BALTIMORE ORIOLES SET TO BEGIN 2023 SEASON
BALTIMORE, MD -- Spring Training has drawn to a close, and the Baltimore Orioles have completed their annual migration north from Florida’s Gulf Coast. As they enter the fifth year of what has become a full-scale rebuild led by General Manager Mike Elias, optimism around the team is high following an extremely impressive finish to their 2022 campaign. After ending the 2021 season with a dismal 52-110 record, last year saw them improve by 31 games and claim their first winning season since 2016. Despite most experts predicting another 100+ loss year, they remained in playoff contention until late into the month of September.
Elias didn’t elect to make any wholesale changes to the team’s roster for this season, instead relying on their bevy of young talent and a handful of veteran additions. For years, he’s been building the minor league system into one of baseball’s best and they began reaping the benefits of that work in 2022. Adley Rutschman’s long-awaited debut lived up to all of the hype, as he became the undoubted catalyst for the team’s turnaround. Gunnar Henderson played in 34 games last year, and enters 2023 with a good chance to win the American League’s Rookie of the Year Award. Additional top prospects like Grayson Rodriguez, D.L. Hall, and Joey Ortiz will begin the season in Triple-A and are beating down the door to the major leagues.
In addition to all of the young talent, this team has a number of position players with a few years of experience under their belts who’ve come into their own in Baltimore. Cedric Mullins, Anthony Santander, Ryan Mountcastle, Austin Hays, and Ramon Urias are all top contributors and have solidified their places on a contending roster. Elias added Adam Frazier and James McCann to the team during the offseason, providing veteran leadership and shoring up positions until prospects are ready to contribute to the team.
Last year’s second-half surge was led primarily by the team’s pitching staff. After some very dismal performances over the past few seasons, the team elected to change the dimensions of Oriole Park at Camden Yards rather dramatically. The left field wall was moved back nearly 30 feet, and was also raised more than 5 feet. While this wasn’t the sole reason why the pitching staff’s ERA decreased by nearly two runs per game from 2021, it certainly played a significant role. Despite losing John Means to a season-ending elbow injury in just his second start of the year, starting pitchers like Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells, and Dean Kremer all had career years. In addition to these players, and youngsters like Rodriguez and Hall, Elias added Kyle Gibson and Cole Irvin to the rotation during the offseason to provide stability and veteran leadership.
One of the biggest stories of the 2022 season was the emergence of Felix Bautista as one of the better closers in baseball. Signed by the Orioles in 2016 after being released by the Marlins nearly two years prior, he spent five seasons in the minor league system before making the 2022 Opening Day Roster. Manager Brandon Hyde began using him in more higher leverage situations as the first few weeks of the season wore on, and he eventually took over as the team’s closer when Jorge Lopez was traded to the Twins at the trade deadline. He finished the year with 15 saves, and struck out 88 batters in just 65.2 innings of work. The remainder of the bullpen should be mostly familiar to fans, with pitchers like Dillon Tate, Bryan Baker, Cionel Pérez, Keegan Akin, Mike Baumann, and Austin Voth all set to play important relief roles. Additionally, Mychal Givens will return to the team he debuted with after spending the previous few years with the Rockies, Reds, Cubs, and Mets.
While optimism for this year’s team may be high, most experts still haven’t bought in. FanGraphs predicts that the Orioles will finish last in the American League’s East Division, and gives them just a 10.4% chance to make the postseason. Regardless, they’re undoubtedly headed in the right direction and should be a very fun team to watch in 2023.
The Orioles begin their 2023 campaign on the road, as they take on the Boston Red Sox for a three-game series from Fenway Park beginning on March 30th. After a subsequent three-game series in Texas against the Rangers, they’ll play their first game in Baltimore on April 6th versus the New York Yankees.
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