Baltimore Orioles 2019 Season Preview: Fantasy Analysis
Contents
Baltimore Orioles 2019 Season Preview
2018 Record: 47– 115
Projected 2019 Record: 62 – 100
2018 Recap & 2019 Team Outlook
The Orioles lost 115 games last season, and project to win 15 more drawing them at an even 100 losses. The Orioles were in rough shape last season, and that didn’t change. Across the board this team was bad, ranking bottom ten in about every stat across the league.
We look ahead at this season, there isn’t much promise. Your leading HR power bat, is projected to hit under .200 again. Jonathan Villar is a potential bright spot in the order, but there are no youthful prospects that signal brighter times on the horizon.
The rotation is in dire trouble, as Andrew Cashner starts Opening Day. Dylan Bundy was an exciting arm at one point, but now is more of a boom or bust right-hander. 2019 is going to be more of the same. They play in a division with two 100+ win teams last season, and a Rays team that won 90 games.
2019 Storylines
Baltimore isn’t going to have a lot of storylines, as we know what to expect for 2019. There is really no room for some underdog moment either where they win a bunch of games and become a good story. The offense is bad, and the rotation is even worse. With no names to really ship off at the deadline, Baltimore is drawing dead right now.
The Orioles will look to the future this season, and push through a bad year. There are a few questions we might ask, like if Chris Davis can rebound at all? He hit below .200 and is projected to again. Is Jonathan Villar really a 40+ SB guy in this group?
The biggest question is what is this front office doing to win in the nearby future?
2019 Starting Pitchers
There is not a positive starter to highlight in this group. Dylan Bundy is the most fantasy viable, and that is mainly because of the strikeouts. His blowup starts will kill his ERA, making him a tough arm to trust.
Rounding out the rest of the rotation is nothing special. Andrew Cashner still is in the league, projecting for a near five ERA. He has below average strikeout stuff, as most of these names do.
David Hess and Nate Karns are fly ball arms in a small ballpark division. They also are going to be facing two of the best offenses in baseball quite often this season.
Look for the Orioles at the bottom of the rankings for pitching.
2019 Relief Pitchers
If you were hoping the relief pitchers were going to be better, I am sorry. Mychal Givens is going to get a shot to close, when the Orioles have chances to win games. Richard Bleier will set him up, and Miguel Castro will get some chances too.
The rest of the bullpen projects for over a four or five ERA. It isn’t a pretty group, and it feeds into why they are one of the poorer teams in baseball right now.
2019 Hitters
Jonathan Villar is the highlight bat in this group. It mainly comes down to his chances of hitting for a 20/20 season, which are not that bad. His speed makes him a base threat, while the power is above average for a middle infielder.
The outfield is extremely young, but also not a big part of future plans. Cedric Mullins is going to lead off most nights, and steal some bases.
Trey Mancini has been with the team for a few years now, and is a full time outfielder with 20+ HR upside. He should hover around the .260 mark for an average, leaving him to be one of the two consistent hitters on the team.
Chris Davis is the name that everyone makes fun of these days. He hit below .200 last season, and projects to do the same. His HR projection is over 20, but below 30. Joey Gallo is the new flashier Chris Davis.
The rest of the lineup are just fill in spots. With no real prospects on the horizon, Baltimore has a lackluster future at the moment.
Projected Starting Lineup
- Cedric Mullins
- Jonathan Villar
- Trey Mancini
- Chris Davis
- Joey Rickard
- Renato Nunez
- D.J. Stewart
- Richie Martin
- Pedro Severino
Noteworthy Fantasy Pitchers
None
Noteworthy Fantasy Hitters
None
