The Baltimore Orioles might win the World Series, and here’s why. The Orioles have been very successful this year despite all of their injuries. They are currently fighting for the number 1 seed in the AL. They lost Félix Bautista, Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells, John Means, and Jorge Mateo for the season. They have a few other injured players like Grayson Rodriguez, Jacob Webb, Danny Coulombe, Jordan Westburg, Ramón Urías, and Ryan Mountcastle, who are all likely to return before the MLB playoffs or even in a few days.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Orioles had the one seed last year, but they ran into a red-hot Rangers team that swept them. The 2023 Rangers were streaky at times, just like the 2024 Orioles. They also had ugly slumps just like the 2024 Orioles. The Orioles could end up being a Wild Card team if they lose the division title to the Yankees. It also seems that Wild Card teams have gone far over the last few years, like the Phillies, who have made the World Series, and the NLCS in the previous two years after being a Wild Card team. The Diamondbacks made it all the way to the World Series after being a Wild Card team. The Rangers won the World Series after being a wild-card team.
Embed from Getty ImagesSome people may question the Orioles’ trade deadline decisions. The Orioles had some trades that didn’t work out, like when they traded Kyle Stowers and Connor Norby to the Marlins for Trevor Rogers, who is currently in AAA Norfolk. The Orioles traded Austin Hays to the Phillies, which is a questionable move, but they got Seranthony Dominguez from that trade, who seems to be the closer moving forward. They got Austin Slater, who could be a steal, as he seems to be hitting better on the Orioles than he did on the Reds or Giants. Slater is an underrated player. Lastly, the Orioles got a perfect compliment to Corbin Burnes, in Zach Eflin. Burnes and Eflin could be an unstoppable duo during the playoffs.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Orioles offense has struggled in the second half of the season. Gunnar Henderson had 28 home runs at the All-Star break. He hasn’t even come close to keeping up with his pre-All-Star break pace. Adley Rutschman’s average has dropped around 20 points since the All-Star break. This may seem bad, but they should both break out of their slumps sometime soon. The Orioles should also get some players back from injury so they do not rely as much on Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman. The Orioles were a better team before losing Grayson Rodriguez, Jacob Webb, Danny Coulombe, Jordan Westburg, Ramón Urías, and Ryan Mountcastle. They should all be back soon and help the Orioles massively. The Orioles just seem poised to get hot at the right time and win the World Series.
