The Baltimore Orioles have a problem

The Baltimore Orioles have a problem

Baltimore won the same number of postseason games as the Chicago White Sox this year. Any team that didn’t make the postseason, for that matter, did that. But a team with so much talent falls again in the opening weeks of the postseason. What’s wrong?

Baltimore has such a talented youth movement. Gunnar Henderson was an MVP candidate throughout the year; Colton Cowser is in the running for Rookie of the Year; Grayson Rodriguez had a good year before his injury. I didn’t even mention Adley Rutschman, one of the best catchers in the game, or Jordan Westburg, who had an All-Star campaign this year.

In addition to all that young talent, they still have more great prospects in the pipeline for the next few years. 

The Orioles have also had reliable mainstays in their lineup. Anthony Santander, despite being a soon-to-be free agent, had a career season and emerged as one of the best power bats this past season. Cedric Mullins will patrol center field for many years, adding to the team’s stability.

They brought in Corbin Burnes through trade to strengthen that starting rotation, along with a good bullpen still, even without Felix Bautista for the year. 

On paper and for most of the year, the Orioles looked like a team destined for a deep postseason run. However, this year, like the last, that potential never materialized. The team was swept in the Wild Card round by the Kansas City Royals, a disappointing outcome for all involved. 

Those two games alone showcased some ugly truths about this Orioles team. Game 1 Burnes was absolutely nails for Baltimore with arguably the best postseason start of his career. In eight innings of work, Burnes only allowed one run on five hits with three strikeouts and a walk. Unfortunately, the Orioles’ bats went silent. The story remained the same in game 2, where they only managed a Mullins solo homerun. 

Henderson, Westburg, Cowser, Santander and Rutschman were non-exsistent. A combined 4 for 36 with 12 strikeouts. Mullins was the only life going 3 for 7 with the previously mentioned home run in game 2. 

It is glaringly evident that Baltimore needs more veteran talent on this roster. The contrast with last year’s Rangers sweep, in which the pitching struggled, is stark. The offense just looked outmatched. Many may say it is just growing pains for a young group of players, which is fair. But the need for experienced players is urgent.

2023 Was A Job Well Done, Orioles

Burnes is a top priority to keep the team in serious win-now mode. I am looking more at the number of prospects they can use in the trade market to bring in said talent to put this team over the top. 

Names like Basallo, Mayo, Honeycutt, and more are on the way, but there are only so many places to put them. Baltimore has some thinking to do for their future, and we can expect a massive trade from the Orioles soon.

If the Orioles do not start to win in October, they will continue to look less and less like a serious threat, no matter their homegrown talent. Last season was a job well done, but this year ends on a sad note.

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