3 under the radar Orioles to watch in 2024

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The expectations are through the roof for the Orioles this season. In 2023, the O's won 101 games and finished as the one seed in the A.L. Coming into 2024, the team is looking to repeat this success on the backs of star players such as Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, and Corbin Burnes. But every star needs a good supporting cast. So, here are three Orioles who aren't getting talked about enough coming into this season.

Dillon Tate, Relief Pitcher

Tate is an interesting piece coming into this season. He dealt with elbow and forearm injuries throughout 2023, leading to him missing the entire season. I think fans are overlooking the impact that Tate could have on the team in 2024.

Tate has had an up and down career, but the stuff has always been nasty for him. He finally figured it out for a full season in 2022, reaching a career high in innings, strikeouts, and appearances. He also had the lowest ERA of his career at just 3.05 and a miniscule WHIP of just 0.99.

Baltimore Orioles v New York Yankees / Elsa/GettyImages

His calling card is his sinker, which had an absurd 20 run value in 2022, placing him in the 97th percentile. It's a bowling ball at the bottom of the zone and it boasted incredible results as Tate's primary pitch. Opponents had just a .214 batting average and .260 slugging percentage against his sinker, leading to consistent, soft contact (97th percentile ground ball rate). Tate threw his sinker over 50% of the time and didn't allow a single home run off it the entire season.

If Tate is truly back to 100%, he should be much needed reinforcements for the Orioles bullpen this season. With Felix Bautista likely out for the season, DL Hall pitching in Milwaukee, and Tyler Wells and Cole Irvin being moved to the rotation due to other injuries, Dillon Tate is going to have a huge role. It'll be fun to watch him bounce back.

Jordan Westburg, INF

It's easy to overlook Jordan Westburg with all of the infield talent in the Orioles system. Gunnar Henderson just won Rookie of the Year, Jackson Holliday is the best prospect in baseball at just 19 years old, and Coby Mayo and Connor Norby are knocking on the major league door. I think Westburg deserves his flowers.

Westburg didn't light the world on fire, but not many do when they first get promoted. Instead, Westburg played very strong defense at multiple infield positions while providing league-average offense. Now that Westburg has a few months of service time, the former top 30 MLB prospect could be ready for a sophomore breakout.

Westburg slashed .260/.311/.404 in his first 68 MLB games while clubbing 3 home runs and driving in 23 runs. The power wasn't there in his small MLB sample size, but his minor league numbers show that he has it in him. In 2022, he hit 27 home runs between Norfolk and Bowie and he hit 18 home runs before being promoted in 2023.

He's going to get playing time around the infield this season thanks to his stellar glove, but don't be surprised if Westburg develops into a serious offensive threat this season.

Jorge Mateo, UTIL

I understand if your expectations for Mateo aren't the highest, but I do think Mateo has a chance to make a big impact on the team. I'll start by saying it won't be as an "every day," player because he simply doesn't have the bat for it. Last season, Mateo had an OPS+ of just 70, meaning he was 30% worse than the average MLB hitter. But even with his poor offensive play, Mateo still has value.

Division Series - Texas Rangers v Baltimore Orioles - Game Two / Patrick Smith/GettyImages

Mateo does two things extremely well, he runs the bases as well as anyone, and he plays good defense. The infield is filling up, but Mateo is rumored to be getting more action in the outfield. Mateo is reportedly playing more centerfield, which would allow him to be a super utility player for the O's. That is certainly valuable, and it doesn't hurt that he has also stolen 30+ bases in each of the last two seasons.

With all of this being said, I think the area of Mateo's game that is being overlooked is his offense. Mateo struggles against righties, and I'm not claiming that will change. He could end up being a very nice platoon bat for Brandon Hyde off of the bench.

Last season Mateo slashed .276/.328/.417 with 3 of his 7 home runs against lefties. These aren't eye-popping numbers, but if he can be an above average hitter against lefties and be an elite defender and base runner, Mateo is going to get some playing time.

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