the 2023 season. Arguably, the best move Elias made this season was grabbing Ryan O’Hearn off waivers on January 3, 2023.
O’Hearn was a breakout star, as he helped carry the offense, especially when Ryan Mountcastle went down with injury. He tied his career-high in home runs with 14 but set new career-highs in average (.289), hits (100) and doubles (22).
He claimed left-hander Danny Coulombe from the Minnesota Twins right before the season started, and he became one of the team’s most reliable bullpen arms. Coulombe, in 61 games, had a 2.81 ERA in 51 innings pitched and held batters to a .231 batting average.
Elias also selected another relief pitcher who turned his season around in right-hander Jacob Webb. Webb had a 3.27 ERA in 22 innings and was a key part of the O’s bullpen towards the backend of the season.
Elias also played the trade market as a buyer for the first time in his tenure with Baltimore. On July 19, he acquired right-hander Shintaro Fujinami, who had a better season than he gets credit for. Fujinami, in 30 games, had a 4.85 ERA and held batters to a .193 batting average.
Elias also made a big move at the deadline, trading for right-hander Jack Flaherty. It was unfortunate to see Flaherty struggle after a fantastic first two starts with the Orioles, but he was impactful when he got moved to the bullpen towards the end of the season.
Elias helped put together a team that most say overachieved in the 2023 season. But for Oriole fans, we know it’s just another year that Elias was the amazing GM that he has been for the last few years. It’s nice to see Major League Baseball understand how great of a front office leader Elias is and how he has been a huge part of the turnaround of this organization.
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