2020
The Orioles saw tangible improvement in the second year of their rebuild under general manager Mike Elias and skipper Brandon Hyde, despite playing the 2020 season without team leader Trey Mancini as he underwent treatment for colon cancer. The Orioles played .500 baseball through mid-September, before a late-season slide, ultimately finishing 25-35 and in fourth place in the American League East. More important to the long-term prospects of their rebuild were breakouts from players like Anthony Santander (11 homers, 32 RBI in 37 games) and Tanner Scott (1.31 ERA in 25 games), and strong debuts from prospects Ryan Mountcastle, Keegan Akin, and Dean Kremer. Reliable options emerged in the bullpen, as the Orioles reduced their bullpen ERA from 5.63 in 2019 to 3.90 in 2020. The Orioles further restocked their big league pipeline by trading veteran pitchers Mychal Givens, Richard Bleier, and Tommy Milone for an array of prospects. They also selected Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad No. 2 overall in the MLB First-Year Player Draft, a draft that saw them bring in multiple high-level position players. By the end of the year, their farm system was ranked among baseball’s best for the first time in nearly a decade.
2021
Coming off the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the Orioles embarked on their third year under Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Elias in 2021, focused on further improving their now highly touted farm system and identifying long-term pieces at the big-league level. The organization enjoyed excellent development seasons from two of the sport's top prospects and several notable breakouts at the big-league level that should position it well going forward.
The biggest and most positive surprise came in the form of Cedric Mullins, who, two years removed from a demotion to Double-A, emerged as one of the most dynamic and productive center fielders in the sport. After abandoning switch-hitting in the winter, Mullins won the Opening Day center field job and took off, spending much of the first half pacing the American League in hits and showcasing an elite combination of power and speed. In June, Mullins reached base in 11 consecutive plate appearances and hit safely in nine straight at bats over the course of a series against the Indians. In July, he was the Orioles' sole representative at the All-Star Game, starting in center as an injury replacement for Mike Trout. All told, Mullins hit .291/.360/.518 with 91 runs, 175 hits, 30 home runs, 59 RBI and 30 steals, becoming the first player in franchise history to record a 30-30 season. Mullins, who turned 27 during the season's final series, also ranked among the game's elite defensive outfielders, padding his highlight reel with multiple jaw-dropping catches.
Another 2021 highlight that will be replayed for years to come came from John Means. Early in the year Means was dominant, carrying a 1.70 ERA into his May 5 start against the Mariners in Seattle. What happened next is arguably the finest single-game pitching performance in Orioles history. Coming one third strike away from perfection, Means recorded the O's first solo no-hitter since 1969 and first in MLB history in which the opposing team did not record a walk, hit by pitch, or an error.
Both on and off the field, the Orioles' emotional pulse of the 2021 season ran through Trey Mancini, who returned after missing 2020 to Stage 3 colon cancer in triumphant, inspiring fashion. Playing in 147 games and not once hitting the injured list, Mancini re-established himself as a middle-of-the-order threat by hitting .255 with 21 home runs and .758 OPS, all the while raising colorectal cancer awareness with his rousing comeback story wherever he went. His story went national in July, when Mancini hit 59 home runs at the Home Run Derby at Coors Field, finishing second to Pete Alonso in the event. By season's end, Mancini remained cancer free and looking ahead to 2022.
The Orioles were also happy with impressive rookie seasons from first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (franchise rookie record 33 home runs) and reliever Tyler Wells (111 ERA+, 0.912 WHIP), a healthy and productive campaign from Austin Hays (22 homers, nine outfield assists), and got initial looks at rookies Bruce Zimmermann, Mike Baumann and Jahmai Jones, among others. Debuts should be the theme of 2022, with top prospects Adley Rutschman and Grayson Rodriguez on track to reach Baltimore at some point, continuing the trend of a wave of prospects making their way to Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
2022
Coming off five consecutive losing seasons -- including a 110-loss campaign in 2021 -- external expectations were again low for the Orioles coming into ‘22. Their rebuild had been going to plan, and the farm system was becoming much deeper. But many believed they still needed at least another year or two before things started to improve at the Major League level.
For much of the first month of the season, the O’s struggled. They were 16-24 heading into May 21 -- when the day that Baltimore fans had eagerly awaited finally arrived. Adley Rutschman, the No. 1 prospect in baseball at the time per MLB Pipeline, was called up to the big leagues for the first time. As the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft (the first in Mike Elias’ tenure as Orioles GM), Rutschman had been the face of the club’s rebuild, providing hope for the future.
The O’s began playing better in the summer months, with a 10-game winning streak from July 3-13 signaling their return to competitiveness. At the end of that run, they were 45-44, their first time above .500 during the season.
More top prospects, such as Gunnar Henderson and DL Hall, arrived in the Majors in the second half, and Baltimore remained in the postseason race until the final week of the season. The Orioles were eliminated from contention on Sept. 30, but they still finished 83-79, three games back of the Rays for the third American League Wild Card berth. The Orioles .191 increase in winning percentage was the best in the Major Leagues and the second-biggest jump in club history since 1954. Only the 1989 team, which improved .202, made a bigger leap year-to-year than the 2022 Orioles.
2023
As Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Elias put it in October, 2023 will go down as the year the Orioles reminded everybody, “This is Baltimore, and we do baseball here.” After turning a corner with an 83-win showing in ‘22, the O’s rebuild appeared to be complete heading into ‘23. They went out and proved that with one of the best regular seasons in team history, finishing with a 101-61 record. Baltimore’s burgeoning young core -- highlighted by catcher Adley Rutschman, infielder Gunnar Henderson and right-handers Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez -- led it to consistent success, as it posted a winning mark in every month of the regular season and never lost more than four consecutive games. The Orioles were also never swept in a multi-game series, extending their regular-season streak to 91 (the third-longest in AL/NL history). They reached the Postseason for the first time since 2016, and they won their first AL East title since '14. However, Baltimore’s return to October was brief, as it got swept in three games in the AL Division Series by Texas, the eventual World Series champion. It was still a successful year for the O’s, who appear set up for long-term success. They were rewarded for their impressive showing during awards season, winning multiple BBWAA honors in the same year for the first time since 1989. Henderson was named AL Rookie of the Year, ending a 34-year drought for Baltimore by becoming the seventh rookie in team history to win the award. Brandon Hyde won the AL Manager of the Year Award, joining Buck Showalter (2014), Davey Johnson (1997) and Frank Robinson (‘89) as Orioles skippers to get the honor. Hyde was only the second manager in O’s history to lead the team to a 100-win season, joining Hall of Famer Earl Weaver, who accomplished the feat five times.