The last time I had these vibes was in 2014, just after Dan Duquette pulled that Andrew Miller rabbit out of his hat at the trade deadline. I am confident that current GM Mike Elias will pull a rabbit out of his hat pretty soon, too.
What the Orioles need most is help in the pitching department. While this is not a great pitching staff, it can be carved into a good enough staff with added depth in the bullpen, which is the key to winning a series these days.
But the vibes I have really have very little to do with the pitching. For me, what is fueling my World Series vibes is what I am seeing at the plate. In some ways, this team, while far less experienced, reminds me of the 1983 O’s in one important aspect: the batters simply go to the plate with a plan, with a knowledge of the strike zone and, of utmost importance, with the plate discipline to maximize their chances of success by making the pitcher come into the strike zone.
It all really started with Adley Rutschman coming up to the majors in May of 2022. He has set an example that has filtered across the roster and turned what was in the early days of the rebuild one of the easiest lineups to shut down into an uninviting gauntlet.
Credit surely goes to the hitters for putting in the work, but that credit also has to go to the two young co-hitting coaches Mike Elias has brought in, Matt Borgschulte and Ryan Fuller.
They are the ones who add focus to the work the batters are putting in. And credit also has to go to Elias and assistant general manager Sig Mejdal for locating and drafting players that prioritize strike-zone discipline above all else.
While Rutschman may have been the first, Gunnar Henderson is also a player who has discipline in his batting DNA, and so do Jordan Westburg and Colton Cowser.
One of the most remarkable students of Fuller and Borgschulte has got to be Anthony Santander. A Rule 5 pick-up by Dan Duquette back in 2016, Santander has moved from a guy who routinely posted a sub-.300 on-base percentage to firmly in the mid .340s this season.
It is rare to see a major leaguer with a couple of big-league seasons under his belt be able to redefine his hitting approach to become a very tough out for opposing starting pitchers.
Austin Hays’ solid season is born of both health and confidence. He is currently batting .310 with an on-base percentage of .350 — a sizeable jump from his OBPs of .328, .308 and .306 from 2020-2022.
Another big help was the pickup of veteran outfielder Aaron Hicks. Night in and night out Hicks uses his eyes and reflexes to make pitchers empty it all out as he fouls off pitch after pitch, working the count and frustrating the opposing pitcher.
Cedric Mullins and Ryan O’Hearn have also been part of this trend.
Back in 2014, when the Orioles last won the AL East, the team’s OBP was .311. The O’s are currently tied for 12th place in MLB this season with a .324 OBP, a huge improvement from last season when they finished the year ranked 22nd with a .305 team OBP. It also is not a zero-sum game. Plate discipline has other advantages, like running up an opponent’s pitch count and getting to the bullpen earlier in games.
And the good news is the next round of prospects, Heston Kjerstad, Joey Ortiz, Coby Mayo and Jackson Holliday, are all high OBP guys.
There is still more work to do both at the plate and in strengthening the bullpen, but it doesn’t seem so out of reach.
When the Ravens really started to grab the attention of Baltimore sports fans, there was a saying about GM Ozzie Newsome when it came to the draft and trades, “In Ozzie We Trust.”
“In Mike We Trust” has a nice ring to it too, doesn’t it?
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