The dust has seemed to settle, and the World Series has officially wrapped up, meaning it’s time to pick off that scab and revisit the Baltimore Orioles’ 2024 season.
For many fans, it was a frustrating ending to what was a promising start. Despite some key injuries, the Birds raced out to one of the better starts in the league.
Looking back at the season and the abrupt end, there’s more to it than how it ended and how quickly the postseason came to a finish for the second straight season.
As time has passed, if we look into the reality of the season, it was honestly a more successful campaign than what many want to acknowledge.
Why would I say that? Taking a look at the overall picture, the Orioles might have overachieved in spite of an overabundance of injuries, especially to the pitching side of things.
Before the season even started, the Orioles were still recovering from the blow of losing All-Star closer Félix Bautista for the year after having Tommy John surgery back in October. That was the snowball that started to roll down the hill and only got bigger through the season.
With Bautista out for the year, it became a game of shuffle, move and acquire for the rest of the season, not only in the bullpen, but in the rotation as well.
Right off the bat, Kyle Bradish and John Means would start the season on the IL, shortly followed by Tyler Wells. If not for the trade of Corbin Burnes, the sting would have most definitely hurt a lot worse.
Cole Irvin and Albert Suárez would do their best to pick up the slack, while Burnes, Grayson Rodriguez and Dean Kremer would try to lead the way.
Unfortunately, Rodriguez would be shut down for almost three weeks, and Kremer was lost for over a month. The blow was lessened by the return of Bradish and Means, but as quickly as they came back, both were gone at the snap of a finger.
This is how the Orioles pitching IL looked at multiple points this season:
- Félix Bautista: Return spring 2025
- Tyler Wells: Return mid-2025
- Kyle Bradish: April 5 – May 2, June 15 – return late 2025
- John Means: March 28 – May 1, May 23 – return mid-2025
- Grayson Rodriguez: April 30 – May 18, August 7- return spring 2025
- Dean Kremer: May 24 – July 3
- Zach Eflin: August 20 – September 1
- Cionel Pérez: March 31 – April 29
- Danny Coulombe: June 11 – September 20
- Jacob Webb: August 4 – September 15
Inexperienced rookies Chayce McDermott and Cade Povich were thrown into the mix, while GM Mike Elias dealt for a five pitchers, including workhorse starter Zach Eflin. On top of the five trades, Elias would also claim one pitcher and sign two other released pitchers to help fill the holes.
What was supposed to be a magical follow-up campaign to the 101-win 2023 season became a season of fighting to remain a postseason contender.
As the Orioles struggled through the second half of the year, the team experienced their first losing months in over a year. The pressure mounted, and when injuries to Jorge Mateo, Jordan Westburg, Ryan Mountcastle and Ramón Urías occurred, during the second half, it tested this team’s moxie and depth thoroughly.
Top prospects Jackson Holliday and Coby Mayo were thrusted into a postseason race on top of the pressure of having to show their hype. Though they struggled, they held their own and played a role that helped propel the Orioles into the top AL Wild Card spot.
It’s easy to blame injuries on the Orioles’ struggles, but this club lost three rotational arms early in the season while losing another in the final two months of the season. It was not the only issue and adversity, but it played a bigger role than people want to admit.
At one point, the Orioles had 13 players on the IL at the same time. That’s half of their roster. The losses added pressure on Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson to perform and lead more than they already had prior, the bullpen was taxed and overused and the pressure to replicate last season’s success was a weight on everyone’s shoulders.
The good news is that most of these players will return for the 2025 season. After experiencing the highs and lows of a complete 162, a well battle-tested and experienced team will return to show the baseball world that they are not a team to overlook.
The 2024 season ended in disappointment for Birdland fans and frustration for the players, but a full offseason to return to health and free agency with an ownership group who wants to win now, 2025 is shaping up to be a year the Birds will finally challenge for a World Series run.
We must appreciate the growth while supporting the steps forward. After all, we have a team that has brought excitement back to Charm City for the first time in a very long time.
What are your thoughts on the 2024 Orioles season?
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