Baltimore Orioles: How The Orioles Compare To Baseball’s Other Rebuilding Clubs

Current Major League Talent Signed Through 2022:

When comparing the Royals and Orioles locked up major league talent, it’s easy to say both teams desperately need pitching help. Outside of Baltimore’s Means and Brad Keller of Kansas City, neither team either have relief or starting pitchers on their current roster who are likely ever going to help their respective teams win.

Thus, this comparison will be completely based on offense, and it’s the Royals who have the edge. Of their productive bats, Mancini and Santander are currently under contract long-term for the Orioles. Kansas City, on the other hand as a much of young offensive talent locked up.

All-star Whit Merrifield is on a long-term team-friendly deal, 27-year-old Jorge Soler who has hit 35 home runs this season is locked up along with Ryan O’Hearn, Hunter Dozier and Adalberto Mondesi.

Kansas City’s young offensive core is just now reaching the majors and is developing while getting to play big-league games while Baltimore’s is still further behind.

Advantage: Royals

Minor League Offensive Depth:

As touched on, the Orioles minor league system is offensive heavy. Six of their top 10 prospects are offensive players, and the Orioles had a hitter heavy beginning to the 2019 MLB Draft. Thus, they have among the best offensive minor league talent in the MLB.

Unlike Baltimore, Kansas City does not have as many big bats in the minors. Their top prospect is shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. who was the second overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft. Their next highest rated bat is their fourth-ranked prospect Khalil Lee who does not rank among baseball’s top 100 prospects. Of their top ten prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, just four are offensive players.

In addition, many of the Royals minor league bats have had rough 2019 seasons. 2017 first-round pick Nick Pratto is batting below .200 in High-A ball, Seuly Matias is also below the Mendoza line in High-A, and Michael Gigliotti tore the cover off the ball in Low-A but hasn’t been nearly the same player in High-A.

With the Orioles having several talented bats in their system including the top overall pick Rutschman and top 100 prospect and near MLB ready Mountcastle they have the edge here.

Advantage: Orioles

Minor League Pitching Depth:

While the Orioles have two pitchers in Rodriguez and Hall who are ranked among baseball’s top 100 prospects they simply don’t have the pitching depth many other organizations have in their minor league system.

The Royals, on the other hand, are loaded with young pitchers destined to reach the majors. Their top pitching prospect is former Florida Gator Brady Singer who ranks as baseball’s 56th best prospect. After pitching to a 1.87 ERA in High-A this season was promoted to Double-A. Kansas City also has baseball’s 76th best prospect in left-handed pitcher Daniel Lynch. Lynch has been promoted twice this season and is now in High-A ball where he has pitched to a 3.09 ERA in 11 starts.

Not only do the Royals have two of the games best pitching prospects in Singer and Lynch they are loaded from the top to bottom of their farm system in the arms department. Some of those other arms include Jackson Kowar who has a 3.25 ERA in Double-A this season and Kris Bubic who has a 2.62 ERA in High-A.

While Baltimore may have two of the flashier arms, the Royals have more depth when it comes to minor league pitching depth.

Advantage: Royals

Who’s in better shape? 

Five short years ago the Royals and Orioles were playing in the ALCS now we’re discussing which team is closer to getting back there.

When comparing the organizational depth of both teams, it’s the Royals who are further along in their rebuild. The Royals have been through a major rebuild that eventually ended in two pennants and a world series victory and again look to be building up their farm system the right way.

They have far more impact arms than the Orioles do on the farm and have enough hitting in the minors to find a handful of players who will one day be ready to join their already offensive young core in the big leagues.

Also, the Royals have the benefit of rebuilding in a division where the Tigers are in worse shape than the Orioles, White Sox are an unknown, Indians are likely going to tear down at seasons end and the Twins still have question marks. The Orioles have to deal with the Yankees, Rays, Red Sox and soon the Blue Jays as they rebuild.

Verdict: Royals are a year or two ahead of Baltimore. 

Current Major League Talent Signed Through 2022:

Comparing the Orioles and Marlins is a little tricky due to the fact the two clubs are constructed a little differently to due Miami playing in the National League and Baltimore being an American League club. However, there is something that helps us come to a verdict when deciding which team’s young major league talent is better. That would be pitching.

Outside of Means, the Orioles do not have a single pitcher on their current roster that has the fan base thinking they’ll be apart of the next playoff team in Baltimore. The Marlins, on the other hand, have some really talented young pitchers who have pitched well in the majors this season.

23-year-old Sandy Alcantara was an all-star this season, 28-year-old Caleb Smith has an ERA under four, 23-year-old Jordan Yamamoto has had outings where he’s been simply un-hittable, and even 24-year-old Elieser Hernandez has shown flashes of potential.

In the bullpen, the Marlins have promising arms such as former Tampa Bay Ray Ryne Stanek and 26-year-old Jarlin Garcia who has an ERA of 2.83 in 34 games.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Marlins have a young star in the making in Brian Anderson young bats such as Jon Berti and Isan Diaz who are making solid first impressions in the majors and Jorge Alfaro who has been a surprisingly great replacement for J.T. Realmuto behind the plate.

No, the Marlins are no powerhouse, but their young talent has a ton of potential and is just now reaching the majors meaning the results aren’t pretty yet, but surely might be later. Their current major league team that is already under contract for 2022 and beyond is almost a lock to be better than what the Orioles currently have in the majors locked up through that point in time.

Advantage: Marlins 

Minor League Offensive Depth:

The Miami Marlins have struggled to find a consistent offensive attack for several years including when Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna were still in town. Thus the bats in their minor league talent have a ton of pressure to succeed.

Luckily for Miami, they do have solid bats throughout the organization such as 2019 first-round selection JJ Bleday who is already in High-A with 13 RBI’s in 21 games. Miami also has the big bat of baseball’s 42nd best prospect Jesus Sanchez who’s in Triple-A batting .294 in his first nine games since being promoted. Finally, they have three other MLB top 100 prospects who are position players in newly acquired Jazz Chisholm, Diaz who’s now in the majors and Monte Harrison.

Outside of those bats Miami also has Lewin Diaz who some of compared to the legendary Fred McGriff, and Victor Victor Mesa who was once of one the biggest international prospects in the sport.

While Baltimore also has a ton of offensive talent in the minors, it doesn’t quite compare to the Marlins young bats.

Advantage: Marlins 

Minor League Pitching Depth: 

When it comes to minor league pitching depth both the Marlins and Orioles, have some big-name prospects such as the duo of Rodriguez and Hall for Baltimore and Sixto Sanchez of the Marlins who is baseball’s sixth-best right-handed pitching prospect.

As a whole, the edge goes to the Orioles. Sanchez is the Marlins top prospect according to MLB pipeline, and their next rated pitcher comes seventh in the organization (Edward Cabrera).

Hall and Rodriguez both rank among the Orioles top three prospects and Kremer, Michael Baumann and Zac Lowther all rank among the team’s top 10. In addition, Baltimore has former second-round draft pick Keegan Akin and former first-rounder Hunter Harvey a step away from the majors in Triple-A.

Thus, despite having the best overall pitching prospect among these two teams the Marlins minor league pitching staff does not have as much depth as the Orioles.

Advantage: Orioles

Who’s in better shape?

This one’s close but the Marlins are in slightly better shape than the Orioles right now. Miami’s farm system is loaded with big bats and has one of the game’s best pitching prospect in Sanchez. Their current major league roster has a handful of young players already proving they belong which is something the Orioles do not have much of.

While Baltimore has some mashers in their farm system and has more pitching depth on the farm than Miami, they only have one arm currently in the majors that looks like a future difference-maker while Miami has four or five.

If that doesn’t sell you, the Marlins also have the luxury of rebuilding in the National League where right now they and the Pirates seem to be the only two teams out of the postseason race while the Orioles are stuck in the same division where four teams may be making postseason pushes by the time their ready to compete.

Verdict: Marlins are a year ahead of Baltimore. 

The Orioles are NOT Baseball’s worst team

As ugly as 2019 has been and will continue to be the Baltimore Orioles are not the worst team baseball and not just because they don’t have the worst record.

The Detroit Tigers hardly have one player on their current big league roster who is thought to be a major difference maker when the team is ready to compete. As good as their farm system is, they are pitching heavy and in today’s baseball where everyone’s hitting home runs, the Tigers don’t have enough offense in their farm system to say they feel confident in their future right now.

While Detroit might be worse than Baltimore, Kansas City and Miami are both better. The Royals have a young core already in the majors that should be around for a while and like the core that won them a title in 2015 may take a while to win, but surely have to the potential to do so.
Miami, is loaded with big-bats in the minors and has a rotation now that is better than a handful of teams and is only going to get better as they continue to gain experience.

Thus, in conclusion, the Baltimore Orioles seem to rank second behind the Tigers when ranking baseball’s worst teams.

Do you agree that the Baltimore Orioles are not in the worst shape of all MLB teams? Comment your thoughts below.