Look, I still don’t think it’s likely.
I still think that there are too many loaded, veteran teams with significant pitching depth that stand in the way. I still think I’d suggest the Astros and Rangers are more likely in the American League and the Braves and Dodgers are more likely in the National League.
I still think they have serious warts. I think “serious” might flirt with “fatal.”
But Baseball Hall of Famer John Smoltz’s words struck me last week. I’ve been struggling with where the line is between “the Orioles are an amazing story with a bright future” and “the Orioles are an actual threat.” During an appearance on Glenn Clark Radio July 31, Smoltz went out of his way to say definitively, “They are good enough to win the World Series.”
Those words floored me. Did he mean it? Was he just being kind because he was doing an interview in Baltimore?
All season long, I had stated that I was opposed to the Orioles paying any real price for a rental piece at the trade deadline because it was simply unreasonable to think that any one rental piece could close the gap to make them a viable threat to win the World Series. Yet in the days leading up to the deadline (when we thought that the Padres might be willing to part ways with Blake Snell and Josh Hader), I started to waver about how much I would be willing to see the team pay for those quality rental pieces.
And when Smoltz said those words, what really struck me was that … I might actually agree with him.
Admittedly, it’s kind of an overwhelming feeling at the moment here in Baltimore. More than 100,000 people were in attendance in each of the past two weekends. The team has won eight of its past ten games to maintain the best record in the American League. The atmosphere for the Aug. 5 game against the Mets was particularly incredible. An essentially sold-out crowd (myself included) created a frenzied atmosphere as the Orioles welcomed back members of the 1983 World Series championship team.
It was wonderful. There were the “Ed-die” chants. Rick Dempsey whipped up the crowd with an O-R-I-O-L-E-S cheer. We heard Earl Weaver’s voice as we watched the highlights of the World Series-clinching win. Just two batters into the game, rising superstar Gunnar Henderson rose to the moment with a mammoth home run to center field. The electricity was spectacular.
So you might think I’m overreacting to a particularly special stretch of what was already shaping up as a monumental season. And maybe you’re right. But it feels like significantly more than that. It feels like whether this is a year or two earlier than we expected, this team is just really good. The Orioles didn’t blink during their most difficult stretch of their schedule. They didn’t blink despite losing Cedric Mullins (at one point their best player) for two different stretches this season. They didn’t blink when Tyler Wells (at one point their best starting pitcher) had to be sent back down to Double-A Bowie for a bit of a reset.
They just haven’t blinked at all. There are still ways they can get better. The return of Mullins should provide a major boost. Joey Ortiz could end up in the mix again. And who knows, perhaps the team could be bold and consider a Heston Kjerstad call-up before the season is over. (Jackson Holliday seems extraordinarily unlikely, but I guess you never know?)
The pitching will remain the concern. For the most part, the guys who have pitched have performed well. But the innings concerns for everyone not named Kyle Gibson and Jack Flaherty are real. Bullpen help might be provided by Mychal Givens and/or DL Hall before the season is over. John Means remains the biggest wild card of them all. I’m not sure how they can piece together enough pitching to make a World Series run unless Means proves to be a factor and is at least some semblance of John Means.
But I can’t think it is impossible anymore. This team has surprised me too many times and has gotten way too deep into the season for me to think it’s just going to crumble under the pressure of the moment anymore.
John Smoltz is right. They are good enough to win the World Series. And they’re good enough to do it now.
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