Fall Off of Young Orioles Lineup Has Former Yankees Pitcher Shocked

From 2018-2021, the Baltimore Orioles were in a rebuild that featured a lot of losing at the Major League level.

It was a tough time for the franchise, but they knew brighter days would be on the horizon with the amount of young talent that was being stockpiled.

In 2022, the Orioles began to see the fruits of their labor shine through.

The team won 83 games, improving by 31 victories from what they were able to accomplish in 2021. In 2023, they were atop the American League East for the first time since 2014, winning 101 games.

Unfortunately, their stay in the postseason was a short one.

Baltimore was swept by the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers in the ALDS. But it was an encouraging development because it signaled the rebuild was over and what the Orioles hoped was a long-term window of contention being opened.

They made the playoffs again in 2024 as a Wild Card team, but some concerning signs were starting to pop up.

Another sweep occurred in the playoffs, this time at the hands of the Kansas City Royals.

A second-half swoon cost them the AL East title and the underwhelming performance carried over into 2025.

The Orioles have already fired their manager Brandon Hyde, who seemed to be used as a scapegoat after all the moves the front office made this past winter has backfired.

Their pitching staff has been abysmal, but the real concern is the drop off in production from some of their key positional players who were supposed to be the backbone of a contending team for years to come.

It is something that former New York Yankees relief pitcher Adam Ottavino spoke about during a recent appearance on MLB Now.