Baltimore Orioles: Three Players Who Must Show Up In 2020

We learned a lot about certain players in 2019, but these three Baltimore Orioles will need to step up in a big way next year.

With the 2019 season now over for the Baltimore Orioles, it’s time to start looking ahead to the offseason. General manager Mike Elias has already come out and stated that the organization isn’t likely to spend a big chunk of money and, once again, the win/loss record is not the top priority in 2020. Development is the top goal.

Looking over the current roster, there are a handful of names we can immediately mark as those who will be removed to make room for Rule 5 eligible prospects. There are also a few locks to make the 2020 Opening Day roster. The focus for today is three players who will be around in 2020 but have to show up next season after years of promise and sub-par production at the major league level.

The first player on notice in 2020  is catcher Chance Sisco. A former top prospect in the Orioles system, Sisco will be 25 next season and can still develop into something more, but we have to see sustained success soon or his future with the organization will be short-lived.

Obviously, Adley Rutschman is the man of the future, but having a second man behind the dish who a team can rely on is important, especially if you want to make a postseason run. The organization isn’t deep at the catcher position, so Sisco has the opportunity to earn a backup job, if he starts producing at the plate.

Sisco’s defensive struggles are well-documented and his Baseball Savant numbers don’t show much of an improvement. Of the 57 catchers who made at least 10 pick-off attempts at second base, Sisco ranks 53rd in pop-time (2.09) and ranks 47th in arm strength (79.1 mph). His issues behind the plate wouldn’t be as much of a talking point if his offense ever picks up, especially if he’s going to be Rustchman’s backup.

A hot stretch after his callup in 2019 had many fans excited about Sisco finally figuring things out, but the excitement quickly faded. Sisco finished with a .210 average, eight home runs, a 31% strikeout rate, a wRC+ of 96, and was worth -0.2 fWAR in 59 games. He hit just .168 with a .299 OBP and posted a wRC+ of 53 after the All-Star break.

Sisco did increase his contact rate, swung at fewer first pitches, significantly cut his whiff rate, and increased his line-drive rate from 18% in 2018 to 27%, while cutting his groundball rate by nearly 10%. He’s always been a guy who can get on base, now he needs to show he can hit the ball to earn a place on the roster.

Up next, a reliever who finished 2019 on a positive note.

Will DJ Stewart find a spot in the lineup in 2020 for the Baltimore Orioles?

The emergence of Austin Hays in September was not only a huge boost for morale among fans who stuck around with this team, but it has also made the outfield competition very interesting, in a good way.

We know that Chris Davis is coming back, at least for spring training, and Renato Nunez appears poised to take on the full-time DH role, according to MASN’s Roch Kubatko. That means another season of Trey Mancini in the outfield. Hays is the early leader for the starting centerfield job, leaving just one spot open.

The competition for left field will include the likes of Anthony Santander (my way too early pick for Opening Day starter), Dwight Smith Jr. possibly Cedric Mullins, and former first-round pick DJ Stewart. 2019 was a disappointing year for Stewart, some of it due to uncontrollable circumstances, but there’s no denying that he needs a big 2020.

More from Birds Watcher

• Baltimore Orioles Sign RP Mychal Givens
• Gunnar Henderson: Destroyer of Four-Seam Fastballs
• Which Current Baltimore Orioles Pitchers Have the Best Curveballs?
• Orioles News: Should the O’s Pursue Eovaldi? + More MLB News
• Should the Baltimore Orioles Consider Signing Nathan Eovaldi?

After dominating his way through Triple-A, Stewart played in 44 games in 2019, hitting .238 with four home runs, six doubles, and a .698 OPS. A former 20-20 guy in the minors (20 HR, 20 SB), Stewart swiped just one bag. He posted a wRC+ of 86 and was worth -0.3 fWAR.

Take the advanced defensive metrics for what you will, especially with the smaller sample size, but Stewart recorded -4 Defensive Runs Saved and a -1.8 Ultimate Zone Rating in the outfield. You really don’t need to look at his defensive ratings to know how poor his defense was this season.

When we look back at Stewart’s 2019, we’re likely to remember him running into Hanser Alberto and suffering an ankle injury, his outfield miscues, and his slipping and taking a flyball off his head. Not exactly a way to make a positive impression heading into 2020.

Will competition pull out the best in Stewart when spring training rolls around? If he can perform consistently at the plate, he can be a valuable fourth outfielder behind Mancini, Hays, and Santander in 2020 with home run power and some speed, hopefully.

Want to join a team of hardcore Orioles fans and write about an exciting rebuild from the jump? Check out the link above and come join the team. Also, give us a follow on Twitter @BirdsWatcherFS.