How the Baltimore Orioles turned their fortunes around

The Baltimore Orioles have enjoyed a resurgent season in 2023, as they look to win their first division crown since 2014. Not many predicted that Baltimore would have one of the best records in MLB, but they had a plan in place to return to this level of success. There were a few key checkpoints that they hit in order to get here.

As good as the Orioles are now is as bad as they were a few years ago. In 2018, 2019 and 2021, they lost 115, 108 and 110 games, respectively. The beating that they took on the field in those seasons was tough to endure, but it allowed them to set themselves up with excellent draft capital moving forward.

After the first of those tumultuous campaigns in 2018, Baltimore decided to part ways with manager Buck Showalter. Showalter is a respected leader and a baseball veteran, but the organization realized that this wasn’t the type of team he could flourish with. It was time to go in a different direction in the dugout.

To that end, the Orioles hired Brandon Hyde to replace Showalter as manager. As indicated earlier, things did not exactly turn around quickly under Hyde. However, the organization stood by their decision to trust him as the leader of their team during the turbulent years, and it has paid dividends on the other side.

It’s one thing to have valuable draft capital in sports, but it’s another thing to take full advantage of it. Baltimore has done a great job identifying and developing talent in recent years. Two of their crowning achievements are paying huge dividends on the 2023 team, as catcher Adley Rutschman and infielder Gunnar Henderson have helped lead the way.

When a fan looks up and down the Orioles lineup at hitting statistics, nothing really jumps out in any conventional categories. While certain teams point to home run hitting prowess as a reason for their success, Baltimore can look at the consistent number of doubles they’ve hit this year. Doubles continue to put pressure on opposing teams with a consistent runner in scoring position.

The majority of the Orioles team is under 30 years old, but the front office has done a nice job sliding experienced players into the mix as well. James McCann and Aaron Hicks were cast off by the Mets and Yankees respectively, but have fit in nicely. 35 year old pitcher Kyle Gibson has been an important part of the rotation in 2023.

It’s been a long road for Baltimore to get to this point, and the organization needed to honestly look at their situation to draw up the blueprint. Considering the market and the relative lack of success Baltimore has had, bottoming out to bring blue chip young players to build a sustainable future was an appealing option.

The Orioles will head into the postseason as one of the most exciting and dangerous teams in baseball. They’ll have a chance to do something that no Baltimore team has done since 1983, which is win the World Series. Even if they fall short this year, they should be in contention for many years to come.