Welcome back to another edition of ‘O’s Magic’, a Cool Sports Newsletter series made by a die hard Orioles fans. While the NFL is in the midst of free agency and college basketball is in the middle of March Madness, the MLB wants in on the action! Opening day is not even one week away, and the Orioles look to do major things this season. Two seasons ago, this team won 52 games. Two seasons later, and the Orioles have been perhaps the most efficient and productive team in the regular season since May of 2022, right when their franchise cornerstone Adley Rutschman came up to the majors. Coincidence? No, as Rutschman has already solidified himself as one of the game's most talented players. Same goes for the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, Gunnar Henderson. Who will be to his left? Well, the Holliday season may come a little bit earlier in Baltimore. But not too early! Here is a full preview for the Orioles infield with the season upon us!
Everything goes and runs through Adley. The MLB Top 100 Players of 2024 rated Rutschman the 19th best player in the game just two years in. And there is a reason for that. Rutschman is not your average catcher with okay defense, some home runs and a below average batting average. Rutschman has opposite qualities. He’s not a power hitter. While we all love to see Adley smash 400 foot bombs into left field, it just isn’t the switch hitters’ calling card. What is though is simply getting on base. Rutschman is one of the smarter players in the league, with an OBP last season of .374. He also batted just under .280. Combine that with 80 RBI’s, and you wouldn’t be surprised he’s the best player on an 101 win team.
He also goes unnoticed in his defensive ability as a catcher. Rutschman has grown and developed pitchers like Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez into stars, and has done the same in the bullpen. He did it to Jorge Lopez, he was traded so he did it to Felix Bautista, and when he got hurt he did it to Yennier Cano. Rutschman is fun to watch at bat, but his importance may actually come when he’s not. He also is simply a leader, starting the Orioles chain after home runs and water hoses, starting the ‘Soak It In’ environment in Baltimore. Rutschman is a superstar and the key to the franchise. An MVP level-season is not impossible for the 26 year old in 2024.
A guy who may have an even better chance at the award is Gunnar Henderson, the 3B/SS for the Orioles. And honestly, I think he’s actually the best player on the team! Gunnar won the AL Rookie of the Year award unanimously…and had the worst two-month stretch I’ve seen in a long time. From the end of March to the end of May, Gunnar was a liability at bat. However, beginning honestly in June, Gunnar went on a tear, allowing him to pull off .255/.325/.489 splits with 28 smashes, 82 RBI’s and 274 total bases. He had a terrific season. He was even incredible defensively.
The question will be how realistic is it that Gunnar can take home the award of Most Valuable Player? He is currently around 11th in AL MVP odds. But the path to the award is simple. Gunnar can hit the baseball. His averages were slightly down last season because of the horrible 2-month stretch. Now that Gunnar is polished, he could have a full season batting nearly .280 with 35-40 home runs and 100 RBI’s. If the Orioles win the American League again or something close to it, not giving Gunnar the award is criminal. And that may seem like a stretch and maybe it is. But Gunnar and this team is good enough to get one of the O’s two stars voted as the most valuable player in their league!
So that clears up catcher and third base/shortstop. I’d put Gunnar at third. I would’ve put Jackson Holliday on the major league roster as shortstop on opening day, but the Orioles decided to send him back to the minors. Holliday is one of the more talented players in the league. A 2022 first overall pick from the Orioles, Holliday has been fantastic these past two seasons, making his way up the leagues with ease. In 125 games across four minor league levels, Holliday batted .323/.442/.449 with a .941 OPS. In spring training, Holliday has also batted incredibly. With his continuous progression, I wouldn’t have wasted any time adding Holliday to the major league roster. Now, I understand giving him more experience in AAA and possibly gaining one more year of eligibility in Baltimore. But it will be interesting to see how he does when he joins the roster next to Rutschman and Henderson.
Now, Baltimore needs others at the 3B/SS position. I think the Orioles have accepted what Jorge Mateo is at this point. He is not a starting caliber player. However, he is a huge bonus come postseason time and in tight-game situations, with 30+ stolen bases in back-to-back seasons. However, you have to wonder how sustainable it is to hold a roster spot for a guy that has .217/.267/.340 slips with a way below average OPS+
The Orioles also have Ramon Urias, who you can rely on to be a solid .240-.250 hitter with decent defense. His defense did regress last year, though remember he’s not far removed from being a Gold Glove winner. Baltimore signed Nick Maton from the Detroit Tigers, who hit eight home runs and 32 RBI’s…but batted under .180. Same situation for Tyler Nevin, who may have actually been worse. But I doubt either of them get significant time.
To back up Adley, nothing new with James McCann. He is not a bad backup whatsoever, as he can hit with power and is decent defensively. Though watch out for Samuel Basallo, who is a top 20 prospect at catcher for the O’s after batting near .313 in three levels of the minors last season. If he starts to improve, he could join the major league roster or be used as a massive trade piece in the future. Remember I said that!
At first base, I love the O’s two guys. Ryan Mountcastle had “MVP” chants and “Boo” chants, as he had games like a nine-RBI performance last season, and also was sent down to AAA because of his chaotic play. However, he is starting to harness his talent and utilize it, finishing the season batting .270 with 18 homers and 68 RBI’s, still with the potential to hit 90+ RBI’s with the proper opportunity.
And then they also have Ryan O’Hearn. Everyone was counting out the former top-tier prospect O’Hearn from success after horrible play in Kansas City. However, he rejuvenated his career in Baltimore, batting .290 with 60 RBI’s last season and filling a really important role the Orioles needed in 2023; a consistent hitter. Now I doubt O’Hearn has the same kind of season with clutch hitting and consistency, but bringing him back to Baltimore was a great decision, and I still expect him to do great things.
To wrap things up, there’s not much to talk about at second base. The Orioles let go of Adam Frazier, and that’s because they trust second-year pro Jordan Westburg, and rightfully so. Westburg does not have as much potential as a Colton Cowser or Heston Kjerstad. However, you know what you’re getting out of him. Westburg does not hit for power, but will be great defensively, bat .260 with a great eye to get on base, and will be a slightly above average hitter. OPS+ suggests he was an average hitter last season, so this progression is not improbable whatsoever. And while Mateo or Urias could always flip to 2B, I think Westburg will be ‘alone’ at this position for the time being with Connor Norby and Coby Mayo both being designated to the minor leagues.
I was shocked to see Kolten Wong released by the Orioles. An 11 year veteran with postseason experience seemed to be exactly what Baltimore needed next to Westburg, and was perhaps the reason why they designated so many of their young talents to the minors. Wong seemed to be a certified lock on Baltimore’s roster, and is instead sitting in free agency. Interesting move from Elias.
So that should do it for all the infielders the Orioles will start the season with. It will be interesting to see when Holliday makes the jump to the major league roster, and if Norby, Mayo or Basallo ever are used as a trade piece or valuable player on this roster. However, with Gunnar and Adley running this area of the field, everything else is just an add-on. I expect huge things from the infield in Baltimore this coming season.
Chase Coburn
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