Now that the bar has been raised, what’s your definition of a successful season in 2024?

[SilverRocket]

I would be okay with either:

- making the playoffs (regardless of record) and getting to the WS, or at least putting up a good fight in the ALCS

- 100+ wins in the regular season, with an earlier playoff exit, but not just swept in the first series again.

A great postseason result can make up for a less impressive regular season and vice versa. But if the exact same thing happens and we get swept in our first playoff series, it wouldn't sit well with me. I don't want the talking heads going on about how this isn't an October team, even if I myself believe it's just the normal playoff crapshoot.

[Frobby]

48 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

So the Braves and Dodgers didn't have a successful season?

I can't agree with the mindset that only one established good team can have a successful season each year.

 

I think you reach a point, after having the ultimate success once or twice in the recent past, or have fallen just short of it, where nothing else but the ultimate prize really satisfies you.  Then that faded away with an extended period of worse results.  I’d be very unhappy if I were a Dodgers fan right now.  As a 2023 Orioles fan, I’m very happy with the season. 

[LookinUp]

I still think of this in terms of process. I think Elias has essentially formed something like an 88-90 win floor, absent big injuries.

That said, my personal lesson from the Astros and Rangers is you need hitters that rake. As good and fun as this team is, we have 1 right now (Gunnar). We need 2-3 more to really step up.

So that's my definition of success next year. 90 wins + what looks like 3+ total hitters that rake. If we do that, we'll win in the playoffs (eventually).

[wildcard]

A successful season would be anything that is better than 2023.    But I don't think it will be satisfying if it's anything but a WS win.   This should be the O's time.

[RZNJ]

2 minutes ago, wildcard said:

A successful season would be anything that is better than 2023.    But I don't think it will be satisfying if it's anything but a WS win.   This should be the O's time.

Can’t tell if you are joking or not.

 

 

 

[webbrick2010]

Need to make it to ALCS, anything else of course would be stagnant or worse

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, RZNJ said:

Can’t tell if you are joking or not.

 

 

 

Does he ever joke?

It's a serious question.

[Pickles]

11 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

You don’t know who I would or wouldn’t get rid of and who I would or wouldn’t get rid of depends on a lot of factors.

For example, I’m keeping Mateo if Holliday is kept in AAA and one of Westburg or Ortiz is traded, as they should  be.

Im very likely keeping Mullins, Hays and Urias.  Mullins or Hays could be impacted if they traded for Robert, as an example.

 

As you yourself admit, YOU don't know who you would or wouldn't get rid of.

Here's what I say: They might get rid of one IF, including the prospect group, and not including Frazier.  And they might get rid of one OF, including the prospect group.

But I'd be willing to bet 7 of the starters in Game 3 will be in the opening day roster.

Edited October 12, 2023 by Pickles

[foxfield]

2 hours ago, Frobby said:

With a few exceptions, I think most posters feel that 2023 was a very successful season and are pretty satisfied with the result, perhaps even ecstatic.   

But now the bar is raised.  Division title?  Been there, done that.  So what do you think the O’s would need to do next year for you to feel it was a successful season?

1.  Make the playoffs again. 

2.  Win the division title again. 

3.  Win 100+ games again.

4.  Win at least one playoff game.

5.  Win an ALDS series.

6.  Make it to the World Series

7.  Win the World Series

I’m guessing nobody would complain if we won the World Series without winning the AL East or 100+ games.  But are there other combos of 1-6 that you’d be satisfied with next year?   Or is it World Series title or bust?


 

There are lots of things that could be an “improvement” and not feel great. Winning 102 games but finishing behind someone in the AL East (not likely).  We could win the AL East again but not win 100.  
 

By the same token, landing the WC could be seen as falling back.  But if we advance to the ALCS it might feel better at the end of the season. 
 

For me, the absolute benchmarks for improving are going to be continued playoff appearances and getting further. So next year that would mean making the ALCS. If that means 96 wins and a WC, so be it. Anything less than making the playoffs would have to be viewed as a failure. 

[RZNJ]

5 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Does he ever joke?

It's a serious question.

Yes.  I’ve seen Wildcard joke plenty.   That’s a serious answer.

[ledzepp8]

57 minutes ago, Morgan423 said:

I know I'm probably 1% of the fan base when I say this, but post-season success isn't mandatory (or really even important) to me.  Regular season success over the span of seasons is what I want, and any post-season success is a bonus.

The playoff structure now isn't like it was decades ago, where the best regular season AL and NL teams both won their league pennant and automatically proceeded to the World Series.  The meaning of the post-season has been diluted now as opposed to back then, by the fact that so many teams make it, and any one of those teams (even one squeaking in with a barely-over-500 regular season record) can get lucky/hot at just the right time and win a championship, taking out teams that are much more talented than they are. 

So I find that measuring a team's success solely by a couple of short series each year, where anything can happen, is a fairly silly way of measuring success. 

But get there enough times, by being a consistently elite team over the span of seasons, and you'll eventually win that luck race to the end of the post-season.  And gaining that admission consistently, season after season... that's where it's actually at.

This is basically how I feel. Was I disappointed at our early exit from the playoffs? Of course. Would I have liked to get to and/or win the WS? Yes. Have I quickly gotten over it? You bet. The playoffs are such a small portion of the season where literally anything can happen. I didn't even think the DBacks would get into the playoffs and they just swept the 100 win Dodgers to get to the ALCS. I'm happy spending 6 months watching a good baseball team play well and make the playoffs, year after year. Whatever happens in the playoffs is pretty random. But like you said, you get there enough times and eventually you'll have success.

[Bemorewins]

1 hour ago, Frobby said:

That’s fair, but for me, what the team does in the offseason, and how that plays during the year, will just be part of whether I feel the season was successful.   In other words, I won’t feel better or worse about the season’s outcome based on what is done in the offseason.  I just want a good result. If they fall short because they did nothing to try to build on last year’s success, I will be disappointed.  If they make some moves I like and fall short, I’ll be equally disappointed.  I will say, injuries could have something to say about how I feel about the outcome.  

Understood. I think what I was trying to say is that what the team does in the offseason will influence may expectations for next season. If we have a similar roster with no significant additions/upgrades I won't expect more than a possible postseason appearance and an early exit.

[MCO'sFan]

2 hours ago, Frobby said:

With a few exceptions, I think most posters feel that 2023 was a very successful season and are pretty satisfied with the result, perhaps even ecstatic.   

But now the bar is raised.  Division title?  Been there, done that.  So what do you think the O’s would need to do next year for you to feel it was a successful season?

1.  Make the playoffs again. 

2.  Win the division title again. 

3.  Win 100+ games again.

4.  Win at least one playoff game.

5.  Win an ALDS series.

6.  Make it to the World Series

7.  Win the World Series

I’m guessing nobody would complain if we won the World Series without winning the AL East or 100+ games.  But are there other combos of 1-6 that you’d be satisfied with next year?   Or is it World Series title or bust?


 

Any one of these would make it a successful season. Although it is exactly one of your six I'd say win a playoff series.

[SilentJames]

The Orioles should be competitive for playoffs/division title next year. 

The AL East is as such that there are legitimately three teams that are vying for the title, and all five can make a case for a playoff run. Given that reality we can only control what we can control (we can't control how good Tampa is for instance) So, improve in the offseason, make the playoffs. 

The playoffs are a crap shoot, but win the regular season and give yourself a chance again. 

[SilentJames]

45 minutes ago, Frobby said:

I think you reach a point, after having the ultimate success once or twice in the recent past, or have fallen just short of it, where nothing else but the ultimate prize really satisfies you.  Then that faded away with an extended period of worse results.  I’d be very unhappy if I were a Dodgers fan right now.  As a 2023 Orioles fan, I’m very happy with the season. 

Yeah, the Dodgers are in a situation where they have won that division so much, and have only missed the playofffs 5 times in the last 20 years - with only 3 league titles and only 1 world series to show for it I could see their fans being upset by the season. 

 

Still, that would be a nice problem to have.