A few thoughts 100 games in (62-38)

[emmett16]

My take away is teams that are young and talented improve as the season goes along.  I expect them to continue to improve over the last two months.  They are young, extremely talented, and full of confidence.  That’s dangerous.  

[Malike]

I didn't expect them to be nearly as good. I'm having a blast watching this young team learn to win together. For me, this season is house money, they are going to be scary next year.

[foxfield]

I really do not think we could be happier with the results.  Of course, the results come from a fantastic blending of everyone.  

We think Adley should be performing better, we think Mountcastle, Matos, Grayson should be better or replaced. We worry that Hicks, O'hearn and Frazier are not good enough, that Hays is over his head.

Bautista is clearly hitting on all cylinders, but we of course worry about him being overused.

But this team is resilient and unflappable and dare I say it...well managed.

It is also young, exciting and has tons of room for improvement.  

So much fun following this group every day.  Then of course you open ESPN or Athletic and read 17 articles on what the Yankees and or Red Sox need to do to make the playoffs.

Still waiting on the big writers to say they were wrong about the Orioles and what they did to rebuild.  But I do think that will come.

100 games in and it has been a heck of a fun ride.  Not trying to get too excited, but beginning to expect more and more from this Oriole team.

[MCO'sFan]

14 minutes ago, foxfield said:

I really do not think we could be happier with the results.  Of course, the results come from a fantastic blending of everyone.  

We think Adley should be performing better, we think Mountcastle, Matos, Grayson should be better or replaced. We worry that Hicks, O'hearn and Frazier are not good enough, that Hays is over his head.

Bautista is clearly hitting on all cylinders, but we of course worry about him being overused.

But this team is resilient and unflappable and dare I say it...well managed.

It is also young, exciting and has tons of room for improvement.  

So much fun following this group every day.  Then of course you open ESPN or Athletic and read 17 articles on what the Yankees and or Red Sox need to do to make the playoffs.

Still waiting on the big writers to say they were wrong about the Orioles and what they did to rebuild.  But I do think that will come.

100 games in and it has been a heck of a fun ride.  Not trying to get too excited, but beginning to expect more and more from this Oriole team.

I keep hearing that the O's tanked for 5 years but that is not true. They stank for 5 years but that includes the collapse in 17 and the historically bad season in 18 when they were trying to squeeze one more year out of an already slammed window. So they tanked for 2019, 2020 & 2021. Maybe they didn't "try" to win early in 2022 but they ended with a winning record and 3 games out of the playoffs.  They were bad for 4.5 years but they didn't tank for that long. This is about the same timeline for Houston from 09 - 16. The O's may be a little ahead of that. 

Edited July 25, 2023 by MCO'sFan

[Explosivo]

I just keep thinking of that 2019 draft. Getting Adley was a foregone conclusion, but I'd really love the story of how they settled on Gunnar. I would love to hear the story from the scout who pitched a guy like him and obviously buy him a beer.

[Low Country Bird]

Best part about this season is the feeling that it's just the start and that we are headed for even better days the next 5-7 years. 

[foxfield]

12 minutes ago, MCO'sFan said:

I keep hearing that the O's tanked for 5 years but that is not true. They stank for 5 years but that includes the collapse in 17 and the historically bad season in 18 when they were trying to squeeze one more year out of an already slammed window. So they tanked for 2019, 2020 & 2021. Maybe they didn't "try" to win early in 2022 but they ended with a winning record and 3 games out of the playoffs.  They were bad for 4.5 years but they didn't tank for that long. This is about the same timeline for Houston from 09 - 16. The O's may be a little ahead of that. 

Agree completely.  In 2018, the worst of the 5 years of suckitude, the Orioles went into the season still going for it with Manny and Davis etc.  It was a miserable fail leading to an embarrassing 115 loses.  Tanking or as Elias put it...not focusing on the Major League Roster, in 2019, 2020 and 2021 was not pretty but the results began exceeding expectations in 2022 with a winning record.

Going into 2022, there were some here still bashing the Orioles for still not going north with a ML quality club.

Hind site always gives us a better view, but in that hind site, it sure looks like they knew exactly what they were doing.

Hopefully as the climb gets tougher to reach the top, this group can continue to exceed expectations.  They have certainly earned the benefit of the doubt.

[Orange]

Teams that have middle of the order bats at Catcher do well in the playoffs due to the extra off-days. (I made that up, but sounds good right?)

[Just Regular]

48 minutes ago, foxfield said:

So much fun following this group every day.  Then of course you open ESPN or Athletic and read 17 articles on what the Yankees and or Red Sox need to do to make the playoffs.

Sunday Night Baseball at Camden this week it'll be interesting to watch the national media guys coverage.   We'll be getting into Toronto either very late, or day of the game.

[InsideCoroner]

This is easily the most fun I have had watching the team since 2014. I would only be upset at an abbreviated postseason run if they overpay with prospects for a rental or two. If they more or less roll in with the team they have, then so be it -- I see no indications that this team can't be just as good next year. Right now, I'm just guzzling all the orange Kool-Aid I can stomach.