(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
It’s official: the Baltimore Orioles have taken over the American League.
As of Thursday afternoon, they own the best record in the American League while boasting the second-lowest payroll in MLB.
This is very hard to achieve overnight, though: it takes years to put together such as strong collection of talent across the organization.
After their last playoff appearance in 2016, Baltimore started to decline in 2017 and, until 2021, were among the worst squads in the league.
But there is a difference between being bad with no hope and sacrificing present success for a bright, sustainable future.
Some organizations have lacked direction and have fallen in the first group.
The Orioles, thanks mainly to the arrival of Mike Elias as general manager in 2019, are in the second category.
MLB insider Bob Nightengale highlighted their progress over the years.
“A rebuild that is working to perfection: 2018: 47-115; 2019: 54-108; 2020: 25-25 (Covid-shortened season); 2021: 52-110; 2022: 83-79; 2023: 58-37,” he tweeted.
A rebuild that is working to perfection:
2018: 47-115
2019: 54-108
2020: 25-25 (Covid-shortened season)
2021: 52-110
2022: 83-79
2023: 58-37 https://t.co/H6TUIBPZl5
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 20, 2023
A small correction: the O’s 2020 record was 25-35.
In 2017, they were 75-87.
From there, they started to decline and hit rock bottom in a four-season span between 2018-21.
During those years, they did things they usually didn’t do: they drafted well, made savvy trades, and even turned their attention to the international market.
2022 was the year of the breakthrough: Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson made their debuts, and they finished with a positive record.
If 2022 was the breakthrough, 2023 has been the consolidation of an exciting project, with more debuts (Grayson Rodriguez, Jordan Westburg, and Colton Cowser, among others) and more talent on the way.
Going from a 110-loss team to the best record in the American League in a span of two years is nothing short of amazing.
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