The Baltimore Orioles hope they are destined for greatness this season by assembling some of the best young talent in the league.
Seen as one of the best stories in baseball entering 2024, the Orioles are looking for their core players to even more success than they enjoyed in 2023.
As he said on his “Wake and Rake” podcast recently, baseball analyst Will Middlebrooks believes the Orioles could be MLB’s next dynasty with a new ownership group on the way.
“This is the very beginning stages of what I think it could blossom into, just based off No. 1, their core group of controllable, elite young players — guys that have done it not only in the minor leagues but have done it in the big leagues at this point,” Middlebrooks said on Glenn Clark Radio Feb. 28.
Middlebrooks, a former infielder who played three of his six big league seasons in Boston and won a World Series title with the club, thinks acquiring the right players is key. A top-tier farm system has provided the Orioles with opportunities to trade for impact players, such as three-time All-Star and 2021 Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes.
“Corbin Burnes is one move, but that’s an aggressive move that says, ‘OK, we’re here to win, we’ve got our ace,'” Middlebrooks said.
With a low payroll and a lot of depth in controllable, young pitchers like Grayson Rodriguez, Dean Kremer and Tyler Wells, and despite injuries plaguing starters Kyle Bradish and John Means, the Orioles are in a position to eventually spend money to build their staff long term.
“You still have to play the game. You still have to operate this organization in a certain way to get that product on the field,” Middlebrooks said.
As such, Middlebrooks believes it is important for the Orioles to pay some of their core players, using the blueprint from the Atlanta Braves to build the framework of the team. That means engaging players like Adley Rutschman, whom Middlebrooks views as this generation’s Buster Posey.
“He’s going to have the option to bet on himself because he has that confidence, he knows how good he is. He has everyone else telling him how good he is. But why not take the shot? It’s not going to hurt to take the chance,” Middlebrooks said.
One area of potential weakness is in the back end of the bullpen, where Félix Bautista was dominant last season to the point that the Orioles won 49 one-run, two-run and extra-inning games. To fill the void, the spotlight will turn to newly signed closer Craig Kimbrel. The bullpen no longer includes the recently traded DL Hall, either.
Middlebrooks knows Kimbrel well from their time in Boston.
“What you’re going to get with Kimbrel is a great teammate. You’re going to get a guy who puts his work in and leads by example. He’s not a loud guy,” Middlebrooks said. “He is going to lead by what he does in his routine, in the weight room, in the training room to get ready to play.”
Middlebrooks feels strongly that the back end will be covered by Kimbrel’s leadership and big league experience and be supplemented by the proven track records of other pitchers in the bullpen.
Looking ahead, the competition in the division will be intense. The Yankees are stacked and built to win games this season, so they will be one of the O’s toughest competitors.
“The O’s are going to lean heavily on the offense to score some runs so they aren’t in as many tight games. I think that is going to help,” Middlebrooks said.
For more from Middlebrooks, listen to the full interview here:
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