It’s not just the dozen days they can still make trades that are going to have a major impact on how deep into October these Orioles go.
That is the area where they can, obviously, make the biggest splash. And, to be specific, we’re talking about the pitching staff.
Yet there are also plenty of places on their roster where the Orioles have the opportunity to improve or make changes from within their own organization, especially where they have the depth already in place that would seemingly preclude adding someone from the outside.
The infield might be the most prominent such need. Gunnar Henderson and Jordan Westburg were worthy All-Stars, but the third non-first base infield spot has been one where the Orioles have been mixing and matching and playing the hot hand while also carrying a cold one for most of the season.
If they aren’t going to pay over the market for upgrades on the trade front, which I remain skeptical they’ll do, they might as well ensure they’re capturing as much upside as possible on their roster — and adding talented young infielders to the major league mix feels like the most logical way to do it.
For most of the season, the Orioles have lined up Westburg at third base with Jorge Mateo at second or Westburg at second with Ramón Urías at third. The Orioles’ .647 OPS from the second base spot is eighth worst in baseball. And, despite the reputation of Mateo on the infield dirt, the team’s play at second base isn’t highly rated according to defensive metrics.
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Mateo was the best version of himself on offense until his trip to the concussion injured list. He has a .593 OPS since returning June 11, and Westburg has hit far better at third base than when he moves to second to make room for Urías.
It’s honestly no use anymore predicting what will cause the Orioles to decide to upgrade on Mateo or Urías. Each has survived so many rough stretches and remained on the team that the concept of moving on from them almost feels worn out. If they decided now was the time, though, Jackson Holliday and Connor Norby would be obvious alternatives.
Norby won’t be the defender at second base that either Mateo or Urías is, but he can likely add more offensive upside and keep the platoon splits of the roster intact because he’s a right-handed hitter.
Holliday has been much better since returning from his injured list stint in Triple-A, with a .967 OPS, eight extra-base hits, 18 walks and 13 strikeouts in 67 plate appearances. There’s not much statistical evidence of improvement against the hard four-seamers the Orioles want him to get better at, but he also hasn’t seen many in the strike zone since his return.
They’ll likely be overly cautious in recalling him and wait until he’s probably overprepared, given what happened last time, but if the Orioles want to shake up second base, they have options. They can also add Coby Mayo to the mix at third. The 22-year-old has a .983 OPS and 19 homers at Norfolk and is next in line among Orioles prospects for a major league debut.
His right-handed thump is probably what this team needs more than anything else at this point, so any kind of shakeup to this infield group could benefit from the addition being Mayo as well.
That said, Mayo doesn’t have pronounced left-right splits in the minors. He can probably be confidently used against both sides once he arrives, the kind of everyday treatment that only a handful of debuting Orioles prospects have received.
It’s that kind of upside that makes him the productive prospect he’s been, and part of the reason the Orioles will be loath to part with him in the coming weeks, no matter the pitcher coming back. Holliday is in the same boat, and Norby is going to be a productive major leaguer in his own right.
It’s going to take a lot to supplant anyone on the Orioles roster, and we know that because they’ve outlasted multiple veteran infielders and kept getting chances while young players made only a handful of appearances around them.
But on a team on which the glut of production coming from the outfield makes the spares useful bench options on a nightly basis, there’s no reason not to see if the infielders can get to that point. Attempting to add some of this upside to the dirt would be a start.
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