The Orioles are bringing the heat in the batter’s box while cooling fans down in the crowd with some creative celebrations.
The Baltimore Orioles are riding high after another series win, bringing their record to 26-14. While the pitching staff has been pleasantly competent, the offense has carried the team for most of the season. As a team, the Orioles are eighth in runs and 12th in OPS, up from 20th in both categories last year. Despite a low-scoring weekend against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the O’s are still crowding the basepaths. They are third in walks, fourth in steals, and in the top half of the league for each type of extra-base hit.
The increase in offensive production has come from a variety of sources, some more surprising than others. Fans and the coaching staff are witnessing a breakout in the middle infield and veterans coming into their own while also seeing a star shine right in front of them. With the team holding onto the second-best record in the Majors, the players have taken it upon themselves to keep the good times going.
Position Players on the Rise
Since drafting him first overall in 2019, the Orioles knew C Adley Rutschman would be the face of the franchise. After a stellar rookie season, Rutschman has quickly become the leader of the team on both sides of the ball. He looks like an elder statesman in how he handles the pitching staff, but Adley is also taking a step forward at the plate.
Rutschman has improved in all three slash line categories, leading to a satisfying 61-point increase in OPS from last season. His plate discipline is almost in OF Juan Soto territory, and somehow it has gotten better this season. He has managed to cut his strikeout rate to 14.1% and raise his walk rate to 18.1%, and he leads the AL in bases on balls. As a result, Rutschman is benefitting in the power department, as his average exit velocity is up, and he set a new career-high for max exit velocity on a no-doubt home run.
Last year, SS Jorge Mateo established himself as a superlative defender and baserunner to make up for a below-average bat. The fielding and defense are still there in 2023, but he has turned his biggest weakness into a strength. Mateo has changed his batting stance to better time breaking balls, and in turn he is making much better contact. March/April was by far the best full month of his career with six home runs and a 1.062 OPS. The regression monster has chomped at him in May, but it is clear that Mateo has taken real strides to make the most of his raw power and quickness.
OF Austin Hays is one of the longest tenured Orioles, having debuted in 2017. He has been a perfectly average hitter the past three seasons, but Hays is hitting like an All-Star in 2023. Much like Rutschman and Mateo, Hays has improved across the board. Most notably, his average exit velocity is up a staggering five miles per hour. While Mateo had the starkest changes from blue to red in Statcast percentiles last month, Hays has surpassed Mateo in his growth. Average exit velocity is indeed where the needle moves the furthest, from the 25th percentile last year to the 89th percentile as of now.
The Water Park at Camden Yards
Light-hearted celebrations on the field and in the dugout have become commonplace in MLB in recent years to keep team morale up. The Orioles designed the Home Run Chain for 2022, and most fans expected a return of the popular item.
The young group has taken it further this season, step by step. Since the O’s have been playing well, there is more reason to celebrate. In early April, batters started breaking out the sprinkler dance move when they hit a double or triple. A single would bring a more subdued motion of turning on a faucet. But on April 10, after 1B Ryan Mountcastle homered, the Orioles unleashed a new device designed for guzzling water:
Come for the home run, stay for the celly. pic.twitter.com/WVtTCQYzRy
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) April 10, 2023
MASN play-by-play commentator Kevin Brown, caught by surprise, called it a “funnel” for the innocent children watching. More raucous fans immediately took to calling it a “Dong Bong,” which is both creative and accurate. The players officially call the instrument the “Homer Hose”. SP Cole Irvin explained he was thinking of little kids drinking out of garden hoses when he came up with the idea.
Now that the Orioles had an established series of water-themed celebrations, they doubled down on the act. The following night, Hays hit a two-bagger in the first inning and broke out the sprinkler. The starting pitchers who were not playing that day responded in kind by spitting out water to make a mini water show of their own.
There go the sprinklers. pic.twitter.com/jlPnr3HCYE
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) April 11, 2023
The resting pitchers have kept up the fountain in the month that has passed. Fans find the act incredibly entertaining, team morale is high, and the players are celebrating with some harmless fun. Guys in the dugout fully commit to the bit, even holding in the water during replay reviews. The Orioles’ marketing department has fully embraced the hydration celebration, and they introduced a new spectacle Friday night:
Introducing Mr. Splash and the Bird Bath 💦 pic.twitter.com/PPb2IGFEqu
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) May 13, 2023
A splash zone is not a unique concept, but the organization receives high marks for execution. The “Bird Bath” is the perfect name, and the fans in Section 86 clearly had the time of their lives. The team was also very fortunate in their timing, as OF Cedric Mullins hit for the cycle Friday night. Fans got splashed a lot Friday night, getting more bang for their buck. Tickets in that section are now $20, which sounds like a bargain to me. Over the weekend, fans started wearing beach attire alongside team gear to prepare for the water.
The 2023 Orioles are a ton of fun to watch, both with their play and their antics. When you tune into a game this season, you are in for a flood of entertainment.
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