Why the Orioles' lack of experience won't prevent a deep postseason run

With a young, up and coming team like the Orioles, one of the most common criticisms you will hear — in baseball and across all sports — is that they lack playoff experience. They have not been there, they have not won, and they do not have the "it" factor that separates really good teams from World Series champions.

Outside of getting swept by the Rangers in the 2023 ALDS, the Orioles haven't been to the playoffs since 2016. So, by extension, much of their roster lacks significant postseason experience.

On their current 40-man roster, excluding players on the 60-day IL, 25/40 (62.5%) Orioles have played in at least one playoff game. However, this number is misleading, because 13 of these 25 players have only played in the 2023 ALDS, which was just three games.

Among pitchers on the 40-man roster, 12/22 have pitched at least an inning in the playoffs. In order from most to least innings pitched, the list includes: Kimbrel, Burnes, Domínguez, Eflin, Webb, Soto, Kremer, Perez, Rodriguez, Rogers, Cano, and Baker.

These 12 pitchers have struggled during the postseason, as they have surrendered 60 ER in 95.2 playoff innings (5.66 ERA).

Is it a good thing that Craig Kimbrel has the most playoff experience of any Orioles' pitcher?

The pitcher with the most innings is Kimbrel, who sports a 4.50 ERA in 30 playoff innings. While he didn't pitch great overall (5.91 ERA), he collected six saves for the Red Sox en route to their 2018 World Series title. He has struggled for the O's this season, but perhaps they will turn to him for some big innings come October given his resume.

After Kimbrel, Seranthony Domínguez brings the next most experience from his time with the Phillies, pitching to a 1.13 ERA in 16.0 innings. He also has World Series experience from the Phillies run in 2022 but he hasn't won a ring.

Zach Eflin brings 15.2 innings of playoff experience but has compiled a 5.17 ERA. He did pitch well out of the Phillies bullpen in the 2022 World Series, throwing 4.1 innings of scoreless ball against the feared Houston Astros lineup.

Finally, Corbin Burnes is one of their best playoff performers, as he put together a 2.84 ERA across 19.0 innings with the Brewers.

Outside of these four, no other pitcher has more than seven innings of playoff experience. So, it may be important to lean on Burnes/Eflin in the rotation and Domínguez/Kimbrel in the 'pen, as they bring the most experience and confidence in those big moments.

Moving on to position players, 13/18 position players on the 40-man have played at least an inning in the playoffs. In order from most to least at-bats, the list includes: Jimenez, Rivera, Rutschman, Mullins, Henderson, Santander, Mountcastle, Westburg, McCann, O'Hearn, Slater, and Urias.

The Orioles' position players have struggled in October, as they are 29/122 (.238) with a .279 OBP, .336 SLG, .615 OPS, and two homeruns.

Almost shockingly, no Oriole position player has more than 20 playoff at-bats

For reference, 27-year-old Yordan Alvarez alone has 207 at-bats across four postseasons with the Astros — more than the entire Orioles roster combined.

Eloy Jimenez has the most experience, as he went 6-19 (.316) with 3 RBIs in the 2020 and '21 ALDS.

After Eloy, former Diamondback Emmanuel Rivera brings experience from last year's title chase. He was 4-17 across the playoffs and 2-5 with a double and 2 RBIs against the Rangers in the World Series.

Outside of Jimenez and Rivera, their top playoff performers are Gunnar Henderson and Anthony Santander, and their experience is limited to last year's ALDS. They each swatted homeruns in that series, which are the only playoff homeruns that current Orioles have.

It becomes evident that the Orioles' roster, from pitchers to position players, lacks playoff experience in terms of both quality and quantity. No pitcher has thrown more than 30 playoff innings, no hitter has more than 20 playoff at-bats, and only four players (Kimbrel, Domínguez, Eflin, Rivera) have actually played in a World Series.

While the stats aren't pretty and the narrative is hard to beat, every World Series team starts from somewhere. Little by little, players who were once frightened rookies gain experience in big moments and, in turn, develop a sense of confidence and ease under the bright lights of October.

Plus, the O's have some leaders to guide them. Kimbrel has pitched in and won a World Series, Eflin and Dominguez looked solid with the Phils, and Burnes was stellar with the Brewers. Henderson and Santander also looked like seasoned veterans in the 2023 ALDS and hopefully new O's will blossom this postseason, just like Gunnar and Tony did last year.

With the older veterans leading the way and younger playoff stars hopefully emerging, the Orioles — with a little bit of October magic — will hopefully put the "young and inexperienced" narrative behind them and gain the respect that they deserve.