I dont know how far this team goes in 2023....but I know this..

[Roy Firestone]

I think this has been the most thrilling Oriole season since the glory years of Frank and Brooks and Boog and Palmer. A more charismatic team than the Cal, Eddie, Singleton teams...The Orioles of 2023 have had more electrifying  highlights, more compelling games, more surprises, and more young talent than any I can remember any time recently. This team just never gives up, is almost never out of any game, has an uncanny ability to come through and win those comebacks games.... and this team also seems to really be made up of a bunch of guys who really like each other and are happy when the other teammates do well. It's the easiest team to love in my 60 years of being an Oriole fan. Bless these guys...no matter what happens, this is my favourite Oriole team in 50 years. I've loved every moment of this season.This is a ride that never ends...but if and when it does...what a hell of a ride these guys gave us.

[ace20251]

the fact that so many are home grown and others were castoffs from other teams definitely makes them my favorite too

[Ridgway22]

Wholeheartedly concur... 14/15/16 was fun, but this team is looking special, with a whole host of talent in the wings. To do what they did tonight after what they did last night, starting to feel like anything is possible. I'm trying to figure out where we might be playing and when, there is travel in my future. Savoring every moment.

[Frobby]

The best thing about this season is that the best players on the team are young guys who will be around for a long time, and we’ve got a lot of other planes on the runway down in the minors.   So we can be thrilled with the present, while at the same time knowing that we haven’t in any way mortgaged the future.  And it’s truly a team where everyone contributes.  

[Roy Firestone]

1 minute ago, Frobby said:

The best thing about this season is that the best players on the team are young guys who will be around for a long time, and we’ve got a lot of other planes on the runway down in the minors.   So we can be thrilled with the present, while at the same time knowing that we haven’t in any way mortgaged the future.  And it’s truly a team where everyone contributes.  

Holliday, and Mayo, and Ortiz are coming...and Means at full strength next year, this team is going to be very good for a long time...if they stay healthy...

[Frobby]

9 minutes ago, Roy Firestone said:

Holliday, and Mayo, and Ortiz are coming...and Means at full strength next year, this team is going to be very good for a long time...if they stay healthy...

We have been pretty lucky with injuries, especially compared to Tampa.  

[Jagwar]

@Roy Firestone, you're so much more optimistic outside the game threads. 

The competitive window is wide open. Really hoping that Elias is able to add top notch pitching in the offseason.  

[Jagwar]

4 hours ago, Frobby said:

We have been pretty lucky with injuries, especially compared to Tampa.  

Good point. I'm shocked that the O's have done so well (14-8) since Bautista went down. 

[ChosenOne21]

I don't think anything will beat 2012 for me, but man I love this team...

...maybe if they sweep the Braves in the World Series

[terpoh]

5 hours ago, Frobby said:

We have been pretty lucky with injuries, especially compared to Tampa.  

I've seen people say that we've been very lucky with injuries this year and I'm not sure I agree. I havent looked it up, but I feel like last year was far "luckier" when it came to injuries and we've just kind of run with the narrative. Yes, in comparison to the Rays, its not close, but the Rays have been crushed by injuries to their main guys, specifically to the starting rotation. 

So far this year we have had the following:

- #1 SP out for the majority of the season.

- Starting AS and GG Center Fielder out for two significant stints.

- Starting replacement CF and corner out field fill in out for two stints and looking like a third.

- Elite closer most likely done for the season starting mid august

- Starting 1B out significant time with vertigo and now shoulder issue

- #1 SP from the first half sent down to MILB for majority of the second half with arm fatigue

We've also had much smaller issues of guys just being banged up that I'm sure all teams have every year. But Gunnar missed several games on two different occasions with a low back, Frazier missed time with a thumb, McCann spent time on the IL, Santander missed time with a low back, Mateo had a hip flexor issue that I cant remember how much (if any ) time he missed but it was when he was still our every day SS. 

Again- all this to say- I dont have any numbers to say that we have or have not had a lot of injuries but I do think that we've had to overcome some pretty significant issues throughout the year. It seems far more than last year. Our depth has been amazing and has been our strength and should continue to be our strength moving forward.

Edited September 19, 2023 by terpoh

[Frobby]

56 minutes ago, terpoh said:

I've seen people say that we've been very lucky with injuries this year and I'm not sure I agree. I havent looked it up, but I feel like last year was far "luckier" when it came to injuries and we've just kind of run with the narrative. Yes, in comparison to the Rays, its not close, but the Rays have been crushed by injuries to their main guys, specifically to the starting rotation. 

So far this year we have had the following:

- #1 SP out for the majority of the season.

- Starting AS and GG Center Fielder out for two significant stints.

- Starting replacement CF and corner out field fill in out for two stints and looking like a third.

- Elite closer most likely done for the season starting mid august

- Starting 1B out significant time with vertigo and now shoulder issue

- #1 SP from the first half sent down to MILB for majority of the second half with arm fatigue

We've also had much smaller issues of guys just being banged up that I'm sure all teams have every year. But Gunnar missed several games on two different occasions with a low back, Frazier missed time with a thumb, McCann spent time on the IL, Santander missed time with a low back, Mateo had a hip flexor issue that I cant remember how much (if any ) time he missed but it was when he was still our every day SS. 

Again- all this to say- I dont have any numbers to say that we have or have not had a lot of injuries but I do think that we've had to overcome some pretty significant issues throughout the year. It seems far more than last year. Our depth has been amazing and has been our strength and should continue to be our strength moving forward.

I will analyze this at the end of the year when I have time in the offseason.  The one thing I’ll say now is, the way I think of things, the Means injury is not “bad luck” in 2023.   He got hurt in 2022 and we knew all offseason that he wouldn’t return until sometime in the second half.  You can anticipate and prepare for that.  

[Too Tall]

This team followed up Sunday with last night's game. All while some on here questioned "celebrating." If you can't totally embrace this team and appreciate this season, you will never be satisfied no matter what. To paraphrase my kids, the young teams of the Glory Years were fun to watch, but to me this team is funner. Perhaps it's my age or because of all the down time. Heck, my whole famjly talks Oriole baseball again and it has been a while. I just keep waiting for the encore. Elias said and he has delivered. And, Hyde is a damn good manager who I totally respect. We are lucky to be afforded this ride. Yet the greatest is, I feel this is just Act 1. If that all be Orange Collered Glasses, color me guilty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bemorewins]

It is really feeling to me like this could be our year. I questioned almost all season long “if we had enough pitching to win in the postseason”. But at some point after beating just about everybody’s best you have to entertain the real possibility that this team is just is too gutsy/gritty and may be able to overcome just about any obstacle.

The thing that we have going for us beyond resilience is a crazy amount of depth. Mullins goes down for a while, in steps Hicks. Cowser comes up and doesn’t swing the stick great, we’ll just bring up Kjerstad. Flaherty has flopped, just in time here comes Means. 

All of this, and we have still been able to save our “magic bullet” in Holliday for next year. This is a great time to be an O’s fan. Best season of my almost 40 years of fandom. (I was too young to remember 83’.) 

It’s better than 97’ to me because that was an old team full of vets and FAs and you knew we didn’t have long. And it’s better than 14’ because that felt like an an era toon because we caught the Sox and Yanks in an unusual down season. But this feels A LOT different. As the ESPN article stated the other day, this is sustainable and we are here to stay (at least for a while).

[LA2]

7 hours ago, Roy Firestone said:

I think this has been the most thrilling Oriole season since the glory years of Frank and Brooks and Boog and Palmer. A more charismatic team than the Cal, Eddie, Singleton teams...The Orioles of 2023 have had more electrifying  highlights, more compelling games, more surprises, and more young talent than any I can remember any time recently. This team just never gives up, is almost never out of any game, has an uncanny ability to come through and win those comebacks games.... and this team also seems to really be made up of a bunch of guys who really like each other and are happy when the other teammates do well. It's the easiest team to love in my 60 years of being an Oriole fan. Bless these guys...no matter what happens, this is my favourite Oriole team in 50 years. I've loved every moment of this season.This is a ride that never ends...but if and when it does...what a hell of a ride these guys gave us.

There's this Roy Firestone and the one who is the leading Doom 'n Gloom freak on the Game Threads. I believe this one speaks from true depth and remembrance of glory past and certainly prefer it.

[MDK02]

Completely agree. 2012 was a very special year too. I’m just enjoying the ride, nothing beats watching great Os baseball.