Baltimore Orioles: Midseason superlatives for a surprising 2022

The All-Star break officially ended on Thursday, so why not now take a look at the midseason superlatives for the Baltimore Orioles?

The Baltimore Orioles have been a pleasant surprise this season, sitting at 46-46 after the All-Star break. The stretch of games after the All-Star break includes a seven-game homestand, including a three-game series against the New York Yankees followed by a four-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Along with the Orioles being a pleasant surprise as a team, there have been many pleasant surprises on the Orioles team this year.

Here are my picks for the Baltimore Orioles midseason superlatives

Most Valuable Player (MVP) – DH/1B Trey Mancini 

There have been quite a few players on the Orioles who deserve acknowledgment for the seasons they’ve been having, but Trey Mancini deserves the award for Most Valuable Player so far through the 2022 MLB season. He has not only been a leader on the field but also in the clubhouse. He’s batting .277 so far through 83 games, with nine home runs and 37 RBI. While he isn’t leading the team in WAR (2.0), and he has seen his power numbers go down a tad with Mount Camden being put into place, what he has done on and off the field for the Orioles cannot go without being talked about. Hopefully, all of the trade rumors surrounding him aren’t true because Mancini has been a huge part of this team this season, and a big reason why they’ve seen so much success so far.

Honorable Mention – OF Austin Hays

Cy Young Award – RHP Tyler Wells

If you would’ve told me in April that Tyler Wells would be the Orioles’ best starting pitcher, there was no chance I would’ve believed you, but Wells has shown that he has incredible stuff. With the plethora of injuries to the Orioles’ starting rotation (John Means, Dean Kremer, Spenser Watkins, and more), Wells has had to step up, and he has done just that.

Through 85.1 IP, he has a 3.37 ERA, with 59 strikeouts and a 1.078 WHIP. Spenser Watkins and Dean Kremer have started to come around and show some incredible stuff, but Wells deserves this award for having been so consistently great so far throughout the 2022 season. He will start to receive fewer innings as this is his first full season as a starting pitcher since 2017 due to injuries and the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

Honorable Mention – RHP Jorge Lopez

Rookie of the Year Award – C Adley Rutschman

This doesn’t really need much explaining. Adley Rutschman is a generational talent, and because the Orioles haven’t had many rookies come up this year, Rutschman easily claims the award for the Orioles. Had he been called up in April, there’s a decent chance he would be in the running for the AL Rookie of the Year award. Next year, there will be a much larger calling for the Orioles Rookie of the Year award, with names like DL Hall, Terrin Vavra, and Grayson Rodriguez being up for a full year.

Honorable Mention – RHP Felix Bautista

Gold Glove Award – SS Jorge Mateo

When I speak of surprises for the 2022 season, Jorge Mateo is one of them, for a multitude of reasons. A+ speed is always incredible, and while his bat hasn’t been what is was when the Orioles first acquired him last year, he has turned into one of the best defensive shortstops in all of baseball. Mateo is fifth in all of the MLB in all positions in DRS (defensive runs saved) with 13 and leads all shortstops in the MLB with those 13 DRS. From someone who has bounced around multiple minor league systems to being one of the best defensive shortstops in the MLB, Mateo has been quite the success story for the Orioles this season.

Honorable Mention – OF Austin Hays

Silver Slugger – 1B Ryan Mountcastle

Ryan Mountcastle was drafted in the first round of the 2015 MLB draft, and since 2020 has been a mainstay in the Orioles lineup. He is leading the Orioles in slugging percentage so far this year, batting .270 with 14 home runs, 21 doubles, and has a .473 slugging percentage as of July 22. He has also fallen victim to Mount Camden, the new left field wall, but he is still having a great season, even if his slugging percentage is down a little bit.

Honorable Mention – OF Austin Hays

The Orioles still have 70 games left to play, but so far these are the superlative winners for the Orioles through the halfway point of the season. Unless Mancini is traded, I personally don’t see any of these superlatives changing very much throughout the rest of the season, but only time can tell.