As the World Series gets started, Birdland focuses on the future
Good morning Birdland,
Look, I will admit that I did not watch the entirety of Game One of the World Series last night. If I recall, it was the fourth inning at about 10 p.m. on the east coast. But considering the two teams only scored twice more after that, I think I am at peace with my decision.
When the Orioles do reach the World Series in a couple of years, I am going to need to just take a weeklong vacation. Maybe I can survive on five hours of sleep once or twice in a week, but not five times. Or perhaps we can ask MLB to only play games on Fridays and Saturdays. The World Series could conclude sometime after Thanksgiving.
But that is a level of adversity that I think I can handle in order to watch Adley Rutschman win World Series MVP while catching a Grayson Rodriguez no-hitter and hitting two home runs to sweep whatever NL foe dares take on the juggernaut Orioles.
Clearly it has been too long since I have watched the current O’s take the field. That might bring me back down to reality just a tad.
Links & Notes
Orioles’ Breakout Reliever Should Be In Demand This Winter | MLB Trade Rumors
This is more speculation than reporting, but it does make sense. Cole Sulser was really good in 2021, but relievers are volatile, so the Orioles would be wise to trade him at the height of his value. However, there is no real need for urgency here. Sulser is not even arbitration-eligible yet, so teams will need to make an offer worth considering.
2022 Baltimore Orioles Top MLB Prospects | Baseball America
You will need a BA subscription to access their full list of top Orioles’ prospects, but this story does give you a peak at whom they regard as the best tools in the organization and the projected 2025 lineup. Let me just say, if each of those fellas get close to their potential, things are looking good!
Four takeaways from the Orioles’ top prospect rankings at Baseball America | Jon Meoli
Jon Meoli provides some insight into the BA rankings, and he is a pretty great source, since he is the one that put them together! In general, the organization’s prospect rankings now very clearly reflect Mike Elias’s views of building a team. There are a lot of hitters near the top, and that could make for a lot of fun nights at Camden Yards in the not-so-distant future.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
- Rubén Tejada turns 32. The former infielder had a 41-game stay in Baltimore during the 2017 season.
- Jason Johnson celebrates his 48th birthday. From 1999 through 2003, the right-handed pitcher was a member of the Orioles rotation. He threw 740 innings, mostly as a starter, and had a 4.84 ERA.
- Pedro Swann is turning 51. The Delaware native appeared in eight games as an outfielder with the 2003 O’s.
- Eric Bell is 58 years old. The southpaw had a 41-game stint with the Birds from 1985 through ‘87.
- The late Del Rice (d. 1983) was born on this day in 1922. His 17-season MLB career included a single game played with the Orioles in 1960.
This day in history
This has not been a particularly eventful day in Orioles’ history, according to Baseball Reference. So, here is what’s happened outside of Birdland on this day in history:
1904 – The first underground New York City Subway line opens.
1954 – Benjamin O. Davis Jr. becomes the first African-American general in the U.S. Air Force.
1961 – NASA tests the first Saturn I rocket.
1979 – Saint Vincent and the Grenadines gains independence from the United Kingdom.
1991 – Turkmenistan gains independence from the Soviet Union.