Lost in Tampa Bay’s red-hot start is the season that the Baltimore Orioles are having so far. The team is 26-14 with the second-best record in what appears to be the best division in baseball. Baltimore has been the team putting pressure on Tampa, not the favorite Yankees or supposed division contender Toronto Blue Jays.
The way that the Baltimore Orioles are winning is sustainable and suggests a team that was counted out before they threw the first pitch of the season is a real postseason contender.
To be clear, this is suggesting that the Orioles can and will contend for a postseason spot not that they are capable of a World Series run.
What makes this so incredible is the fact that they are doing this with the second-lowest payroll in the league. The only team with a lower projected payroll is the Oakland Athletics, a team that is fielding what could be a Triple-A roster.
Baltimore’s success has been built on a team that is extremely active on the basepaths and plays fundamentally sound ball. Baltimore’s production from their lineup is sustainable and the clearest path for this team to continue to be a contender for the AL East and, if not the division, a definite Wild Card team.
There is a real possibility that all the Wild Card teams in the AL come from the same division, with five teams in the AL East with clear arguments as division and postseason contenders. What Baltimore is accomplishing is extremely impressive and deserves far more credit for a team that must maintain a full season of this level of play to be given the attention they clearly deserve.
If there is one concern for Baltimore, it is the starting pitching and the lack of a clear ace. If the team is going to take that next step, the Orioles could be active at the trade deadline looking to add to a rotation that is suspect. Regardless, this is a team with a chance to make the postseason and return to respectability for a fanbase that has been put through it for the past few seasons.