2023 Baltimore Orioles season

Pursuant to the CBA, new rule changes will be in place for the 2023 season:[1]

• institution of a pitch clock between pitches;
• limits on pickoff attempts per plate appearance;
• limits on defensive shifts requiring two infielders to be on either side of second and be within the boundary of the infield; and
• larger bases (increased to 18-inch squares);

The most controversial of the rules changes was the addition of a pitch clock. Pitchers would have 15 seconds with the bases empty and 20 seconds with runners on base to pitch the ball, and require the hitter to be "alert" in the batter's box with 8 seconds remaining, or otherwise be charged a penalty ball/strike.[2] Opinions of the clock, designed to hasten the game, were divided with proponents citing fewer lulls in gameplay and detractors citing the demise of the leisurely pace of the sport, elimination of suspenseful build ups in big game situations, and the potential for games to end on a pitch clock penalty.

Jeff Passan tweeted that, through the first four days of the season, average game duration was down 3:09 to 2:38 when compared to the first four days of 2022, a 41-minute reduction. Other observations included:

• There were 40 pitch clock violations through 50 total games
• Stolen base attempts were more frequent and successful (70 stolen on 84 attempts in 2023 compared to 29-of-43 in 2022)
• OPS was up from .682 to .715, observing that this production increase was due to an increase in singles.[3]

Following his 2022 campaign, catcher Adley Rutschman was announced as runner-up for 2022 AL Rookie of the Year, finishing behind Seattle's Julio Rodriguez.[4]

Ramón Urías was awarded a Gold Glove for his defensive work at third base in 2022. Toronto’s Matt Chapman and Cleveland’s José Ramírez were the other finalists for the AL third baseman honor. Cedric Mullins was also a finalist for the center field award, alongside Kansas City’s Michael A. Taylor and Cleveland's Myles Straw, who won at that position.[5]

Prospect Heston Kjerstad was named MVP of the Arizona Fall League, an off-season league that provides an environment for top prospects to advance their development.[6] Kjerstad had previously missed significant playing time since being drafted second overall in the 2020 amateur draft due to the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season,[7] a bout of myocarditis in 2021,[8] and a strained hamstring early in 2022.[9]

Prior to the filing deadline, the Orioles tendered contracts to all six arbitration-eligible players (i.e. players with between three and six years of major league service time):[10] Outfielder Anthony Santander agreed to $7.4M, outfielder Cedric Mullins agreed to $4.1M, outfielder Austin Hays agreed to $3.2M, shortstop Jorge Mateo agreed to $2M, and reliever Dillon Tate agreed to $1.5M. Only pitcher Austin Voth differed with the Orioles on his $2M request; the Orioles filed at $1.7M.[11] Voth and the Orioles avoided arbitration by agreeing to $1.85M and an option for 2024 worth $2.45M plus escalators.[12]

In advance of the Rule 5 Draft, the Orioles selected the contracts of five prospects adding them to the 40-man roster. The group was headlined by top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez, and included pitchers Noah Denoyer, Seth Johnson, and Drew Rom, and infield prospect Joey Ortiz.[13] During the major league portion of the draft, the Orioles added reliever Andrew Politi, who had been with the Boston Red Sox. [14] The Orioles did not lose any players in the major league portion of the draft, however infielder Jonathan Araúz, who had spent a brief period with the Orioles in 2022 was selected by the New York Mets in the AAA portion.[15]

To re-inforce the major league team for 2023, the Orioles came to agreements with three free agents: starting pitcher Kyle Gibson received a one year contract for $10M,[16] infielder Adam Frazier received a one year $8M contract,[17] and Mychal Givens re-joined the Orioles on a one year $4M contract to bolster the back end of the bullpen. Givens was a former Oriole draft pick who previously pitched in parts of six seasons for the Orioles before being traded to Colorado.[18]

Following the loss of back up catcher Robinson Chirinos to free agency, the Orioles acquired replacement veteran backstop James McCann in a trade with the Mets for cash and a player to be named later.[19]

The Orioles acquired starting pitcher Cole Irvin and minor league pitcher Kyle Virbitsky from the Oakland Athletics for shortstop prospect Darrell Hernaiz.[20]

Following the completion of spring training, left-handed reliever Danny Coulombe exercised his right to opt out of his minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins. His contract stipulated that were he not selected to break camp with the Twins and were offered that opportunity with another club, he would be granted his release. The Orioles selected Coloumbe's contract, guaranteeing him a spot with the team on Opening Day. Politi was returned to the Red Sox at the conclusion of Spring Training to open a spot on the reserve roster.

The Orioles parted ways with four XX(B)-type free agents, defined as players with at least six years of major league service time: catcher Robinson Chirinos, infielder Rougned Odor, first baseman Jesús Aguilar, and starting pitcher Jordan Lyles.[21] The Orioles declined Lyles' option that would pay him $10M in 2023, making him a free agent.[22]

Other major league role-players departing in free agency included pitchers Chris Ellis, Rico Garcia, Louis Head, and Alex Wells, outfielder and former first round pick DJ Stewart, and outfielder Yusniel Diaz, who was the centerpiece of the trade that sent star third baseman Manny Machado to the Dodgers.[23]

On New Years Eve, the Orioles traded infielder Tyler Nevin to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for cash.[24]

In various waiver claims, the Orioles added catcher Mark Kolozsvary,[25] outfielder Daz Cameron,[26] and first basemen Lewin Díaz[27] and Ryan O'Hearn.[28] All of these players were successfully outrighted to the minor leagues and began the year in AAA Norfolk.

The Orioles added major leaguers Reed Garrett,[29] Josh Lester,[30] Eduard Bazardo and Kyle Dowdy, along with minor league free agents Wandisson Charles[31] and Ofreidy Gomez[32] on minor league contracts, and all were reassigned to the minor leagues following spring camp.

The Orioles also claimed outfielder Jake Cave[33] off of waivers from the Minnesota Twins. The Orioles later attempted to pass Cave through waivers themselves, but was claimed by the Phillies.[34] Cave was elevated to Phillies' opening day left fielder in the aftermath of Rhys Hoskins' season-ending spring training injury.

The Orioles also added major leaguers Curtis Terry,[35] Franchy Cordero,[36] and Nomar Mazara,[37] on minor league pacts, but released all three at the end of spring training. Cordero's strong spring earned him a major league split contract with the Yankees following his release. [38]

On January 11, the Orioles acquired reliever Darwinzon Hernández from the Red Sox for cash considerations.[39] The Orioles designated Hernández for assignment on January 26 after the Orioles acquired Irvin from the Athletics[40] and outrighted him to AAA Norfolk.

Adding to their burgeoning young international program, the Orioles signed 16-year-old shortstop Luis Almeyda, a native of Paterson, New Jersey who moved to the Dominican Republic, for $2.3 million, a team record for an international prospect. In all, the Orioles signed 27 players, thirteen for more than $100,000.[41]

On March 12, 20-year old minor leaguer Luis Ortiz died after a battle with cancer. Ortiz, who was originally from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, signed with the Orioles in 2019 and pitched in the Dominican Summer League in 2021.[42]

In January 2023, the Orioles announced hospitality company Levy would replace Delaware North as the food and beverage partner at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.[43]

On February 1, the Orioles passed on a deadline to exercise a one-time, five-year extension with Maryland Stadium Authority (MSA) to stay at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles were under a two-year lease that was to expire on December 31, 2023, and had previously had been on a 30-year lease which expired in 2021. The team and Maryland Governor Wes Moore released a joint statement regarding their commitment to a multi-decade partnership to revitalize Oriole Park at Camden Yards and the surrounding area with the expectation that a long term deal could be put in place.[44] At the heart of the agreement, a long-term lease would allow the MSA to borrow $600 million for stadium upgrades under a new Maryland law. Governor Moore also made a public appearance at the Orioles' spring training ballpark to promote his commitment to the partnership. [45]

Sport betting was legalized in Maryland after the signing of Maryland General Assembly bill HB940 in 2021, allowing for sports wagering at Camden Yards for the first time. The Orioles partnered with Nevada-based SuperBook Sports[46] to open SuperBook Bar & Restaurant in the place of Dempsey's Brew Pub[47] beginning in 2023.

In March, it was reported that the Orioles were considering sale of the naming rights to Camden Yards.[48] The team intended to secure a deal of ten years for approximately $6-8 million per year.

Owner Peter Angelos collapsed in 2017 due to the failure of his aortic valve, and established a trust with his wife, Georgia, and two sons Louis and John as co-trustees to manage the family’s assets.[49] John was appointed chairman and CEO of the Orioles and Louis took over the Angelos lawfirm.

In June 2022, it was revealed that Louis filed a lawsuit against John, claiming that John was taking steps to seize control of the Orioles against his father's wishes that his mother, brother, and himself share control. Louis also alleged that John intended to sell or move the team to Tennessee where John has a home and his wife's career is headquartered. Further court filings revealed that Louis alleges John and Georgia transferred approximately $65M in assets out of Peter's name and also used these assets to purchase additional stock in the Orioles.[50] In response, Georgia sued Louis claiming he “abused his non-existent power as a successor co-agent purportedly to sell to himself Peter’s law firm” in order to "abscond with Peter’s legacy", according to her attorneys.[51]

John Angelos made a public appearance in January 2023 with Baltimore mayor Brandon Scott to announce a $5M commitment to the CollegeBound Foundation, which empowers students at Baltimore schools to pursue a college degree or other post-secondary option. During the question-and-answer session with reporters, John once again stated that the Orioles would not leave Baltimore as he had in previous rebukes to news of the lawsuit, and controversially invoked Martin Luther King Jr. Day to dodge questions about his future role with ownership of the team.[52]

It was also during this appearance when, unprompted, Angelos offered media members the opportunity to review the Orioles' finances. "I'll show you the financials of the Orioles," he said. "I’ll show you the governance of the Orioles. I’ll show you everything you want to know." When pressed by the Baltimore Sun on Opening Day about his promise to be transparent about the Orioles' finances, he remarked "It’s an interesting concept and I saw that my good friends at The Baltimore Sun wanted to weigh in on that today. When the hedge fund that owns The Baltimore Sun, based in New York City, wants to open their books, I guess we’ll take a look at that. It’s difficult for me to understand what that fascination is."[53]

On February 6, the family dropped all lawsuits against each other.[54]

Six Orioles participated in the 2023 World Baseball Classic,[55] which provided international fans the opportunity to watch baseball stars across the globe play in high-stakes match-ups for their home countries.

• Cedric Mullins (USA) - 6G, 10AB, 2H, 3R, 1HR, 2RBI, 0BB, 4K
• Anthony Santander (Venezuela) - 5G, 17AB, 6H, 4R, 2HR, 5RBI, 3BB, 2K
• Dean Kremer (Israel) - 1G, 4.0IP, 3H, 4K, 1BB, 0ER
• Darwinzon Hernandez (Venezuela) - 1G, 1.0IP, 1H, 2K, 0BB, 0ER
• Daniel Federman (Israel) - 1G, 1.0IP, 0H, 0K, 0BB, 0ER
• Ryan Long (Great Britain) - 2G, 4.0IP, 5H, 2K, 0BB, 1ER[56]

Anthony Santander played a pivotal role for Team Venezuela in eliminating Team Dominican Republic with a home run, RBI single, and diving catch to rob Jeimer Candelario of a scoring hit of his own.

The majority of the Orioles' roster was settled before the beginning of spring and played out as follows:

• Catcher: Rutschman would follow his Rookie of the Year runner-up campaign as the primary catcher, with McCann set as the veteran backup. A late oblique strain forced the Orioles to carry Anthony Bemboom as backup on Opening Day with McCann moving to the injured list to start the season.
• First Base: Ryan Mountcastle returned as the primary first baseman, though the Orioles tried out a couple experienced left-handed first basemen including O'Hearn and Diaz. Diaz had an offseason notable for having been designated-for-assignment five times before being outrighted from the Orioles' 40-man roster. Both O'Hearn and Diaz were sent to the minors to begin the season despite strong springs.

• Infield: Top prospect Gunnar Henderson and veteran Adam Frazier were assured positions to begin the season, however fan speculation on the long-term roles of glove-first infielders Urías and Jorge Mateo were fueled by their poor spring offensive numbers and the rise of top infield prospects Ortiz, Jordan Westburg, Coby Mayo and Connor Norby. Henderson's slow spring was also of some concern. Despite the strong competition all four veteran players were tapped for Opening Day, in addition to utility man Terrin Vavra based on his strong Spring play, major league experience, and roster status. Non-roster invitee Josh Lester also made a strong case for himself but was sent to Norfolk to begin the season. The most recent top overall draft pick Jackson Holliday also turned heads in spring camp but had an outside chance of cracking the roster due to his age and experience.

• Outfield: The outfield remained the same as the regular lineup from 2022: Mullins, Santander, Austin Hays, Kyle Stowers, and Ryan McKenna off the bench. Prospects Colton Cowser and Kjerstad also made strong cases for their inclusion.

• Rotation: Gibson was selected to be the Orioles Opening Day starter based on his experience and spring statistics, followed by holdovers Kremer and Kyle Bradish, and newly acquired Irvin. Orioles General Manager Mike Elias expressed early in camp that top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez would be the fifth starter, however, Rodriguez was re-assigned to minor league camp in favor of Tyler Wells. Spenser Watkins, Bruce Zimmermann, and prospects DL Hall, Rom, and Denoyer were also re-assigned. John Means, recovering from Tommy John surgery, was moved to the 60-day injured list.

• Bullpen: The bullpen was the most hotly contested area for the Orioles, with Givens, Félix Bautista, Dillon Tate, and Nick Vespi all suffering from various ailments throughout camp. The Orioles ultimately settled on returning pitchers Voth, Bautista, Bryan Baker, Keegan Akin, Cionel Pérez, late additions Mike Baumann and Logan Gillaspie, and newcomer Coulombe, who was acquired on the final day of camp. Givens and Tate were moved to the 15-day injured list to begin the season, while Vespi, Joey Krehbiel, Yennier Cano, and Seth Johnson were re-assigned.

The Orioles began the 2023 season with a roadtrip to Fenway Park to battle the Red Sox. Notably, Adley Rutschman was 5-for-5 with a walk in Game 1, Austin Hays followed with another 5-for-5 day in Game 2 and the Orioles stole ten bases in the series, an MLB record through the first two games of a season. The series was also notable for Rafael Devers becoming the first player in MLB history to be call out on strikes due to a pitch violation under the new pace-of-play rules. With Game 2 seemingly won and leading 8-7, outfielder Ryan McKenna dropped the final out of the game, allowing Masataka Yoshida to reach base. Adam Duvall hit the go-ahead game winning home run two pitches later. The Orioles opening series was highlighted by a dynamic offense, but were plagued by abysmal relief pitching and many defensive miscues, particularly in the outfield.

In Texas, starter Kyle Bradish was removed from the second inning of Game 1 after taking a Jonah Heim line-drive off the foot. Presumptive Game 2 starter Tyler Wells would go on in emergency relief and pitch five hitless innings, leading the O's to a one-hit 2-0 win. Gibson started Game 2 on normal rest, and Grayson Rodriguez was called to make his Major League debut with Bradish going to the 15-day injury list with a foot contusion.

The Orioles opened at home to a sellout crowd of 45,017, with Dean Kremer starting against the Yankees' Clarke Schmidt. Maryland Governor Wes Moore threw the ceremonial first pitch. The Orioles claimed Game 1, winning 7-6, but lost the remaining two games. They also activated James McCann and demoted Kyle Stowers to Norfolk, with manager Brandon Hyde specifying the desire to get Stowers everyday at-bats. Spring training standout Franchy Cordero, who failed to make the Orioles opening day roster, hit two home runs in the series. Reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge hit two home runs in Game 3. Attendance for the series was 104,799.

The Oakland Athletics visited Oriole Park at Camden Yards for a four-game series. This series saw the introduction of two new "water themed" on-field celebrations: the first, a "human fountain show" where players in the dugout squirt water from their mouths onto the field after an extra-base hit (XBH), and the second, a water funnel dubbed "the homer hose" from which a player must chug a bottle of water after hitting a home run. Gibson handily won Game 1 against the struggling Athletics, while the Orioles piled on 12 runs in Game 2 behind Mountcastle's 9-RBI game, which tied a franchise record. The Orioles lost Game 3 behind a struggling Dean Kremer, but Adley Rutschman secured a series win with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 4. During the series, the Orioles outrighted catcher Anthony Bemboom to Norfolk and promoted left-handed first baseman Ryan O'Hearn. Cole Irvin, following his struggles with command during his no-decision in Game 4, was surprisingly optioned to Norfolk; in response the Orioles recalled Spenser Watkins to take over long relief duty for the club, which had among the most reliever-innings logged across the majors to that point.

The Orioles traveled to Chicago for a three-game series versus the White Sox. Despite holding the Orioles off the board until the seventh inning, Chicago issued nine walks to the Orioles en route to a 6-3 Oriole win in Game 1. The Sox and Orioles traded leads in Game 2, which ended with the Sox walking off after three straight hits against reliever Logan Gillaspie. It was during this game that White Sox reliever Kendall Graveman hit Ramon Urias in the head with a sinker, leaving him in concussion protocol for the remainder of the series. The Orioles took the series in Game 3 after Grayson Rodriguez rebounded from a rocky first inning, winning 8-4.

The 9-7 Orioles visited the Nationals, who were fresh off a 107-loss season the previous year, in Washington D.C. for a two-game series in which the Orioles held them scoreless over 18 innings. The O's entered the series leading the majors with a .357 on-base percentage (OBP). Kyle Bradish was activated from the injured list to start Game 2 and the Orioles sent down struggling reliever Logan Gillaspie.

The Orioles returned home to Camden Yards on a 26 inning scoreless streak to begin a three-game series against the hapless Detroit Tigers, who were last in the Majors with 57 runs scored. The Tigers ultimately snapped the streak in this series at 34 innings, the longest by an American League team since the 1995 Orioles, but well before the Orioles could reach the club record of 54 scoreless innings set in 1974. Game 2 starter Kyle Gibson matched his career high 11 strikeouts. Yennier Cano, a temporary call up for Keegan Akin going onto the paternity list, retired 17 straight batters since his promotion, the most in club history by a reliever to begin a season since Fred Holdsworth set the club record with 24 in 1976. The Orioles swept the Tigers after a walk-off wild pitch from Mason Englert in the 10th inning of Game 3.

The Boston Red Sox visited Camden Yards for their second series against the Orioles. The Orioles picked up a 5-4 win in Game 1 over the struggling Chris Sale, but dropped Game 2 when Kyle Bradish lasted 2.2IP after serving up 7 earned runs. Starter Tyler Wells pitched in the swing game, taking the 6-2 win and a career high 7 strike outs. Cano tied the club record for consecutive retired batters before hitting Justin Turner with a pitch on the elbow.

In advance of traveling to Detroit for their second series against the Tigers, the Orioles promoted infield prospect Joey Ortiz to play matchups against Detroit's three left-handed starters: Joey Wentz, Eduardo Rodriguez and Matthew Boyd. The Orioles scored five times in the seventh inning, capped by Anthony Santander’s two-run homer off Chasen Shreve, in a 7-4 comeback victory in Game 1. Ortiz joined Don Baylor as the only Orioles to record at least three RBIs in their debuts. Game 2 was postponed for a doubleheader the following day, which the Orioles split with the Tigers, and the Orioles captured Game 4 and their six consecutive series win. Yennier Cano continued his bullpen dominance and notched his second save; opposing batters were 0-for-32 with a hit by pitch against him in April.

The Orioles ended April 19-9 with the third best record in the Majors, good for second place in the AL East behind the 23-6 Rays, who began the season tied for the Major League record of 13 consecutive wins to start the season. Apart from the Rays, the Orioles only trailed the National League leading 20-9 Pittsburgh Pirates, who lost 100 games in 2022 season. The Orioles 18 wins in April was a franchise record for the month. The Orioles were also 9-0 in series openers. Closer Felix Bautista was awarded AL Reliever of the Month, the second time an Oriole had won the award (Jim Johnson, May 2012) since its inception in 2003. On the farm, the AAA Norfolk Tides also concluded April with the best record in the International League at 18-7, and the largest run differential at plus-87. Norfolk set a franchise record with 24 hits during their April 29th tilt against Charlotte, winning 20-1.

The Orioles entered May with five of their upcoming nine series against teams in the top ten in total wins: Atlanta (18-9), Tampa Bay (23-6), Pittsburgh (20-9), Toronto (18-10), and Texas (17-11). The month would kick off, however, with a three game series against the lowly Royals. The Orioles won 2 out of 3 against Kansas City, with the 2 wins being high scoring games, with 11–7 and 13–10 final scores respectively. The next series, the Orioles traveled to at Atlanta, with their series win streak stopping at 7 with the extra inning loss on May 7. In the following series at Camden Yards against the rival Tampa Bay Rays, the Orioles bounced back and won the final 2 games of the series against the Rays, handing Tampa Bay just their third series loss.