With baseball season right around the corner, the Baltimore Orioles are looking to have another promising season again after winning 91 games last season. However, they were eliminated by the Kansas City Royals in the wildcard round 2-0. This is a young and exciting team that has a lot of potential behind Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman. Let’s dive into the Orioles and cook up another season-long winning slip!
Baltimore Orioles OVER 87.5 Wins (-120)
Last Season Recap:
Last season was very promising for the Baltimore Orioles. They finished with a record of 91-71 in the regular season. However, they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Kansas City Royals 2-0. Gunnar Henderson was excellent, posting a 9.1 WAR, 92 RBIs, 37 home runs, and a batting average of .281. Catcher Adley Rutschman was decent with 19 home runs, 79 RBIs, and a .250 batting average. Their ace Corbin Burnes was solid with a record of 15-9, ERA of 2.92, 8.4 K’s per 9, and a WHIP of 1.096.
Offseason Moves:
In terms of offseason moves, the Baltimore Orioles lost their home run leader Anthony Santander to the Toronto Blue Jays in free agency. The loss of 44 home runs is not easily replaceable. However, the addition of Tyler O’Neill should help them on the offensive side of the dish. O’Neill had an exceptional season in Boston with 31 home runs and a batting average of .241. The Orioles also added some veteran pitchers such as Charlie Morton and Andrew Kittredge to make up for the loss of Corbin Burnes. If they can help out their two aces, Burnes and Grayson Rodrigeuz, this can be a dangerous team in the American League.
Players to Watch:
There are a few players to watch for the Baltimore Orioles if they are going to be successful this season, the first being Gunnar Henderson. If Henderson can continue his improvement in his young career, he can be a top-3 player in the MLB. He finished 4th in MVP voting. The sky is truly the limit for him, as he is only 27 and getting better but the season. Adley Rutschman is looking for a bounce-back season. Although he had a solid season, he had a career-low in batting average. He has the talent to be one of the best catchers in the MLB. With him entering his 4th season, he can only go up from here.
In terms of pitching, the Baltimore Orioles have a great young pitcher in Grayson Rodriguez. He is a key to watch this season. He was great in only his second season last year. He finished with a record of 13-4 with 10 Ks per 9, an ERA of 3.86, and a WHIP of 1.243. Zach Eflin is another pitcher to keep in mind when it comes to the success of Baltimore. They acquired him last season at the trade deadline and he was solid with the Orioles, winning four straight games to start his Baltimore Career.
Final Thoughts:
I am taking the over for the Baltimore Orioles regular season win total of 87.5. This team will easily win 90+ games like they did last season. They have the talent to be one of the best offenses in the MLB, and the pitching to be above average. They are in a tough division in the American League East, with the Yankees, Blue Jays, and Red Sox, but they set a great foundation last season. This is a relatively young team with an average age of 28. I can not wait to see their jump from last season to this up-and-coming one!
