The Baltimore Orioles were not expected to contend this season.
Especially after having five straight losing seasons, including four straight years with a winning percentage below 42%.
They have finally seemed to turn things around in 2022.
One of the main reasons for that is the youth on their current roster.
According to Statista, the Orioles have the fourth-youngest roster in baseball.
Some of the names that are having the biggest impact on the 2022 team are Adley Rutschman, Ryan Mountcastle, Austin Hays, and Cedric Mullins.
All of whom are 27 years or younger.
Also, on the mound, they have 26-year-old Dean Kremer who owns a 3.24 ERA this season.
While the 2022 Orioles are playing very well, they have a chance to be so much better in a few years.
Rutschman was the number one ranked prospect in all of baseball heading into the 2022 season.
He is showing why during his first stint in the majors.
ADLEY RUTSCHMAN TIES IT 💥
An RBI double from the Orioles’ prized rookie knots things up in Baltimore in the bottom of the ninth.
🎥 @Oriolespic.twitter.com/x99fYHnsWm
— The Athletic MLB (@TheAthleticMLB) July 4, 2022
The rookie catcher has hit .247 with eight home runs, 25 RBIs, and a rookie-leading 26 doubles.
He has shown elite gap-to-gap power in his first 81 games in the majors.
Rutschman has also been a great defensive catcher behind the plate.
His WAR is 3.7 which ranks fifth amongst all rookies despite having fewer games played than everyone ahead of him.
Top Prospects
Some other names that will make a significant impact on the future Orioles are Gunnar Henderson, Grayson Rodriguez, and Jackson Holiday.
Henderson made his MLB debut on Wednesday which included his first career home run.
GUNNAR HENDERSON’S FIRST MLB HIT WITH THE @Orioles IS A HOMER! pic.twitter.com/9t7Y1hqaBg
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 31, 2022
The new top prospect for Baltimore batted .297 with 19 home runs and 76 RBI across two levels this season in the minors.
Henderson was picked in the same 2019 draft that landed Rutschman; a draft could go down in the history books for the Orioles.
The future ace of the Orioles will be Grayson Rodriguez.
The 2018 first-round pick has dominated the minor leagues for four seasons and is close to making his major league debut.
In 56 Triple-A innings this season, Rodriguez has allowed 33 hits with 80 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.09.
Due to a few injuries that occurred this season, Rodriguez’s debut has been pushed back.
But, there is still a chance we could see him in September if the Orioles keep winning.
The righty is the top pitching prospect in all of baseball so Baltimore will wait until they feel he is 100% ready before receiving the call-up.
Lastly, thanks to a 2021 season where the Orioles went 52-110, they got the first-overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.
Baltimore used that pick to select Jackson Holliday, son of former all-star Matt Holliday.
He slots in third overall in the Orioles farm and 14th in all of baseball.
The top pick is already producing in his first taste of professional baseball.
Throughout rookie-ball and Single-A, Holliday is hitting .317 with a .930 OPS and 15 walks to 9 strikeouts.
The bloodlines he has with his father playing in the Majors have helped him develop at such a young age.
Despite being 18, the lefty has a polished approach at the plate and usually makes hard contact.
Being so young, it may take some time for him to reach the majors.
But, the expectation is for Holliday to be the shortstop of the future in Baltimore.
This farm system is loaded and should give the Orioles a chance to compete for a long-time.
