It’s easy to compare the Orioles to what the Houston Astros did ten years ago. The playbook is the same, and the leadership for the Orioles can be traced back to the Astros rebuild. The other comparison you can make is that it’s working.
The Orioles Major League team is good but will be much better over the next few years as the players mature and others are promoted. The system is light on pitching, but I think you’ll see the Orioles trade some of their young hitters to acquire pitching both in-season and in the off-season.
Now, the owner has already cried “poor,” and this is the biggest difference in what Houston did.
When Jeff Luhnow interviewed with Jim Crane for the General Manager’s job, he presented multiple slides that pointed to the Houston market to support a winner. Apparently, that section was omitted from Mike Elias’ deck, or the Orioles ignored it. If the Orioles cannot sign their young core long-term, and several of them are represented by the Boras Corporation (Gunnar and Jackson, to name two), they will have to pivot to a Tampa Bay Rays model. While that’s a harder model to follow, the Rays have proven that it’s possible. Given the Orioles’ ability to acquire and develop talent through the use of advanced metrics, I believe they can make that work.
For fantasy managers, owning Orioles’ minor league players is getting tricky. Besides Jackson Holliday and Sam Basallo, many of the other players are blocked. I always bet on the talent, as playing time usually works out. Sometimes, it takes longer, but good players rarely get left out in the cold.
Prospect Snapshot
- Top Prospect: Jackson Holliday
- Biggest Mover: Sam Basallo
- Biggest Disappointment: Colton Cowser
- Emerging Prospect: Luis Almeyda
