Good morning, Camden Chatters.
Today is the start of MLB’s “Rivalry Weekend,” which pits most teams across the league against their closest regional foes. You’ve got the Yankees versus the Mets in the Battle of New York. You’ve got the Rangers versus the Astros in Texas’s Battle of the Boot. You’ve got the, uh, Mariners versus the Padres in the Battle of Nobody Is Particularly Close to Seattle So We’ll Just Send a Random Opponent There.
For the Orioles, that means the first of their two annual interleague series against the Nationals, this one a three-game set in D.C. The rebuilding Nats have been a bit better than advertised this season, entering the weekend in second place in the NL East — with the caveat that they’re still under .500 (21-23) and are nine games behind the Braves. So they’re not exactly contenders, but they are a game better than the Orioles, a team that was expected to have a winning year. Last year the O’s went just 1-5 in the season series, getting trounced so thoroughly last May that Brandon Hyde was fired after a particularly ugly loss to the Nats. Let’s hope for a better result this time around.
Meanwhile, there was some O’s minor league discussion on the off day as FanGraphs finally released its 2026 Orioles prospect rankings. It’s an incredibly thorough list that includes write-ups of 63 (!) O’s prospects along with some honorable mentions. Even as someone who follows the O’s minors pretty closely and writes recaps every week, there are quite a few names in this article that I’ve never heard before.
FanGraphs’ summation of the Orioles’ system is quite the roller coaster ride. “The Orioles arguably have the deepest system in baseball,” the blurb begins tantalizingly, before puncturing the balloon with, “but its quality is debatable because so many of the team’s prospects are bench and relief types.” Oh. Huh. Well, here’s to the Orioles riding their bench and bullpen to a World Series championship in 2030. Who’s with me?
The article also conveys some less-than-stellar reports about the Orioles’ overall development strategy. According to authors Eric Longenhagen and Brendan Gawlowski, the O’s have very specific types of players they like to target and try to develop, particularly with hitters, but that can leave them with significant holes in their minor league rosters. The authors note that their low-level pitching depth is so thin that their Florida Complex League team has resorted to using position players on the mound several times. “[W]hen your personnel is mismanaged to the point where you’re cancelling extended spring training games and throwing position players for multiple innings multiple times at the very start of the league’s schedule,” they write, “it’s impacting other teams and arguably requires intervention.”
The FanGraphs article also states that the Orioles, “more than most clubs,” are relying on interns and contractors rather than full-time staff in analytical and development roles. If so, that seems like a self-inflicted wound on the team’s part. The Orioles shouldn’t risk short-shrifting their minor league development system simply because they’re trying to save a buck.
Without specifics, it’s hard to know exactly how the Orioles’ organizational model could be affecting the development of their minor leaguers. But with so many highly touted O’s prospects having stagnated or regressed at the major league level in the past couple of years, one can’t help but wonder if there’s an inherent flaw in how the Orioles go about their business.
Links
Orioles trying to handle being hurt again – School of Roch
The Orioles’ unending string of injuries is another sign that something wonky might be going on behind the scenes.
Is there clubhouse leadership among the Orioles? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com
Pete Alonso and Chris Bassitt are two well-respected leaders, and I’m sure they’ve got a lot of respect in the locker room. Of course it would be nice if they were both playing a little better, particularly Bassitt.
Jon Meoli: The Orioles typically don’t waste good starts. They just need a lot more of them. – The Baltimore Banner
When the O’s pitch well, they generally win. Who’d have thunk it?
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! The two former Orioles born on this day are catcher Guillermo Rodríguez (48) and left-hander Eric DuBose (50).
On this day in 1991, England’s Queen Elizabeth attended an Orioles game at Memorial Stadium during her U.S. visit. The queen, along with President George H.W. Bush and their spouses, greeted Orioles and Athletics players in the O’s dugout before the game and took in two innings of action before leaving the ballpark. It was the queen’s first, and by all accounts last, baseball game (if you don’t include The Naked Gun).
Random Orioles game of the day
On May 15, 2005, the Orioles beat the White Sox in Chicago, 6-2. O’s ace Érik Bédard continued his fantastic start to the season, tossing his fifth straight start of 7+ innings and two or fewer earned runs, a streak that ultimately reached six in a row. Solo homers by Carl Everett and Jermaine Dye were the only runs he allowed in his seven innings of work. Meanwhile, veteran catcher Sal Fasano made his Orioles debut and went 2-for-4 with a home run, and struggling infielder David Newhan also hit his first dinger of the year. The Orioles’ 11 hits were split among nine different hitters in a well-balanced offensive attack.
The win improved the O’s to 11 games over .500 at 24-13. Let’s not talk about how that season eventually ended up.
