Baltimore Orioles considered the worst team in sports in 2018
By David Hill
How bad was the Baltimore Orioles 2018 season? Bad enough where they were considered the worst team in sports last year.
If ever a team was ready to turn the page on the calendar to 2019, it would be the Baltimore Orioles. They had harbored their own expectations to contend, even if such a thought appeared to be nothing more than a pipe dream to most. Indeed, the Orioles stumbled out of the gate, and never regained their footing; their 47-115 record one of the worst in the modern era of baseball history.
However, the calendar has changed. 2018 is behind the Orioles, and it is time to look forward. It is time to begin to rebuild, from the farm system to a depleted major league roster. The front office has been remade, and there is a new coaching staff being put in place. The disaster of 2018 is in the past, a lesson that will not be forgotten.
Yet, 2018 is not ready to let go of the Orioles. Despite a plethora of contenders, the Orioles were named the worst team in sports last year. While having four other baseball teams in the top ten is a reflection of the landscape of the game, the other teams were not expecting to contend last season.
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That is the difference between the Orioles and the Tigers, Marlins, and White Sox, who rounded out the bottom four – the Royals placed as the seventh worst team for 2018. All of those teams were rebuilding, as the Marlins ripped the roster apart, and the others were looking to build up for the future. Baltimore, however, chose a different path.
They could have rebuilt. Manny Machado was an impending free agent, as were Zach Britton and Adam Jones. It would have been easy to shop those players, restocking a barren farm system and looking towards the future. Instead, not only did they keep those players, but they doubled down by bringing in Alex Cobb and Andrew Cashner to fill out the rotation.
Needless to say, those plans went awry. The Orioles, despite their efforts, remained solidly in the major league basement, as nothing worked according to plan. Machado tied for the team lead with 24 homers and led the Orioles with 65 RBI despite playing in only 96 games. Cobb was 5-15 with a 4.90 ERA, but was still better than Cashner, who posted a 4-15 record with a 5.29 ERA.
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Fortunately, 2018 is over, and the calendar has turned. Nonetheless, 2018 had one last shot to take at the Baltimore Orioles.