Farewell to a wonderful year of baseball, and hello to a bright future in Birdland
Good morning and Happy New Years Eve, Birdland!
The Orioles haven’t had the offseason we all dreamed of. The moves they’ve made so far have been logical, but underwhelming. Kyle Gibson is slightly better than Jordan Lyles. Adam Frazier should be an improvement over Rougned Odor. James McCann has to be a step up from Robinson Chirinos. And adding a veteran arm like Mychal Givens to the bullpen makes loads of sense.
This trend seems poised to continue if you believe reports of the teams interest in signing Eric Hosmer. According to Jon Heyman (I know, I know!), both the O’s and the Cubs have Hosmer on their “radar.”
As a reminder, Hosmer got an eight-year, $144 million deal from the Padres ahead of the 2018 season, a deal that almost no one liked when it came together. He made it through just four-and-a-half of the those seasons, posting a 103 OPS+ and 3.7 bWAR before being traded to the Red Sox at last year’s deadline.
The immediate online reaction to the O’s connection to Hosmer was negative, and given Hosmer’s tenure in San Diego, that’s understandable. But it’s worth noting that Hosmer was not terrible in 2022. In 104 games, he batted .268 with a .334 on-base percentage, 108 OPS+, 19 doubles, eight home runs, 37 walks, and 64 strikeouts. It’s not a stat line that will blow you away, and the the power is less than ideal for a first baseman, but it’s compelling if the plan is to pick and choose when to play him rather than making him an everyday member of your lineup.
But perhaps these are concerns for the 2023 versions of ourselves. For now, I hope you all have a lovely holiday weekend. Stay safe, eat some good food, and have a happy new year!
Links
5 Orioles predictions for the 2023 season | MLB.com
These are all very fun predictions, and I sure hope they all come true, particularly the one about the Orioles making the playoffs!
More memorable Orioles moments from 2022 season | Roch Kubatko
I like these year-end recap blogs because they remind me of moments I had completely forgot, like Bryan Baker enraging the entire Blue Jays dugout. The AL East’s two bird teams could be a fun brewing rivalry.
Another look back at the winning season we saw in 2022 | Steve Melewski
The Orioles were a good team in 2022. Hopefully they can be even better in 2023.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Donell Nixon is 61. He played eight games in the Orioles outfield in 1990, going 5-for-20 in that time.
- The late Ken Rowe was born on this day in 1933 (d. 2012). The righty appeared in 12 games out of the Baltimore bullpen between 1964 and ‘65.
- It is also a posthumous celebrations for Ted Gray, born in 1924 (d. 2011). His Orioles career lasted just nine games in 1955, when he tossed 15.1 total innings.
This day in O’s history
2010 – The Orioles sign first baseman Derrek Lee to a one-year deal.
2010 – Orioles pitcher Alfredo Simon is named as the main suspect of a shooting in the Dominican Republic that leaves one dead and another injured.