Chances are, if anyone told you that the Baltimore Orioles would be over .500 heading into the All Star Break, you would have thought they had lost their mind. One would have imagined that, for such a scenario to happen, the rest of the AL East would have to be hammered by COVID or have fallen into a bottomless pit.
The AL East has been relatively healthy, aside from the normal wear and tear of the season. And yet, with one series left before the All Star Break, the Orioles are 45-44 and just two back in the Wild Card chase.
Brandon Hyde deserves Manager of the Year award for Baltimore Orioles performance
Credit for that showing belongs to Brandon Hyde. He has guided a team filled with castoffs and younger players through the most difficult division in the majors, turning the Orioles from doormats into one of the bigger thorns in the sides for the rest of the league.
The Orioles have gotten help from expected sources. Former prospects Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, Austin Hays, and Adley Rutschman have helped Trey Mancini to give the Orioles a solid lineup. That part is not a surprise.
What is a surprise is that they have one of the best bullpens in the game, with failed starter Jorge Lopez turning into an All Star closer. Jordan Lyles has actually been useful which is a string of words no one could have envisioned saying. Dean Kremer has been excellent in his seven outings, while Tyler Wells looks like a solid part of the future. Somehow, the Orioles are getting it done.
That comes down to Hyde and the coaching staff. They are putting their players in the best position possible to succeed and have done an incredible job in doing so. To take a team that virtually everyone expected to be battling to be in the draft lottery for the first selection in the 2023 MLB Draft, and to have them on the edge of the playoff hunt, is impressive.
Brandon Hyde deserves recognition for his performance with the Baltimore Orioles. He should be the AL Manager of the Year.