The Baltimore Orioles had a less than stellar 2020 campaign, but the season did exceed expectations. The O’s finished the season 25-35 in the MLB’s shorted season, due to COVID-19. The organization started to see a few of its future talent being called up to the home club and a handful of veterans may have secured a spot for seasons ahead.
Outfielder Anthony Santander may have been the surprise of the team for Orioles fans in 2020. The 26-year-old almost reached the .300 mark., finishing with a .261 batting average. Santander also had a career-best .890 OPS. Santander was named the 2020 Most Valuable Oriole.
Former All-Star John Means had a down year in 2020 on the mound. He had a 4.53 ERA and gave up 22 earned runs in 36 innings pitched. The shortened season hurt Means, but due to solid 2019 season, Means has what it takes to be a top of the order starter. He should rebound in 2021.
The young future of the Baltimore Orioles organization started to be called up in 2020. The first of the main three pieces the O’s received in the Manny Machado trade saw action. Pitcher Dean Kremer’s 4.82 ERA wasn’t as bad as it looked, once you see that he only pitched 4 games, and through his first three games, that ERA was only 1.69. Kremer gave up one earned run in each of the first three starts and then gave up 7 in the final.
Tanner Scott was by far the best reliever to finish the season with the Orioles. Scott never saw his ERA below 4.0 with Baltimore before 2020. However, this past season it was 1.31. Scott was phenomenal and looks to fight for the closer role with the club in 2021.
Ryan Mountcastle was finally called up from the minor leagues in 2020. He is still trying to find a home with the glove, as he can play in both corner outfield spots, and almost every infield position. Mountcastle had a slash line of .333/.386./.492 making his OPS .878. Mountcastle is one of the future stars of the orange and black, but in 2021, he will need to find a defensive position.
Trey Mancini is back! Mancini missed last season due to Stage 3 colon cancer, but he is returning in ’21. The career .276 bat from Mancini will hopefully return and he’ll be a spark in the O’s lineup. Mancini will either play first or in one of the corner outfield spots this season.
Centerfielder, Austin Hays, started to find his groove in 2020, however, he broke his rib cutting a month out of his season. Hays slashed .279/.328/.393 in 2020. Hays is the future centerfielder for the Baltimore Orioles, and if he can stay healthy in 2021, he could lock the spot up for the foreseeable future.
Baltimore may have found the catcher who will be behind the plate before the #2 prospect in baseball is called up. Pedro Severino, 27, stayed consistent from 2019 to 2020 and looks to keep that starting catcher spot for the time being. He hit for a .250/.304/.366/. From where Severino was just a few years ago, the veteran has improved immensely.
The Orioles did sign a former Cy Young Award winner. Felix “King Felix” Hernandez, 34, signed a minor league deal with the club. Hernandez has a career 3.42 ERA and over the course of his time in the majors he has struck out 2,524 batters. Despite signing that minor league contract, Hernandez will likely be given a shot at the Orioles rotation for at least part of 2021.
The squad also signed shortstop Freddy Galvis to a 1-year deal. Galvis averages a .247 batting average and a .677 OPS per season. He will be the starting shortstop for the O’s this season. Galvis played with the Philadelphia Phillies from 2012-2017, and the San Diego Padres in 2018. He saw action with both the Toronto Blue Jays and the Cincinnati Reds in 2019. Galvis played the 2020 season with the Reds.
The 2021 season will be another chance for a number of young pitchers to show off their arm. Keegan Akin, Michael Baumann, Dillon Tate, and Bruce Zimmerman will all likely be given a chance this season and it will be interesting to see which ones comes out on top. Akin could be a part of the starting pitching rotation come the start of the regular season. Tate will be in the bullpen, but where Baumann and Zimmerman end up remains to be seen.
The future of the Baltimore Orioles is in the minor leagues, and a few young players could be called up this season. The #2 prospect in baseball, Adley Rutschman, may be in the big leagues just two years since being selected with the first overall pick. Although the Orioles have Pedro Severino, Rutschman is the catcher of the future.
Down a little bit in the rankings are right-handed pitcher Grayson Rodriguez and left-handed pitcher DL Hall. Both could possibly be called up in September. Rodriguez had the better chance to be called up in 2021.
Yunsiel Diaz, the main piece in the Manny Machado trade, could finally be called up with season as well. In the minors, Diaz has a career .278 batting average and 42 home runs. The No. 8 prospect in the Orioles organization should find action in one of the corner outfield spots in 2021.
Right-handed pitcher Cody Sedlock may finally get his shot at the major league level. In 2019, Sedlock had a 2.84 ERA in 22 games, 16 of which he started. He also struck out exactly 100 batters.
Infielder Ryan Bannon, another player in the Machado trade, will likely see action . Bannon has a slash line of .280/.375/.481 in the minors thus far. With Hanser Alberto no longer with the team, Bannon could secure second base by the end of the season. Pitcher Alexander Wells, outfielder Ryan McKenna, infielder Tyler Nevin, may all also see action at some point this season; and hopefully, Hunter Harvey gets back in his grove out of the bullpen.
The Baltimore Orioles’ future looked like it might be right around the corner in 2020. Hopefully, many of the prospects that the team will build around will be called up in 2021. Baltimore is still in rebuild mode, but in a few years, the team cold be dominant once again.
MOOSE PRINTS 