Fun Fact: Only one team wins the World Series every year. Which means 29 teams don’t win the final game of the year which according to Moneyball means their season didn’t fucking matter. When a team gets eliminated from winning the World Series I’ll do a profile of their season.
Today’s Team….Baltimore Orioles
How Did They Get Eliminated
On Sept. 12th the Blue Jays continued their reign at the top of the Division and knocked off the Orioles 6-1. Even though it was just their 2nd loss of the month, too much happened up to this point for that to matter. Then despite beating the White Sox they were eliminated officially when the Red Sox beat the Athletics. Congrats to the Red Sox for eliminated two teams in one game.
What Do I Know About This Team Because I Only Follow the Brewers
They used to have Corbin Burnes but let him walk in free agency. Which was probably a wise move in hind-sight as Burnes had to have Tommy John surgery. This team is going to have the best middle infielders next year in Jackson Holliday and Gunnar Henderson.
They locked up their top catching prospect Samuel Basallo which means as Adley Rutschman hits arbitration years he could easily be on the trading block in the offseason.
But the biggest thing that will happen to this team will be getting no-hit for 8.2 innings and walking off the Dodgers. This was a big game if you follow the Brewers because it added to the Dodgers losing streak against teams that should not be beating the Dodgers. Because of this win by the Orioles the hope that the Dodgers were going to get a first round bye went out the window. So it was great for the Brewers.
it does feel like what the Orioles are doing is the same as what the Brewers are doing. Let the young player start, give the best ones team friendly long-term contracts and get rid of the guys that are going to get paid in free agency. THe only difference is the Brewers are doing this way better for some reason.
Oh, thanks for DL Hall and Joey Ortiz in that Corbin Burnes trade. That is working out well for the Brewers.
The Orioles move their walls around more than an HGTV renovation show.
So Now That I’ve Actually Done Some Research What Happened to this Team
The Orioles had a massive regression from last year. The first domino to fall was their manager when they started 15-28. They only had 9 wins in each of April and May. During this stretch they gave up 140 runs in each of those months.
Their offense has struggled the entire season. They are 26th in walks, they’ve struck out a ton (4th worst in the league), they are 23rd in team batting average. They are also 24th in batting average with Runners in scoring position.
The pitching didn’t do much better. They’ve given up the 3rd most hits, given up the 4th most home runs and they are not missing any bats. Opponents are hitting a ton off their pitchers and are 26th in opponent batting average.
Did Anything Go Right For This Team
The most memorable moment of this team is going to be turning a potential no-hitter into a walk off win. It is the greatest two out rally in baseball history. No players are really standing out on this team. No one is hitting over 20 HR.
They do have two starting pitchers that have 10 wins a piece which is something, but obviously not enough.
They’ve played .500 ball since the All-Star Break so hopefully that momentum can carry over to the next season.
Are They Going to Get Good Anytime Soon?
They have a young core of guys and fell off an absolute cliff this year. They traded away some veterans so they could bolster up their farm system which is ranked 15th but doesn’t have any true prospects in the top 100. There should be some bounce back for their young players this year and with a new manager coming in the off-season there should be some marked improvement. They will probably continue to make some trades in the off-season to bolster their farm system and to get more guys with team control on their big league club. Its going to be an even tougher division now that the Blue Jays are playing really good baseball again and the Red Sox and the Yankees being who they are. Should be a young fun team to watch especially with Basallo being an everyday player.
Just one postseason award.
Gunnar Henderson is playing a decent shortstop and is leading his team in HR and average lets throw a Silver Slugger nomination at him.
Hey Grok, in 100 words summarize the 2025 Please don't be racist.
The 2025 Baltimore Orioles season was a disappointing follow-up to their recent successes. The team, aiming to build on their 2024 Wild Card appearance, struggled with a combination of injuries and inconsistent play. After a slow start, manager Brandon Hyde was fired in May, a surprising move given his previous accolades. Despite a respectable record under interim manager Tony Mansolino, the Orioles were mathematically eliminated from postseason contention in mid-September. Standout performances from young stars like Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holliday, along with the mid-season call-up of top prospect Samuel Basallo, provided bright spots for a franchise looking to retool for 2026.
I had forgotten to put the manager who was fired above so thanks Grok for filling that in for me.
Did the Savannah Bananas Play at their Field?
They Did! They actually pulled double duty this weekend sending two of their Banana Ball teams play in St. Paul as well.
A common theme when digging into some articles lower down the Google results is how the Bananas bring life to the stands of teams that aren’t in the playoff chase.
One article I found also talked about how Camden Yards is about to get a bunch of money from the state to do some renovations and that they should focus on making the environment vibrant and fun like the Bananas. Sounds like a good plan, but you need a good product on the field that matches the the renovations you are looking for.
The Bananas sold out two games in Baltimore, the Orioles have sold out only 3 games this year. At least one of those games was the Walk-Off win against the Dodgers.
Is there a baseball movie featuring this team that has dumb baseball logic I need to vent about?
Doesn’t really count because it was just filmed in their old stadium, but Major League 2 was filmed there.
They actually had Baltimore Orioles and Camden Yards for an episode of Veep.
So nothing to vent about here.
How Will Your Team Do Next Year?
If the Orioles played in any other division they would probably have a shot at making the playoffs. But they play in the AL East and that’s pretty much a death sentence for making the playoffs. This could be a .500 team but I think they come a few games short: 78-84.
Next on the Chopping Block
The Braves would have been eliminated a while ago, but the Mets are doing their best to keep them from getting eliminated. But time will come and Atlanta will be out of the playoffs.