Question: I think no manager cares for his players well-being and knows the breadth of their skill set better than Brandon Hyde. These attributes enabled him to lead an Oriole rebuild from incompetence to championship-level baseball. But I think these same attributes result in an excessive tinkering with the lineup, diminishing team success. What are the facts? Do the Orioles vary their lineup more than other MLB teams? From: Mark Currie, Virginia Beach
Answer: Mark, the Orioles have played only 11 games this season, so let’s look at 2024. Last season, the Orioles used 144 different batting orders in 162 games. Let’s compare that with the other five American League playoff teams.
The Yankees, who had both Aaron Judge and Juan Soto play every day, used 106 different batting orders. Detroit used the most, 155, Houston 147, Cleveland 142 and Kansas City 137.
I’m not sure what conclusions can be drawn other than Hyde isn’t alone in varying batting orders.
Question: Do the Orioles have an athletic mind coach? They are such a talented team. However, it seems that some of the top key players lack self-confidence at times, which can affect their performance. You can see it on their faces. A mind coach can help them with mental toughness and breaking down those self-imposed thoughts that impede top performance. From: DC
Answer: DC, the Orioles hired Josh Pozuch before the season to be their mental performance coach. Hopefully, he’ll be able to help them.
Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.