The Orioles had some shining moments and finished the first half of the season in first place in the American League East.
Here’s a look at some midseason superlatives.
Most Valuable Oriole
After winning American League Rookie of the Year last season, Gunnar Henderson is a legitimate MVP candidate in his second full season. Henderson is the Orioles’ most productive hitter, batting .286/.373/.584. He is third in the major leagues with 28 home runs behind Aaron Judge (34) and Shohei Ohtani (29). Henderson has a team-leading 63 RBIs and makes highlight-reel plays at shortstop. He is projected to receive the largest amount from this season’s $50 million pre-arbitration bonus pool based on his regular-season statistics. He is poised to earn $1,325,021, according to the Associated Press.
Best Moment
The Orioles have won 58 games, tied for the second most in Major League Baseball with the Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees and just behind the Philadelphia Phillies (62). However, their most critical win arrived at the lowest point of the season. After getting swept at home by the last-place Chicago Cubs, the Orioles were on the verge of losing three consecutive games to the Yankees in the final series before the All-Star break. With a win in the finale on July 14, New York would have overtaken Baltimore for first place … but the Orioles managed an unlikely rally thanks to a couple of mistakes by the Yankees.
Down to their last out in the ninth, the Orioles managed to pull within a run when Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe could not handle a sharp grounder by Ryan Mountcastle that would have ended the game. Then Cedric Mullins hit a liner for the apparent final out, but New York left fielder Alex Verdugo broke in at first and couldn’t recover well enough to prevent the ball from going over his head, allowing the Orioles to walk off with a 6-5 victory.
The win kept the Orioles in first place in the AL East and snapped a five-game skid. It was also a demoralizing loss for the Yankees, who are 4-6 against Baltimore this season. The Orioles need to win one game in the Bronx during a three-game series in September to clinch a potential tiebreaker against the Yankees.
Worst Moment
Orioles closer Craig Kimbrel was expected to fill the void for the loss of Félix Bautista, who is out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery last October. However, Kimbrel has been shaky in that role and is 17-for-21 in save chances on the season. Despite some miscues, Kimbrel does have a 2.54 ERA and 0.99 WHIP across 28.1 innings.
However, it was Kimbrel who was responsible for the Orioles’ most disappointing loss of the season when he allowed a two-run home run to Kyle McCann that sent the Orioles to a 7-6 loss against the Oakland Athletics at Camden Yards in late April. It was Kimbrel’s second blown save in three days and raised serious questions about how the Orioles were going to close out games.
Kimbrel bounced back from the setback and has been mostly effective since re-establishing his role as the closer. However, there are questions about whether Kimbrel can close out one-run games. That’s a scenario to watch during the second half of the season.
Best Home Run
The Orioles have relied heavily on home runs this season. They lead the majors with 149 homers, ahead of the second-place Yankees (140). Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman had one of the season’s biggest moments when he hit a walk-off two-run homer over the right-field scoreboard at Camden Yards for a 3-2 victory against the Toronto Blue Jays. The homer helped the Orioles avoid a disappointing sweep at the hands of their AL East rival.
Most Surprising Player
Jordan Westburg was expected to be an impact player, but few could have envisioned he would make the American League All-Star team as a rookie. He replaced Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers, who opted out due to left shoulder soreness. Westburg has been a mainstay in the Orioles’ lineup all season, playing both second and third base. He is batting .271/.318/.496 and is tied for the team lead with Ryan Mountcastle with 22 doubles. Westburg also has 15 home runs and 50 RBIs. He is not eligible to become the Orioles’ second straight AL Rookie of the Year because he exceeded the service time threshold in 2023.
Player Who Must Improve In Second Half
Austin Hays was a 2023 American League All-Star and has been mostly inconsistent this season in trying to earn playing time in a crowded outfield that includes Colton Cowser, Cedric Mullins, Heston Kjerstad, Anthony Santander and at times Kyle Stowers.
With the youth movement, there are questions about Hays’ role with the team. He got off to a slow start, batting just .077/.172/.077 in April. However, Hays has steadily improved, raising his slash line to .255/.307/.403 with three home runs and 14 RBIs. He also given the Orioles some juice against left-handed pitching, hitting .333/.373/.508 against southpaws.
Hays will need to put together a steadier second half to keep his name in the lineup and also to put himself in a position to earn a role next year in Baltimore or elsewhere. Hays, 29, is under club control for one more season before hitting free agency.
Photo Credits: Colin Murphy/PressBox