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The Baltimore Orioles have a very serious shot at making some noise this season. They’re coming off a season in which they finished 83-79. They had no real expectations, but I’d say they still overachieved. They were pretty close to sneaking into the postseason, but fell just short. They’ve made some improvements this offseason and some of the young pieces have made their way to the big leagues.

The Orioles will have a sturdy rotation in 2023. John Means, who will miss the start of the season due to Tommy John surgery, is a very solid arm. They also added Kyle Gibson in free agency, he should be a decent veteran option. And then they have the young pieces in Dean Kremer, Cole Irvin, and Grayson Rodríguez. It’ll be exciting to see how these guys develop together. Baltimore had the ninth-best bullpen in 2022, and I see no reason as to why it shouldn’t improve in 2023. A veteran in Mychal Givens and a rookie in Andrew Politi should help boost the pen.

The Orioles’ lineup will be a sight to see in 2023 as well. It has quite a few big names like Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson who should be taking strides and improving as they’re both top of the line prospects. And a new veteran was acquired with Adam Frazier signing in free agency. Cedric Mullens, perhaps their most well-known and exciting player, is always fun to watch and gives 110 percent on every play offensively and defensively. My main point being that this lineup shouldn’t lack explosiveness and can easily be one of the best in the league in 2023.

The Orioles do have a tough division, so they do have their work cut out for them, but the competition should make them better when it’s all said and done. Meaning, if they do make the playoffs, which they have a decent shot at, they should be battle-tested and ready. If there was ever a time for the Orioles to make a jump, now is that time.