Every weekday, 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.
Question: Would the Orioles bring up Connor Norby or Coby Mayo before they bring back Jackson Holliday? From: Brad MacHamer
Answer: Brad, that’s an interesting one. A similar question about Mayo was asked by Mike Beale. The guess here is that Holliday gets back here before either Norby or Mayo. Without additional injuries at second base or the corner outfield, I don’t think there’s an immediate path to the big leagues for Norby. For Mayo to get here in the near term, I think an injury at first or third base would have to occur. Holliday’s path back to the Orioles seems straightforward. If he plays well, and hits decently against left-handers, he has a good shot of coming back soon.
Question: With all the excitement about the O’s, including young sensational talent, coming off a 101-win season, a new stadium lease and new ownership, you would think that fans would flock to the park, but they’re not. Sure, bad weather affected the early series, but the Yankees? The first two games failed to draw 25,000 each against their rivals. What’s going on with attendance that keeps the O’s in the bottom half of baseball? From: Steve Charing
Answer: Steve, through Tuesday’s game, the Orioles ranked 20th in baseball, and their average attendance of 23,831 was about the same as last year’s. With better weather here, I think that they will draw better, but weeknight games have been a challenge. Sunday’s game against Oakland drew over 40,000. The Orioles play in one of baseball’s smaller markets, and while they outdrew the Nationals last year, Washington is a much bigger market, and many fans won’t drive, say from Northern Virginia, for a weeknight game.