Baltimore Orioles: Corner Outfield Questions and Solutions

A major question in the recent offseason was what the Baltimore Orioles were going to do about the corner outfield positions.

There appeared to be a major curse upon the team for not re-signing Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis as free agents after the 2014 season. It seemed that every option attempted at answers in 2015 was insufficient; and along with the problems associated with the starting rotation, it doomed the Birds to a mediocre 81-81 season.

In 2015, the combined stats for left fielders included a batting average of just .210, better than only one other American League team (Oakland). While balanced out a bit by hitting 18 home runs, even that was merely the league average.

The right field situation was in reality surprisingly better than memory would anticipate. Orioles right fielders combined for a .275 average (4^th in the AL) and 24 home runs (good for 7^th).  Some of these numbers were helped by Chris Davis playing 30 games out there.

Let’s look at DH numbers also in this comparative discussion, since outfielders often are the primary designated hitters on an American League team. In 2015, total stats for O’s DHs were .253 with 11 home runs, good for 7^th and 11^th in the AL respectively.

Much fretting over the offseason surrounded these corner outfield positions. Though Mark Trumbo was secured early, it was not known if he would end up as the first baseman in the event of a non-signing by Davis. There were worries about not having a left-handed bat, and would Nolan Reimold be a workable solution? Should the O’s have more aggressively sought to sign someone as Cespedes? How would Hyun Soo Kim transition from Korea?

Instead, as spring rolled around, it was looking like a Rule 5 draftee named Joey Rickard might have to carry a lot of weight in the corner outfield … which he has.

So where do the Orioles rank among AL teams in reference to RF, LF and DH?

For left field, the Orioles have the best number in the American League at .333 with an OBP of .379.  There are only four home runs and 13 RBIs, though Rickard has accounted for many of these numbers in the leadoff position.

In right field, a .336 average and .384 OBP has the O’s as the number one team in each category in the American League. They also have the best slugging and OPS rankings. Trumbo has been very, very good.

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For DH, the Orioles only have a combined batting average of .214, though that is surprising good for 8^th-best in the league. Helping that number look just a bit better are six home runs and an OBP of .317.

Putting all of this together, the situation is greatly improved over 2015. Now the Orioles need a certain center fielder to come alive and find some fruit for all the “grinding” he is doing.

After six home runs on Sunday, the Birds have surprisingly this year only hit two more in 30 games than last season. Here are the prorated numbers for both home runs and strikeouts…

The home run pace is high for sure, though short of record-breaking. Some good pitching has slowed down the O’s power, but the summer temps may help the pace pick up. As well, the O’s do strike out a good bit, though it again is short of last year’s team record. In fact, six teams in the American league are striking out at a higher rate than Baltimore.