Offense on fire, the next wave of prospects, and more pitching solutions.
Good Morning, Birdland!
Last night was oh so close to being magical. The Yankees went down early on against the Braves, giving the Orioles a nice chance of re-taking the AL East lead. Meanwhile in Houston, the O’s snagged a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth inning, had already gotten into the Astros’ bullpen, and still had Grayson Rodriguez on the mound. Things were lining up well!
But then, disaster struck. Rodriguez surrendered a three-run homer in the bottom of the fifth, Jacob Webb and Dillon Tate were putrid in relief, and the Orioles lost. You cannot blame the offense though. They put up a valiant effort to come back, scoring seven times in the eighth inning and out-hitting the Astros 18-11 on the night. It just was not enough to overcome a horrific game for the hurlers.
Unlike some other fan bases, we won’t panic over a single nightmarish evening. It’s one game, and it’s something that is bound to happen over a long season.
And even if you are down about it, you won’t have much time to sulk. The Orioles are back at it this afternoon at 4:10 with Corbin Burnes on the mound. While that doesn’t guarantee a win, it should have you feeling pretty good about the O’s chances in any instance, especially with the bats swinging as well as they have the past few days.
Before we move onto the links of the day, I just wanted to feature Gunnar Henderson, because that is never a bad idea. His three-hit, two-homer night has pushed him into sole ownership of the highest bWAR (5.8) and fWAR (5.5) in all of baseball.
While there is still half of a season left, the race for AL MVP is turning into a two-horse race between Henderson and Aaron Judge. At the moment, Judge still has the slight edge in a number of offensive categories, but it’s close. When you factor in base-running and defense—two areas where Judge is simply fine while Henderson is tremendous—the current leader becomes obvious.
Things can change, but it feels important to sit in the moment sometimes. Right now, the level of Henderson’s play is incredible. So good that it is entirely fair to say that he is the best player the organization has seen since prime Cal Ripken Jr.
This not hyperbole! Look at the club’s Baseball Reference page. Henderson is on pace to collect the highest single-season bWAR in franchise history, above the 1991 edition of Ripken, the team’s current all-time leader. And he is creating this value in a different way than Ripken, with more power and speed, but perhaps less contact.
Now that it has been written (or typed), we can now all worry about the incoming jinx. But this is not me projecting some unreal ceiling onto the guy. He is putting up the numbers. That’s just reality! Maybe he slows down, maybe he doesn’t. Regardless, it is a joy to watch.
Links
10 starting pitcher trade targets for Orioles in wake of Kyle Bradish injury | The Baltimore Sun
I love Mason Miller. He is terrific! But you would have to do a whole lot of convincing for me to be OK with the Orioles trading—what would likely be a huge haul—for a guy that throws 100+ mph and currently has a UCL sprain. We just went through this with Kyle Bradish. Oh, and you are gonna tell me he is the starting solution for 2025 as well? It could be great, but I’m not overly enthused by that prospect.
Thoughts and quotes on Orioles’ status in league, outfield production and Westburg’s mature approach at plate | Roch Kubatko
Roch makes a good point that the tables have turned. The Orioles, at this very moment, are the league’s measuring stick and a model franchise from top to bottom. That’s pretty neat! It will feel better if they cash in on it and win a World Series.
Why Rodriguez looks like a budding ace for O’s | Orioles.com
There remain plenty of growing pains, like last night. But Rodriguez has, overall, been great this season. The Orioles will need to pair him with someone for next year though, whether that be a return of Burnes or someone else entirely.
Dylan Beavers, Jud Fabian are leading the next wave of Orioles prospects | The Baltimore Banner
If the Orioles do move someone like Heston Kjerstad for a pitching upgrade this summer, it will be because they feel confident in the development of Beavers, Fabian, and others. Or, the inverse could happen, and the O’s package these younger outfielders together with plans of giving Kjerstad a bigger major league role soon as Anthony Santander potentially moves on after 2024.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Engelb Vielma turns 30. The utility-man appeared in six games for the 2018 Orioles, but may be best remembered for how anagram-able his full name was.
- Willie Harris is 46. He made it into nine games for the 2001 O’s, and then went on to have a nice 12-season journeyman career around the league.
- Esteban Yan celebrates his 49th. The big righty pitched in seven total games for the Orioles between 1996 and ‘97, the very beginning of his big league career.
- Brian Sackinsky is 53 today. The three games he pitched in for the Orioles in 1996 were the entirety of his time spent in MLB.
- Mike Anderson turns 73. As a member of the 1978 O’s, Anderson played in 53 games, mostly as a defensive replacement
- Russ Snyder celebrates his 90th birthday. From 1961 through ‘67, he was an important part of the Orioles outfield. In those seven seasons he compiled a 101 OPS+ and 7.4 bWAR.
This day in O’s history
1962 – Boog Powell is the first player to hit a homer over the hedge in center field at Memorial Stadium. The blast goes 469 feet as the O’s beat the Red Sox 4-2 in the nightcap of a double-header.
2022 – Austin Hays hits for the cycle in a rain-shortened Orioles victory over the Washington Nationals. Rain ends the affair after just six innings, limiting Hays to the minimum four at-bats he needs to achieve the feat.