After fifty five games, the Orioles are 17-38 and the tank is in full swing. Any thought of the team being competitive after the exciting opening series has been replaced by the realization that the team is as bad as preseason prognosticators said it would be. If the season ended today, the Orioles would pick first in the 2020 MLB Amateur Draft. With that being said, however, the team is young and plays hard, especially when compared to twenty five sleepwalkers that made up the 2018 team's roster. But playing hard does not always make up for a lack of talent which is why the following report card leaves something to be desired.
The Offense:
The offense has been surprisingly decent when compared to preseason expectations. The team scores 4.07 runs per game which, while ranked in the bottom third of the MLB, keeps them in most games. OF/1B Trey Mancini has led the way on the offensive side of the ball with a .347 OBP and a 135 OPS+. He is likely to be the Orioles' lone all-star representative in July and there is a decent chance he'll be on the trading block when the non-waiver deadline comes around. DH Renato Nunez and LF Dwight Smith are tied for the team lead in RBI at 31 and each have an OPS+ of 100 or better. 2B Jonathan Vllar has had a solid year as well and will likely have a number of teams in need of infield help trying to acquire him in July.
The rest of the lineup is full of question marks, however. While he had a hot three weeks after breaking his hitless streak, 1B Chris Davis slumped again before being placed on the Injured List. SS Richie Martin has struggled to make the jump to the major leagues, posting a .170 batting average and a 35 OPS+. While Rio Ruiz has a solid glove at the hot corner, he does not make enough contact or hit for enough power to stick as a regular and has recently be replaced by Hanser Alberto. Center Field and Right Field have been black holes in the lineup as well when Mancini is in the lineup at First Base or DH. Since Cedric Mullins' demotion, CF has been a revolving door with Joey Rickard, Stevie Wilkerson, and Keon Broxton, all of whom have significant holes in their offensive games, receiving at bats.
Overall Grade: C+
The Defense:
Going into the season, I really thought the team's defense would be a strength and at times it has. For all his faults, Chris Davis is a solid defensive first basemen and Villar has been a steady presence at second base. Richie Martin does not seem to carry his offensive struggles out with him into the field, showing solid range and a strong arm at shortstop. When he plays Rio Ruiz offers a solid if not spectacular glove at third while the catching duo of Pedro Severino and Austin Wynns is strong defensively for the most part although Severino seems to struggle with blocking as well as locating foul balls.
However, the outfield defense has been a disappointment. In Left Field Dwight Smith often fails to hit the cut off man or play balls off the wall well. According to baseball reference he has been worth -0.6 defensive Wins above Replacement (dWAR) and has a defensive runs saved value of -4 (Rdrs). Center Field has been a revolving door following the demotion of Mullins with Rickard and Wilkerson getting most of the chances before Broxton was acquired. While Wilkerson has speed he is an infielder playing CF for the first time in his career and has struggled with jumps and reading balls off the bat. He does have a strong arm which is an improvement over Mullins. RF has been manned mostly by Mancini who is a below average outfielder at best and should be playing at his natural position of 1B. Hopefully the outfield defense improves with the acquisition of Broxton and the promotion of DJ Stewart.
Overall Grade: B-
The Rotation:
Put simply, the rotation has been a dumpster fire. Alex Cobb made three starts between two trips to the IL posting a 10.95 ERA and averaging about four innings. He has since been transferred to the 60 day IL. David Hess, who got off to a good start, has since struggled and has a 6.71 ERA in ten starts as well as an unsightly 1.451 WHIP. If the organization had any starter depth, it would be time to move Hess to the bullpen where his stuff would likely play up in short stints. Dan Straily, who was mercifully removed from the rotation recently, posted an ERA north of 9.00 and a WHIP approaching 2.00 in just eight games started. Gabriel Ynoa replaced him in the rotation and will receive an extended look. Dylan Bundy has been his usual hot and cold self, posting a 4.58 ERA while striking out 60 batters in 59.0 innings over 11 starts. There are flashes of what could have been with Bundy but his fastball is straight and rarely touches 92.0 mph. When he limits home runs and has one or two of his secondary pitches working he can dominate. Most outings he simply limits the damage. If he maintains his current pace, look for him to be traded in July to a team looking for a 4th or 5th starter. The two lone bright spots in the rotation are Andrew Cashner and John Means. Cashner has regained his fastball velocity and touches 95 mph regularly. This renaissance has still only made him a serviceable back end starter with an ERA of 4.55. Like Bundy expect him to be wearing a different uniform in July if he maintains form. John Means has been the teams defacto ace, posting an ERA of 2.96 in twelve games while maintaning a WHIP of 1.171. He pitches off of a nasty change up that fools hitters even when they expect it. This allows his solid but not spectacular fastball to play up.
Overall Grade: D-
The Bullpen: D
The Orioles' bullpen has struggled to say the least. No reliever has an ERA under 3.48 and the pitcher owning the lowest ERA, Josh Lucas, has only appeared in five games. Richard Bleier, one of the few bright spots on the 2018 team has struggled mightily with injuries and ineffectiveness. Mychal Givens, who the club hoped could build his value for the trade deadline, has struggled in high leverage situations often failing to hold leads and blowing three saves in just seven opportunities. Overall, manager Brandon Hyde is attempting to give opportunities to prospects, such as Brandon Kline, as well as waiver claims, like Shawn Armstrong, and it shows. As a unit the bullpen has shown some potential but struggled more often than not.
Overall Grade: D
Pleasant Surprises
Pedro Severino: Once a top prospect in Washington Nationals system, Severino struggled when he first received chances at the Major League Level. Receiving regular playing time with the Orioles, Severino is batting .261 with a .349 OBP and a 119 OPS+ in 30 games while providing solid defense behind the plate. While likely not the team's long term answer at catcher, he is only 25 and has proved serviceable for a team that lacks any real depth at the position.
Hanser Alberto: Claimed off waivers from the San Francisco Giants, Alberto has proven himself to be a productive and reliable utility player. While he does not draw walks, Alberto is batting .301 with a .400 Slugging percentage while playing all over the infield. Against lefties, he owns a .1000 OPS in 2019 so look for him to take at bats away from Rio Ruiz or Jonathan Villar when a tough lefty is on the mound.
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