The Baltimore Orioles Are Right On Schedule

Taking on an earnest rebuild is a highly risky proposition. So many things have to go right in order for a rebuild to be successful. There needs to be solid, foundational talent to build around and supplemental talent to compliment that foundation. It seems the Baltimore Orioles have found the right mix of both as their rebuild has moved into its next phase.

The next phase of a rebuild in this case is competing for a playoff spot. With the expanded playoff field, the Orioles have found themselves in the thick of a hotly contested AL Wild Card race.

For the past two season, the Orioles were the laughing stock of MLB, but now that laughter has turned to nervous laughter. The rebuild seems to be on the right trajectory and the Orioles are suddenly turning into a well balanced team with more young talent in the pipeline.

You don’t have to go back too far to see how grim the Orioles’ rebuild forecast looked. The Orioles were in a free fall before Mike Elias took over as the General Manager and Vice President of Baseball Operations. That is when the rebuild began in earnest. Elias got to work finding money and exploring the waiver wire for potentially usable pieces for the future.

Building the upper level of the Minor Leagues seemed to be a priority as they Orioles still had to field some kind of Major League team in the interim. While there were some missteps like misidentifying Mike Yastrzemski and subsequently trading him away, there has been an Anthony Santander to fill that void.

Additionally, their trades of Trey Mancini and Jorge Lopez have helped acquire more Minor League talent to help fortify their farm system while their sequence of high draft pick talent works their way towards the Majors.

The argument can be made that Ryan Mountcastle may have been the first arrival to signal the sea change in Baltimore. Although Mountcastle is limited to first base defensively, he quickly proved to be a reliable offensive contributor who is under team control for years to come.

Then, Austin Hays and Cedric Mullins arrived. Mullins has been a triumphant story of the potential of the Orioles’ new player development system. After his stock began to fall in 2019, Mullins’ breakout in 2020 has been well documented. Similarly, Austin Hays is really coming into his own over the past couple seasons as well. The pieces are falling into place.

Now, with the arrival of uber prospect Adley Rutschman, the Orioles seem to have found a solid cast of supplemental talent. If Rutschman can turn into the star they hope he can become, the Orioles may be cooking with gas.

This does not even scratch the surface of what the Orioles have remaining in the farm system and the money they will have to spend on pitching in their now pitcher friendly home park.

Looking around the league at other rebuilds or retools, the Orioles have found themselves in a good place. In terms of a true rebuild, the Orioles may be faring the best between themselves, the Detroit Tigers, and the Kansas City Royals. All of whom started their respective rebuilds at approximately the same time.

The main difference is the Orioles are competitive now. Not only are they competitive, but they are two-thirds of the way through the season and in the hunt for a playoff spot. They have raised the floor without reaching their ceiling and that is an excellent sign moving forward.

Another understated element of the Baltimore Orioles’ 2022 campaign is that they are doing this in what is arguably the most competitive division in baseball. They have done well to hang in with AL East heavyweights and things should only get better from here. While the Detroit Tigers’ 2022 campaign could be used as a cautionary tale and a worst case scenario in 2023 for the Orioles, it’s starting to feel like the Birds are back.