Baltimore Orioles: The Most Pleasant Surprises Of The First Week

The Baltimore Orioles are 4-1 thanks to surprising contributions from a few different players who have been highly productive through the first week of the season.

None of you predicted a 4-1 start for the Baltimore Orioles. I sure didn’t. Most of the offseason was spent convincing myself that the wins and losses weren’t going to matter. As soon as the Orioles found themselves down 3-0 in the first inning on Opening Day, I realized that the wins and losses do matter. I want wins.

The Orioles have done just that through the first week of the regular season. In fact, they have defied expectations and won four-straight games after dropping their Opening Day decision. At 4-1, Baltimore has clinched series wins against the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays. Two series wins against American League East opponents, on the road.

We’re still in the honeymoon phase of the Brandon Hyde era and the team is currently on a four-game winning streak, so I’ll give it more time before allowing myself to develop a strong opinion of Hyde’s managerial style. I can say that the aggressive baserunning, varied lineup construction, and management of the starting rotation have all been pleasant surprises.

As for individual players, let’s take a few small sample sizes and run with them to discuss three of the more positive storylines from the first week of the 2019 regular season.