Baltimore Orioles Season Review: A New Hope in Baltimore
By Dylan Smith
2018 was not kind to the Baltimore Orioles. The club had one of the worst seasons in Major League history.
The Baltimore Orioles entered the season with hopes of being competitive. The Orioles were used to being perennially underrated, consistently outplaying their projections. PECOTA predicted that the team would finish the season with a record of 71-91, but the result was far worse.
The Baltimore Orioles finished 2018 with a record of 47-115, one of the worst records of All-Time. Their 115 losses rank as the third highest total since Major League Baseball went to a 162 game schedule in 1961 (ESPN).
Not surprisingly, this record helped the Orioles finish last in the American League East, 61 games behind the mighty Boston Red Sox. This deficit was historic, as no team had finished more than 52 games out of first place since the start of the divisional era in 1969 (ESPN).
Overall, the Orioles’ season was defined by injuries, underperformance, and trades. The team parted ways with many familiar faces and began a much-needed rebuild. Though the outlook may be gloomy, there are still reasons to be optimistic about the club. A new organization will emerge out of the ashes that 2018 left. The Baltimore Orioles will look to continue gathering talent to try to return to the top of the American League East.