Enjoying the Orioles

Greeting Santander after his walk-off HR vs. the Yankees

As I type, the Orioles just beat the Yankees 9-3 to take the series from them. This unexpected result mirrors the season as a whole for Baltimore. Allow me to enjoy this for a moment.

Just last year, I mentioned (in passing) how pathetic the Orioles were. And they had been! Consider their records since 2017:

From baseballreference

The 2018-21 teams were particularly terrible. But in 2022, a glimmer of hope: they finished the season strong and ended above .500. And in 2023? They are (currently) second-best in all of Major League Baseball. How?

Basically, they've turned it around through drafting well, trading players, and patience. Their core is young, they have several rising stars, and one of the strongest farm systems in baseball (8 of the top 100 prospects across the MLB are in the Orioles' farm system). Their roster as of a week ago:

The O's have great hitting and fielding, an outstanding bullpen, and so-so starting pitching. It is clear that Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Anthony Santander, Ryan O'Hearn, Austin Hays, and more have bright futures.

The Orioles' success is especially pleasing when you consider they have the second-lowest payroll in baseball. The top 3—Mets ($345M), Yankees ($278M), and Padres ($246M)—make the Orioles' $69M payroll seem laughable. But those O's are better than them all.

This year, I've made it to two games so far at Camden Yards (both wins). Tip: Sit in section 332 or 334 (the upper deck, behind home plate). The seats are in the shade, have a great view of the field, are some of the cheaper tickets, and the concessions on the upper level are much less crowded. Below is one picture I took from that area.

The only things that bother me about the O's this year:

- Their "city connect" uniforms (see top picture), debuting this season, annoyed me at first. They have since grown on me, but I had hoped for more.

- Can they keep their stars? As a small-market team, that is always the concern in Baltimore. If they cannot, it means the window is small; they must ride their success this year before their players get too expensive to retain. That has me worried.

But concerns aside, it's a great time to be an Orioles fan. Go see a game at the Yard.