Baltimore Orioles: Tracking Home Runs and Strikeouts
There is no doubt that the Baltimore Orioles of 2016 are going to hit a lot of home runs while also striking out a great deal. Could they set either franchise records or MLB records for each?
Several months ago when entering the beginning of the 2015-2016 offseason, it would have been unimaginable to believe what has now transpired.
First there was the acceptance of the qualifying offer by Matt Wieters, done by a Scott Boras client.
Next the Orioles secured Mark Trumbo, a power hitter who would likely replace the improbable re-signing of Chis Davis. But Davis did end up back with the Orioles with a record-setting contract.
And then this past week we see the additional signing of Pedro Alvarez. Orioles beat writers and bloggers alike all laughed at the improbable prospect of he and Davis being a part of the same lineup, imagining not only the incredible home run potential, but also the record-setting possibilities of the strikeout totals.
In terms of home runs, add to the names already mentioned the historical power numbers of Adam Jones and (as seen in 2015) Manny Machado. Though not seen the past couple seasons, J.J. Hardy has hit for power in multiple seasons. And on the cutting edge is the high-ceiling potential of Jonathan Schoop. Beyond all of this, other role players and backups can all drive the ball: Caleb Joseph, Nolan Reimold, Ryan Flaherty, Hyun Soo Kim, etc.
In terms of strikeouts, it is not like the Orioles have not previously had some ignominious numbers in this category in the past. Remember the one-two punch(out) of Chris Davis and Mark Reynolds? There is a well-worn path from the plate to the O’s dugout at OPACY by the bulk of the lineup.
So what are the chances of either the franchise or MLB records in home runs and strikeouts being broken by the 2016 Orioles? They are both attainable.
HOME RUN RECORDS
The franchise record for home runs is 257 by the 1996 Orioles, just seven shy of the all-time MLB record by the Seattle Mariners a year later.
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The ’96 Orioles were of course led that year by Brady Anderson’s 50, with Rafael Palmeiro contributing 39. Beyond this were five players with over 20 homers each: Bobby Bonilla (28), Cal Ripken (26), Chris Hoiles (25), Roberto Alomar (22), B.J. Surhoff (21). That kind of spread is imaginable with Davis at the top and the mid-20s or more from at least five others.
The ’97 Mariners were led by Ken Griffey, Jr. with 56 and with Jay Buhner driving 40. The latter is likely lesser-known to many O’s fans, but let me tell you that guy could drive a baseball, hitting 124 homers in a three-year span!
STRIKEOUT RECORDS
The O’s franchise record for strikeouts in a year was set just this past season with 1,331. This is well short of the MLB record of 1535 by the Houston Astros. That is a very big number! But then again, all it will take to get to that number is a bit more than a strikeout per game this year than last year.
Chris Davis was the leading Orioles strikeout king in 2015 with 208. Machado and Paredes tallied 111 each, with Adam Jones also in triple digits at 102.
The Astros’ huge number in 2013 was topped by 212 K’s from Chris Carter, with contributions of 130 and 127 from Jason Castro and Brian Barnes.
With the probability of high number in both of these categories, throughout the 2016 season here on The Baltimore Wire we will keep track of the pace of the Orioles relative to these statistics. For example, if the Orioles have over 500 strikeouts in the first 54 games (exactly one-third of a season), we will know that are on their way to challenging the all-time strikeout record. The regular chart will look like this …
| MLB All-Time HRs | O’s All-Time HRs | O’s 2016 Pace |
| 264 (Seattle – ‘97) | 257 (1996) | ??? |
| MLB All-Time K’s | O’s All-time K’s | O’s 2016 Pace |
| 1553 (Astros – ‘13) | 1331 (2015) | ???? |
Next: How to use Pedro Alvarez
I would bet on the franchise strikeout record going down this year (but not the all-time MLB total). Either home run record is pretty tough to get, but it is imaginable. The second-most ever by an Orioles team was just last year at 217. I think that will easily get eclipsed.
It should be interesting to follow.