Orioles: Five Players Who Exceeded Expectations in 2016

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Sep 28, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Baltimore Orioles left fielder Hyun Soo Kim (25) shakes hands with relief pitcher Zach Britton as they celebrate a 3-2 win over Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

The 2016 Baltimore Orioles surprised many in baseball by not only not finishing in the cellar in the AL East, but by also making the playoffs.

The Orioles got what could be considered career years from players like Manny Machado, Jonathan Schoop, Zach Britton and maybe even Chris Tillman. Kevin Gausman began to take a step from fledgling starter riding the Norfolk shuttle, to the top of the rotation starter.

But, those aren’t the types of players I want to talk about here. Those players were all key parts of the team, and everyone knew they were going to have to have a good year for the team to be successful.

I want to talk about those where maybe no one knew what to expect, or the players contributed far above what was expected. Let’s start with a guy that it seems everyone wanted to cut from the roster.

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