It took 34 years for the Orioles to break their ROY award drought. Now it might take just one year to win their next one.
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
The Orioles enjoyed a day off yesterday, one of just two open dates on their spring training schedule, which gives us some time to stop and think about the important questions. Namely: how awesome is Jackson Holliday?
The #1 prospect in baseball has seen his bat come to life in his recent Grapefruit League games, and the plan to start him on the Orioles’ Opening Day roster is churning full steam ahead. Holliday is already considered the odds-on favorite to win the AL Rookie of the Year award, which is high praise for a guy who just turned 20, still looks like he’s 12, and has played just 54 games above A-ball.
I’d worry about all this Rookie of the Year talk being a jinx for Holliday, except that Gunnar Henderson was also considered the frontrunner for that award last spring, and that turned out exactly according to plan. Before Henderson, the Orioles hadn’t won Rookie of the Year honors in 34 years. Now they have a real shot of pulling it off in consecutive seasons.
The Athletic’s Jayson Stark wrote about just how rare a feat it would be. Among other things, the O’s would become only the third team in history to have back-to-back position player Rookies of the Year. And Henderson and Holliday, assuming they play shortstop and second base, would be the first pair of winners ever to get regular starts as a double play duo.
Of course, there’s a long way to go — a full 162-game regular season — before we can hand Holliday the hardware. A lot of things have to go just right for a player to win Rookie of the Year. An ill-timed injury could sink your chances, as Adley Rutschman found out the hard way in 2022. You could also have the misfortune of debuting in a season with a bigger breakout star, as Rookie of the Year runner-up John Means did in 2019 when Yordan Álvarez erupted for Houston. So let’s not count our chickens just yet.
Whether Holliday follows in Henderson’s ROY footsteps or not, something tells me Orioles fans are really going to enjoy seeing these two guys play together for years to come.
Links
Here’s the Orioles’ Spring Breakout roster – MLB.com
Speaking of Holliday, he’ll be headlining the Orioles’ team of prospects in their exhibition against the Pirates’ youngsters next week. Holliday vs. Paul Skenes is the most high-profile matchup, but I’ll be equally excited to watch Samuel Basallo for the first time.
Ryan O’Hearn, trying to avoid being “one-hit wonder” has specific plans to improve – Steve Melewski
Ryan O’Hearn is well aware that a lot of people don’t think he can repeat his career year. Here’s hoping he proves them wrong.
Orioles’ Adley Rutschman has earned ‘endless trust’ as game-caller – The Baltimore Sun
It’s no coincidence that the Orioles’ pitching staff has dramatically improved ever since Adley Rutschman arrived in the majors. The guy is magic, folks.
“Friday Night Baseball” returns to Apple TV+ on March 29
The O’s have three games in April and May that will air exclusively on Apple TV+, so you might want to get a subscription. And watch Severance while you’re at it. Great show.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Your ex-O’s birthday buddies include right-handers Chris Lambert and Mark Worrell, two right-handed pitchers who were born on the same day in 1983 and each appeared in exactly four games for the Orioles. Other former Orioles born on March 8 include infielders Mike Moriarty (50) and the late Ryan Freel (b. 1976, d. 2012) and Marv Breeding (b. 1934, d. 2006).
On this date in 2001, the career of tempestuous slugger Albert Belle ended when the O’s announced that his degenerative right hip made him “totally disabled and unable to perform as a Major League baseball player.” Belle had played just two seasons of his five-year, $65 million deal with the Orioles, which owner Peter Angelos reportedly signed him to without the knowledge of GM Frank Wren. That was…not a great era of Orioles baseball.