Finally, an Orioles season where the opening weekend may not be as good as it gets.
Also, non sequitur, but read on to learn about changes to a paid model for this newsletter.
The first weekend of the Orioles season, in recent years, has been the high water mark of the entire deal.
In 2019, they went into New York and took two out of three from the Yankees then went to Toronto for David Hess’ near no-hitter to win two more – then only won 50 more games over the next six months. The delayed 2020 season featured José Iglesias as an offensive catalyst in a series win in Boston, and similarly the Orioles started in Boston last year and swept them in embarrassing fashion.
Each year, they turned back into pumpkins, and whether they have that same kind of improbably weekend this time around at their House of Horrors that is Tropicana Field, this year will eventually feature the same kind of return to the bottom as all those did.
So what’s the point? This year, the hope is, there will be a bounce once they do hit the basement.
The team that’s playing at the Trop on Friday might only slightly resemble the Orioles team that’s playing out the string in August and September, because this is the year the first wave of prospects Elias and his front office either drafted (Adley Rutschman, Kyle Stowers) or meaningfully developed (pitchers Grayson Rodriguez, DL Hall, and Kyle Bradish) are set to arrive in the big leagues and start to turn the Orioles around.
Elias said Thursday:
“This has been a period of building our organization from scratch, from the bottom up. We’ve gotten a lot done in this time to update our capabilities throughout every pocket of the organization, build talent throughout the organization, and now we’re in a position despite the struggles we’ve had at the major league level, despite the youth and lack of established players on our roster, we have a talented major league roster with a lot of players that have their careers in front of them, and we’re sitting on top of the best minor league system in baseball, and those players are getting closer and closer to joining at Camden Yards. I think we view this season as one of importance, aspiration, hope for the Orioles, as we start to demonstrate the product of the work we’ve been putting in all around the organization the last few years with the guys that are going to be on the field tomorrow, and more and more coming to join them throughout the year.”
For years, that’s all anyone has wanted – to not read (or I suppose write) stories about minor leaguers or player development trends to distract from a week-long losing streak in the majors, but to see that influence the Orioles and make them a better team. Barring a catastrophe, it’s going to start happening this year.
Elias saying so means it better, and even those who don’t agree with the either-or nature of focusing on player development while fielding a 100-loss team should hope it does. Another year of setbacks could bring the project under real scrutiny, and the only thing worse than what’s happened at Camden Yards the last few years is the prospect of having someone else try to start it over or change the course they’re currently on.
The beginning of the season is always exciting. I remember, perhaps because they were winning and it would never be this good again, that I would always write a ton this weekend. It made sense to capitalize on what was going to be the zenith of the Orioles’ season.
It would be very funny if they started this season by doing something they haven’t done since 2017 and won a series at Tampa Bay. If they do, the knowledge that it won’t be as good as it gets should make it even better.
And now, this part
I launched this newsletter in the middle of a lockout, having left the Sun on my own terms but obviously not prepared to leave writing about the Orioles behind. It was a necessary life change, and I’m glad to say it’s been worth it. I’m more present for my family in body and mind, and I like my new job a lot. I’m also really excited for baseball to start back up around here again and get out to some games.
There are so many fascinating stories to tell in this organization. I used the first half of this newsletter’s existence to report some very fun stories, then made a conscious decision to leave the reporting to the reporters during spring training.
I always lamented how long it would take me to really get into the swing of going to minor league games in years past, but that won’t be the case anymore. Now, I only worry I won’t be able to see and write all I want to in the coming weeks and months.
I plan to be at two or three games each week when schedules align to report and continue building the relationships that inform so much of what I write here.
With this change in how the sausage is made will come, well, a price for said sausage. I’m going continue to post one free story a week that will go out to everyone who is already subscribed, and new subscribers at the free tier. For those who choose to pay, there will be at least two and possibly three weekly posts delivered to their inbox as well.
The sales pitch is simple: For a number of years at the Sun when I had to and the last few months simply because I wanted to, I tried to find the most compelling and interesting ways to write about the Orioles as I could.
It was always a serious consideration back at the paper that readers were paying for the content I wrote, and it should be different from what they could get elsewhere. That mindset has surely carried over, with the benefit of being disconnected from having to write directly about the news of the day or that night’s game, and better still is the fact that this time around the money won’t be going to a hedge fund that just keeps it. It will mostly go to Royal Farms for gas, granted, but you get the idea.
Still, I understand not every is willing or able to shell out $7 a month to read about the Orioles. Fair play to you all, but stick with me on the free side anyway. To those that do, and hopefully there will be a bunch of you, know that I’m grateful. It’s been humbling to think that there’s still an audience for what I like to write, and hope that remains the case going forward.
This is where there’s supposed to be a call to action. I’m just going to put another subscribe button here, and hopefully that allows those who want a paid subscription to make that happen. Thanks as always, and enjoy the return of Orioles baseball this afternoon.