The Baltimore Orioles have the worst record in the majors. They also have the worst winning percentage in all of baseball.
At this point, there are fewer and fewer ways to describe the Baltimore Orioles ineptitude this season. Their performance is reaching historic levels, albeit not the type of history that anyone would want to achieve. With Manny Machado having already been dealt, and Zach Britton, Adam Jones, and others likely to follow, 2018 is going to get worse before it gets better.
But how bad are the Orioles right now? Well, of the 286 teams in baseball, including the minor leagues, the Orioles rank dead last in winning percentage.
There are 286 major and minor league teams.
— Dan Clark (@DanClarkSports) July 23, 2018
The #Orioles’ .280 win percentage ranks no. 286 on that list.
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Yeah, that’s pretty brutal. Of course, this can be expected when the Orioles have given meaningful innings to the likes of Chris Tillman and David Hess. Or, when only three of the 23 position players to appear in the Orioles lineup have an OPS+ over 100. Take Manny Machado out of the equation, and Mark Trumbo is the only player that is really above average; Adam Jones has an OPS+ of 101.
The fact that this performance is worse than any other minor league team in the game is also worth noting. For much of the minor leagues, there is a greater emphasis on learning the game and understanding how to be a professional than there is on wins and losses. Progress matters far more, as the goal is to make the major league organization into a winner. But even the lowest minor league squad has outpaced the Orioles.
Chances are, this is not the Orioles low water point for the year. The trade deadline is still a week away, giving Baltimore the chance to future gut their roster. In that quest for the first overall pick, and to truly rebuild the franchise, there will be some painful seasons. And, in the case of 2018, a season that might be the worst in the game that year.
Next: Orioles move on from Tillman
The Baltimore Orioles have been the worst team in baseball this year. It is not going to get better any time soon.