Baltimore Orioles Roundtable: Bold Predictions, Expectations, And More

As the Baltimore Orioles kick off spring training today, the staff at Birds Watcher answers a few questions as part of a first day of spring round table.

Welcome to the first day of spring training, Baltimore Orioles fans! Pitchers and catchers officially report to Sarasota, Florida, today, with first workouts taking place tomorrow.

There are a number of interesting storylines to keep you entertained this spring, but the influx of high-profile prospects, such as Adley Rutschman, who will be in camp has Orioles fans excited for the return of baseball, even if that excitement won’t linger around for very long.

With players reporting to camp today, the staff here at Birds Watcher came together over the weekend and answered a few questions about the upcoming season to unofficially kick off our coverage of the 2020 season.

We would love to hear your responses, as well! Over the next few slides, you can read each staff member’s responses to the following set of questions:

1. What has you excited about the 2020 season?
2. USA Today recently projected the Orioles to win 57 games this season. Are you taking the over or under?
3. What is your one bold prediction for 2020? It’s ok to get a little crazy with this one!
4. Who is this year’s John Means?

Check out what our staff had to say about each question and then let us know your responses.

What has you excited about the Baltimore Orioles 2020 season?

Contributor Ryan Beckwith- A lot of things. Obviously the prospects will be fun to follow, but I can’t wait to see Jose Iglesias at shortstop. He should turn out to be a leading example for others on the field. Also, I’ll be rooting for John Means to prove his rookie success wasn’t a fluke.

Site Expert Nick Stevens- At the major league level, I’m anxious to see how guys like Anthony Santander, Hunter Harvey, and John Means perform. We know Trey Mancini is a contributor on a winning Orioles team, now we need to find out if guys like those previously mentioned can stick around.

Contributor Jesse Morrison-   The 2020 season does not excite me from a big club perspective. However, the improved farm system will be what I follow the most this year. The Orioles farm system has four prospects in the MLB Pipeline Top 100:  Adley Rutschman (No. 4), Grayson Rodriguez (No. 36), DL Hall (No. 69) and Ryan Mountcastle (No. 94). All are super exciting prospects to keep track. Expect me to write about some minor league stuff this season.

Contributor Chuck Boemmel- I am excited to see Austin Hays come out of spring training as the center fielder in Baltimore. I feel that his injuries are well behind him and he will show that he will be a dynamic addition to the Orioles outfield.

Contributor Ben Schneider-  First and foremost, I am excited to watch baseball again, whether that is the Orioles or any other baseball team.  For the Orioles, I am excited to see more of the prospects debut this season and whether they have what it takes to stick around the majors.  With the rebuild in year two, this is the first season where we will see if any of the moves former GM Dan Duquette and current GM Mike Elias have made pay off.  Much like last season, I will be focusing on the minor leagues where most of the top prospects still are and where they hopefully improve.

Contributor Ari Ezra- There is a lot to be excited about the birds in 2020. I am most excited to see the O’s starting pitching this season. You might say why? The Orioles pitching staff had a historically bad 2019. I must say there’s only room for growth this season. With that season of baseball under the team’s belt many players were able to gain experience at the highest level. I look forward to All-Star John Means returning to the bump this season. We can also look forward to the many young pitching stars soon arriving at Camden Yards.

Will the Baltimore Orioles win more or less than 57 games in 2020?

Contributor Ari Ezra- I am going to take the under that the O’s won’t reach the 57 win mark. I don’t see the O’s besting their 2019 season total of 54 wins because the team is still in rebuild mode. The Orioles do not look a lot different from last season. The pitching staff will need to improve, with starters having more quality appearances. The top half of the lineup is actually not bad on paper. The Orioles will have the capability to arrange some solid contact hitters in Austin Hays, Trey Mancini, Hanser Alberto, and Jose Iglesias. My biggest concern is that every other team in the AL East got bigger and better. The Orioles went 2-17 against the Yankees alone last season. With their big bats and Gerrit Cole alone, I could see a 2020 record that replicates last season.

Contributor Ben Schneider- This is a really tough question to answer because 57 wins is exactly the borderline this season.  Last year’s 59.5 was definitely generous and easy to bet the under on, but the 2020 Orioles should theoretically be better than the 54 wins in 2019, even after trading away Dylan Bundy and Jonathan Villar.  In my five-year outlook, I said the Orioles would win 58 this season and I am going to stick with that.  I believe in the rookies succeeding this year.

Contributor Chuck Boemmel- I’m going to go with the over, say 59 wins.  While there have been some tweaks to the roster (Jose Iglesias and Kohl Stewart), it looks like the roster will be essentially what we had in 2019.  2020’s record may very well hinge on who emerges as the fourth and fifth starters on the pitching staff.

Contributor Jesse Morrison-  I think the Orioles will get more than the 57 wins USA Today projected. With John Means having a full season under his belt, he should improve. I think Trey Mancini could have an even better year this season than in 2019. With complimentary hitters in Hanser Alberto and Renato Nunez, I could see the Orioles going 65-97. The bullpen and the rest of the staff after Means scare me too much for me to go any higher than 65 wins.

Site Expert Nick Stevens- Maybe it’s the smell of fresh grass or the sounds of mits popping in spring bullpens, but I’m taking the over. We’re going to see some top prospects like Mountcastle and Akin come up, there’s also a long list of young players and Rule 5 picks who are out to prove themselves. This team is far from a .500 club, but they will be better than last season.

Contributor Ryan Beckwith- I want to stay optimistic so I’ll take the over, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they lose 100 games again because they’re making substantial progress with player infrastructure at the lower levels yet the major league roster remains thin.

What is your bold prediction for 2020?

Site Expert Nick Stevens- I came up with five bold predictions just before the 2019 season and every single one of them was a complete bust, so I have to redeem myself this season. For my 2020 bold prediction, I’m picking Austin Hays to win the Rookie of the Year Award. Despite all of the injuries, he’s a special talent.

Contributor Ben Schneider- The Orioles will make a whopping three trades at the deadline after just one small move last year.  Mychal Givens is the obvious choice, but I think Asher Wojciechowski and Jose Iglesias will both play well enough to return some low-level prospects with potential, much like the Andrew Cashner trade.  Both of them are on in their 30’s and on short contracts, so other teams could be interested in them for a half-season, and the Orioles get the young players more time on the field.

Contributor Jesse Morrison- My bold prediction for the 2020 season is a Hanser Alberto batting title. Alberto is entering his prime at 27-years-old and is coming off quite the season where he hit .305, including .398 off lefties. He should up his average against right-handed pitchers in 2020 as he must have worked on being better against righties in the offseason. After watching his approach last year, I could see him being a prime candidate for a batting title with the way he battles

Contributor Chuck Boemmel- The roadblock at first base and DH (Chris Davis, Trey Mancini and Renato Nunez) will limit Ryan Mountcastle’s potential at-bats at the MLB level and as such will keep him in Norfolk at least until the trade deadline.

Contributor Ryan Beckwith- Chris Davis finds his groove again and smashes 40 home runs, but due to his drastically inconsistent performance the O’s can’t ship him anywhere. Most people think he is a lost cause and they’re probably right, but Davis was the best slugger in the game for a brief period so it could happen again.

Contributor Ari Ezra- Jose Iglesias will be a Gold Glove candidate this season. Iglesias has been in contention throughout the past few years to win the award, however this year I think he will thrive as the leader of the infield. His glove has been showcased since his days with the Red Sox and Tigers. As an Oriole, I think he will be a very underrated addition that could end up being a key piece to the 2020 season.