The Baltimore Orioles shockingly won 83 games last season after finishing with just 52 victories the year before.
You could say they broke through in 2022.
However, the best is yet to come.
Their pitching is young but now has some experience, and the offense has enough weapons to inflict a lot of damage to any staff.
Their 2023 fate, however, will likely be decided by two young phenoms.
Catcher Adley Rutschman and shortstop Gunnar Henderson were strong as rookies, but if they keep improving in 2023, the O’s might make the postseason.
The @Orioles' young phenoms are primed for big seasons. 💪 pic.twitter.com/0gN214oVh6
— MLB (@MLB) January 17, 2023
The young backstop finished second in the Rookie of the Year race and achieved over 5.0 Wins Above Replacement (WAR).
He hit 35 doubles, 13 homers, and was a star behind the plate.
Henderson was also brilliant, and is projected to hit 21 home runs and finish with 4.1 WAR according to FanGraphs.
In fact, Henderson is perhaps the top candidate to win the AL Rookie of the Year award this upcoming season.
That’s only on the position player side of things.
The Orioles have potentially impactful pitchers in MLB (Dean Kremer, Keegan Akin, Kyle Bradish just to name a few) and two minor leaguers who could burst into the scene this season: Grayson Rodriguez and DL Hall.
Hall already made his debut but couldn’t establish himself, yet his future could be that of a number two starter if everything goes according to the plan.
Rodriguez has ace potential and is nearly ready.
It’s an exciting time to be an Orioles fan.
The team is ready to keep growing and proving it belongs in the list of playoffs hopefuls.
NEXT: Orioles Show Their Love For Cedric Mullins