o   I think that it depends on the overall context of where the franchise has been lately. Right now, the Orioles are coming off of back-to-back 100-Plus loss teams in 2018 and 2019, and a current team that was expected by most to go about 20-40 over this pandemic-shortened season. In 2015, I don't think that the OH at-large was particularly excited about a team that was hovering around the .500-mark all season long, and finished at 81-81 ........ at that time, the franchise was coming off of 3 consecutive winning seasons between 2012 and 2014, including a 2014 team that stomped their way to the division title by double-digit games (the Yankees, who were the 2nd-Place team that season, finished 12 games behind the Orioles.)   o

Yes he was one of the ones that was better.  For what I saw on most lists DL Hall dropped a bit, was that Holt as well? I don't see anything way out of the ordinary about the development of the minor league pitching last year. 

"It’s nice to see because (my changeup is) one of the pitches I worked on in spring training, and to get some swings and misses, especially with two strikes, isn’t something that I’m used to,” said Means, who also made use of the Edgertronic high-speed cameras that the Orioles brought to camp. "More of execution and release point. Chris Holt is kind of like the changeup guru. We were working on it a lot in spring training and he was showing me what I was doing wrong with it and what I need to be doing with it and it’s been working well.” https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/john-means-thrives-with-change-of-pace/ Don't you watch the same team I do?  Why am I the one that remembers this and you don't?

Needs to happen for a longer period of time before I become a believer.  But we're a quarter of the way through this "season" so far.  If we were a quarter of the way through a standard 162 game season, I think people would be excited.  So, I get it. I don't think we're giving up as many homers, either, but I am too lazy to check.   So less walks, more strikeouts, less homers, better defense = improvement.  If they can keep it up, then I'll be a believer.  Maybe these guys ARE getting better.  I'm not saying they're 1985 Dwight Gooden, but they're better than what they were.

They were clearly improved in the minors last year?  Or a few guys were better and some were worse and most stayed around the same?