Where Do Baltimore Orioles Outfield Rank Among Star-Studded AL East?

4. Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Orioles’ Outfielders: Trey Mancini (LF), Adam Jones (CF), Colby Rasmus (RF), Mark Trumbo*(DH), Anthony Santander, Craig Gentry, Alex Presley, Austin Hays, Joey Rickard

As mentioned earlier, Mancini’s rookie campaign was a good one, with him finishing third in the Rookie of the Year race. Mancini hit .293/.338/.488 for the Baltimore Orioles last season, with 24 home runs, 26 doubles, 78 runs batted in, 65 runs scored and 139 strikeouts. As many Orioles are, he is another who will rack up the strikeouts.

Mancini had a negative defensive WAR of -1.2, but his defense improved as the season went on, his first season playing the outfield.

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Jones will remain in center field for the Birds, in what could be his last season in Baltimore. He keeps plugging away, hitting .285 last year for the Orioles with 26 home runs and 28 doubles. Jones is a five-time All-Star, but his defense is rated not that great by the sabermetrics. Having a WAR above 2 in 9 of the last 10 seasons shows just how good he is for the Orioles in center field, and his defense on both sides of him will be improved this year.

Colby Rasmus is currently expected to start in right field, but he has some challenges for that position, including Anthony Santander, Danny Valencia and Austin Hays.

Santander is a Rule 5 pick who has been excellent this spring, hitting .305 with four home runs and 17 runs batted in. His defense has also improved, and he could easily stay on the team all season and not just the 44 days he must remain on the roster.

Hays is one of the best prospects in baseball and has a chance of making the Opening Day roster. While he provides more speed than Jones or Mancini, his bat is very similar in that the contact goes far and the swings and misses are high. However, rated one of the best prospects in baseball has his future looking bright.

Trumbo will be the designated hitter once he returns from an injury to start the season, and he needs to improve from what he did in 2017, where he was not good. Trumbo hit .234 with 149 strikeouts and only 23 home runs, one year after leading the majors in home runs.

Gentry will likely be a pinch runner and defensive replacement for the team.