Baltimore Orioles: Reacting to the Giancarlo Stanton signing in AL East

It is no secret that the Baltimore Orioles are in one of the toughest divisions in the MLB. But, with the New York Yankees newest addition, that division just got tougher.

The Baltimore Orioles (who really need a right fielder) now have to play against a team that has both Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton 19 times per season.

And, in the home-run-friendly confines of Camden Yards and the incredibly unfriendly Yankee Stadium, it doesn’t look so good for the Orioles. Especially, when considering the pitching situation.

It’s all fun until you have to face him

I am the first to admit that is was fun watching Stanton go on his home run tear, especially since he was in a different league. With the rumors that he would only sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, it would have been another fun season of watching him hit dingers against NL teams. Not anymore.

sources: yankees and marlins have a deal for giancarlo stanton
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 9, 2017

57 reasons to worry

Now that he will be a regular hitter in the AL East, there are at least 57 reasons to worry. Those 57 reasons are the minimum number of at-bats he will see against Orioles pitching in one season. The odds are good he will be the second or third batter in the lineup – so 57 at-bats against Orioles pitching is most likely going to be a low number.

Where the dingers have been hit

Over the course of Stanton’s eight years in the MLB, he has his 267 home runs, according to Baseball Reference. With his prowess for hitting the long ball, it seems like that number should be bigger, but the 6’6 right-fielder has only three seasons with more than 145 played.

Of those 267 home runs, he has hit them against 25 teams and 201 pitchers. He has hit home runs in 27 parks. There are several parks in the American League that have never been blessed by a Stanton home run. But, this will quickly change when the 2018 season begins.

These home-run-free parks include:

Guaranteed Rate Field
Kauffman Stadium
Oakland Alameda Coliseum
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Progressive Field
Target Field

Stanton has also hit home runs in Turner Field and Dolphin Stadium, as well as Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Even though he has never hit a home run in at Oakland Alameda Coliseum, he has hit a home run against the Athletics. However, he has not yet hit home runs against the Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, and notably, the Baltimore Orioles. He has also not hit against the Marlins, but this will change as the AL East plays the NL East in interleague play in 2018.

Routes to the playoffs

If the Orioles are planning to make it to the playoffs, there are two routes. The first is to win the division, which means getting more wins than the New York Yankees get. There’s also the Boston Red Sox and their outstanding pitching. But, getting more wins than the Yankees will be much more difficult with the newest addition to the lineup. The alternative route is to get into a Wild Card Game.

Of course, the Miami Marlins did not make it to the post-season even with Stanton. And, they happened to be in one of the least competitive divisions – the NL East. So, there is no guarantee that the Yankees will be in the playoffs just because they added Stanton, but their odds certainly did improve.

Next: Hot Stove pitching is getting expensive

No one knows exactly what the 2018 season will hold, but it is certain that Orioles pitching will have to face two big hitters in the Yankees lineup. Hopefully, Dan Duquette will sign a few that can keep the long balls to a minimum. That goal just became slightly more important than it was on Friday.

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