A popular sentiment making its way around many social media platforms has been the belief that the Baltimore Orioles are the product of tanking, compiling top pick after top pick to build an eventual “super team.”
I will concede that it has certainly helped having numerous top 5-10 draft picks, but the story of the Orioles’ return to relevance is much more complex than cashing out on lottery pick after lottery pick.
For starters, the “tanking” most fans are referring to is the 2018-2021 seasons, when Baltimore went 178-368, including three 100+-loss seasons.
Baltimore’s first-round picks would line up as 11th, first, second, fifth and first overall from that abysmal five-year stretch. With them, the O’s would select Grayson Rodriguez, Adley Rutschman, Heston Kjerstad, Colton Cowser and Jackson Holliday.
Rutschman has been a superstar for the Orioles, and Grayson Rodriguez and Colton Cowser, amidst some struggles, have shown some bright flashes as well.
But overall, Kjerstad and Holliday are still question marks and have had zero impact on the Orioles’ success from 2022-2024. This is not to say they won’t be productive in the future, but to help show Baltimore’s blueprint has not been reliant on unleashing their army of top draft picks.
The biggest catalyst to Baltimore’s resurgence has been an increased focus on player development, an increased presence in international free agency and an increased usage of analytics.
A huge portion of the Orioles’ roster is made up of players whom other teams overlooked in the draft. For example, Gunnar Henderson, potentially the AL MVP front-runner, was selected 42nd overall and passed on by virtually every team in the 2019 MLB Draft.
Jordan Westburg, a finalist to start at third base in this year’s All-Star Game, was selected 30th overall in the 2020 MLB Draft with the pick Baltimore received in the competitive balance round. Coby Mayo, a current top 100 prospect, who could find himself on this Orioles team in the near future, was another gem found in 2020 with the 103rd pick.
Baltimore has also excelled in the trade market, selling high and buying low on the right players. On the pitching side, the O’s most recently acquired former Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes, sending Joey Ortiz and D.L. Hall to the Milwaukee Brewers. While Ortiz does look like a solid infielder, Burnes has been everything Baltimore could have hoped for, pitching to a 2.35 ERA.
The O’s were also able to turn failed prospect Dylan Bundy into a haul, shipping him off to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for Kyle Bradish, Isaac Mattson, Zach Peek and Kyle Brnovich. While most of that haul remains unproven, Bradish wound up breaking out in 2023, finishing fourth in the Cy Young race with a 2.83 ERA before having to undergo Tommy John surgery in June of 2024.
Cole Irvin and Dean Kremer, who have both been solid back end of the rotation pitchers, were acquired via trades over the last few seasons. In the bullpen, Yennier Canó was part of the infamous Jorge López trade that also brought in Cade Povich.
Danny Coulombe was acquired from the Minnesota Twins for cash considerations. Dillon Tate came over from the New York Yankees in the Zack Britton trade, and Félix Bauista was signed after being released by the Miami Marlins.
Since 2022, the Orioles’ bullpen has ranked ninth, fifth, and seventh, respectively, in ERA, despite no major money being invested into it.
In terms of the lineup, most of the O’s players are homegrown, but they’ve found ways to acquire talent without giving up major prospects or capital there as well.
Ryan O’Hearn, who has benefitted greatly from the banning of the shift, was acquired from the Kansas City Royals for cash considerations. Jorge Mateo was claimed off waivers from the San Diego Padres, and Anthony Santander was selected in the 2016 Rule 5 Draft.
Samuel Basallo is the Orioles’ international prized possession to this point. GM Mike Elias signed Basallo in 2021 to a then organizational record $1.3 million deal. Basallo, still only 19 years old, who’s the 13th ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline, could make an impact at the big league level a lot sooner than people realize.
Overall, Baltimore was certainly benfitted by drafting so high all those years in a row. But to chalk their success up to tanking is very disingenous.
A complete organizational philosophy change from the ground up has made all the difference and is the biggest reason the Orioles’ rebuild was as effective as it was.
What do you think of the tanking claim being made? 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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