5 Orioles bold predictions as MLB spring training gets underway

Adley Rutschman is only getting better, improving by the season. He’s now entering his third year in the league, where his career-high batting average hit .277 last year with 20 homers. Ten more dingers may be asking a lot, but, again, the trajectory that Rutschman is on seems to be worthy of this prediction.

Ryan Mountcastle plays in at least 150 games

It wasn’t quite the season that Ryan Mountcastle was hoping for last season in some regards. The first baseman missed 47 games, where things like vertigo and a late-season shoulder injury hampered his production. But when he was there, he was fairly productive.

In 115 games, Mountcastle slashed .270/.328/.452 with 18 homers and 68 RBI. But when they needed him the most, i.e., the playoffs, he was nowhere near those numbers. He hit just .182 with two hits in the Orioles ALDS series against the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers.

Mountcastle, the Orioles, and their fans are all hoping this is the year their first baseman gets back on a healthy track.

Craig Kimbrel can only match last year’s total saves or worse (23)

The Orioles are looking toward some veteran presence, particularly in their bullpen, in hopes that it will propel them through the postseason this year. One player who signed to potentially help with that is journeyman closer Craig Kimbrel, who will be playing for his eighth team in his 15th MLB season.

It’s likely Phillies fans weren’t too welcoming of Kimbrel after the closer’s woes in last year’s NLCS against the Diamondbacks. He went 0-2 in four games during last year’s postseason, finishing with a massive ERA of 12.00, giving up four earned runs in three innings pitched. These sort of problems are now for the Orioles, that seem to have carried over into Spring Training for the 35-year-old.

As of this writing, Kimbrel has made appearances in three games, pitching three innings and has given up seven runs, five earned, two of those homers, one walk, two strikeouts with an ERA of 15.00. The Orioles will certainly be hoping this can turn around for Kimbrel, and fast.

Jackson Holliday wins the AL Rookie of the Year

If you know anything about the Orioles’ history, you probably know that they historically pump out Rookie of the Year players. They have seven total in their history, including the likes of Cal Ripken Jr., Eddie Murray, and last year’s Gunnar Henderson. It could easily happen again this year with Jackson Holliday.

The 20-year-old second baseman has a lot of hype coming with him this season, being a part of what is already a young and impressive Orioles team. If the former No. 1 overall pick can accomplish this, the Orioles would be the first team in the AL East to have back-to-back Rookie of the Year winners, according to The Athletic.

His Spring Training is already off to a hot start. Holliday is hitting .292 in 25 plate appearances, scoring two runs on seven hits, with two doubles, two triples, and one stolen base, and now a grand slam.

Orioles finish second in the AL East to the Yankees

It’s still hard to believe in the Yankees at this point, but if they can make it all come together and stay healthy, they can retake the division that once used to be theirs. That’s not to say that the Orioles shouldn’t be a force again within the division, going back and forth for the lead much like they did last year with the Rays. But in 2024, they may fall to the Yankees, yet still winning at least 90-plus games.