Since 2016, the Baltimore Orioles didn’t do anything but lose.
Until 2022.
Last year, the franchise accumulated an 83-79 record and actually contended for a playoff spot until late September.
To get to that point, however, they had to lose a lot.
Just a few years ago, the vast resources and capital resulting from losing (high draft picks, mostly) started to build something special.
But it takes more than tanking and having high draft slots to build a star-level farm.
Since Mike Elias took over as the general manager in 2019, the franchise started to stockpile talent through excellent scouting.
The results are now evident, as the Orioles have eight players in MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects list.
That’s extremely impressive.
More #Top100Prospects than any other team in the league 👀@Orioles | @MLBPipeline | #Birdland pic.twitter.com/5AzrIDGMLO
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 28, 2023
Gunnar Henderson already made his impact felt at the MLB level in 2022, with a .788 OPS and four home runs in 34 games.
Grayson Rodriguez, Colton Cowser, Jordan Westburg, DL Hall and Joey Ortiz are all either ready for the big leagues or soon to be.
They can all contribute at some point in 2023, which is excellent news considering the already impressive young movement in Baltimore, one that includes Cedric Mullins, Adley Rutschman, Henderson, Anthony Santander, Jorge Mateo, Ryan Mountcastle, Austin Hays, Kyle Stowers, Dean Kremer, Cionel Perez, Keegan Akin, Kyle Bradish, Felix Bautista, Dillon Tate, and others.
Jackson Holliday and Heston Kjerstad project as future stars, but both are at least a couple of years away.
The Orioles have worked wonders with their resources in recent seasons and now, after almost a decade, they seem ready to be competitive again.
NEXT: Peter Gammons Breaks Down The Cole Irvin Trade
