Baltimore Orioles: Spring Training Wins and Losses

Mar 4, 2016; Dunedin, FL, USA; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop (6) throws to first during the third inning of a spring training baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Florida Auto Exchange Park. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

With the Baltimore Orioles seemingly unable to win a spring training baseball game, is there reason to be concerned relative to outcomes in the regular season?

It seems that more years than not this question arises. Perhaps more years than not, the Orioles do not do well in outcomes of spring training games.

Here are the actual records of the past four years, noting that the Orioles did not perform well last spring, nor in the breakout season of 2012.

Year	Grapefruit Record
2015	12-19
2014	13-9
2013	19-9
2012	11-13

And in the seven years prior to these numbers, the Orioles only had a winning record in two of them. Of course, the Birds had terrible losing seasons each of those years as well.

The comments of players and management when the results are poor in spring training games is predictable. They are filled with statements of “just getting my work in,” or, “feel good, working my way back to game speed.”

A logical mind might ask, “Aren’t the guys on the other side also just getting their work in and getting up to speed, therefore expecting them to have an equal number of poor results?”

I believe there is something to be said for the Orioles playing a larger, broader assortment of players than many other franchises. But that can’t completely explain zero wins in 10 games.

So is it a big deal or a legit concern? Or is it nothing to worry about at all, and in fact, a ridiculous fear to admit in early March?

I would say that it is excessive fretting to worry about team records in the first two to three weeks of spring training games. It takes a sizeable lucky number program to understand who all of the players are and where they have come from. However, when it comes to the final 10 games or so of the spring — with batting orders that start to look a lot like the composition of the presumed opening day lineup — if a team is winning none of them, there is reason for concern.

The way to look at and follow spring training is a bit like the way to view minor league baseball. Though the local fans in a particular community desire to see their home team do well, it can be an exercise in futility. The parent club might desperately need the local team’s star just as the AAA or AA team is making a championship run.

The way to best follow a minor league team is to track with individual players, noting their development and progress. If wins and losses in the minor leagues were highly significant, the AAA and AA successes of the O’s affiliates in 2015 would bring the Baltimore franchise high marks for their farm system, instead of the generally low ranking they regularly receive.

And to a large extent, the way to follow spring training is to follow the same method. Follow the players, not the overall score … though of course the combined efforts of the various players are going to contribute to a final score.

Veteran pitchers have the luxury of being able to work on new pitches, whether they are wise in a given count or game situation. Veteran hitters may try a new strategy at the plate or a different stance. Players with a long record are able to do this because they have a record; they have to prove they can’t do the job.