O’s primed for big 2023

By the time you read this, the Baltimore Orioles will be gone.

After another successful and festive Spring Training spent at Ed Smith Stadium and various other Sarasota facilities, the Orioles headed to Boston to begin the regular season against the American League East rival Red Sox. The teams will open their seasons at 3:30 p.m. March 30.

Traditionally, this is the time when a lot of baseball fans here stop caring about the O’s. They either carry an allegiance to the Tampa Bay Rays or to the team based in whatever city they moved to Sarasota to escape. It is rare to see any Orioles gear while walking the streets here after March.

It makes some sense. I, too, carry an allegiance to my former hometown team with me — mine just happens to be Baltimore. I have followed the team for as long as I’ve understood the concept of sports, even in the doldrums that have been the last eight or so years of Orioles baseball. In my darkest moments as a fan, I almost swore off the squad for good, until last year’s team brought my fandom back to life like a shock from Dr. Frankenstein.

For anyone who likes baseball but doesn’t feel connected to one particular team, or who attends Orioles spring games because they’re local but has allegiance to another organization or even for a baseball agnostic, I think this year’s team could provide the same shock to you.

I’m not going to ask anyone to give up their current fandom for the

Orioles. That would be crazy. What I am suggesting is make a little more room in your heart for Baltimore, at least for 2023. I think it will make the baseball year more fun and, frankly, I think this team is going to be deserving of more fans.

They’re going to be good, for one thing. Last year’s team flirted with the idea of being good for about three-and-a-half months, from mid-May through August, and almost reached the postseason, missing a Wild Card spot by three games. But they weren’t good, or at least not consistently good. Their team ERA was 3.97, 17th in MLB, but their starting pitchers struggled, throwing just 41 quality starts (27th in MLB). Offensively, the O’s had an OPS of .695 (20th in MLB) meaning, in layman’s terms, that they struggled to get on base and hit the ball hard, two fairly important parts of baseball.

And yet, they nearly made the postseason anyway.

The biggest reason for the winloss turnaround was catcher Adley Rutschman, who, at the time of his call-up in May, was the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball. Rutschman hit .254 with 13 home runs and 42 RBIs as a rookie, but he also transformed the pitching staff with his ability to frame pitches, as well as his general ability to manage the staff’s emotions. Between innings, Rutschman doesn’t jog back to the dugout, he jogs to the mound to give his battery mate a fist bump and shoulder hug, and they then head to the bench together. With Rutschman on the team, the Orioles were 12 games over .500. He’s going to be an MVP candidate soon, perhaps even this season. He’s incredible to watch, and even if the rest of the team was full of rubes, he’d be a reason to closely follow the Orioles.

The team’s not full of rubes, though. Third baseman Gunnar Henderson has a chance to be the American League Rookie of the Year. He hit .259 with four home runs and 18 RBIs after a September call-up to test the waters, and he has such strong hair that his helmet has trouble staying on his head. Infielder Jorge Mateo led the American League in steals last season (35); outfielder Cedric Mullins was second (34). They both have blazing speed and use it often. Outfielder Anthony Santander tied for fifth in the American League with 33 home runs. Closer Felix Bautista, nicknamed The Mountain for his 6-foot-8, 285-pound frame, had the seventh-highest fastball velocity in baseball, throwing it 99.2 mph on average.

Those are all highly impressive feats that help their team win games, but more importantly, they are cool. The O’s are a riot to watch when everything is clicking, playing baseball more like it was 2003 than 2023. They hustle on the bases and stretch their arms to corral low throws and dive for grounders and make rocket throws from their knees and hit dingers and throw fastballs you can barely see before they’re in the catcher’s mitt.

Baltimore general manager Mike Elias took a lot of gruff from fans for his approach to rebuilding the team since being hired in 2018 — which, more or less, amounted to sacrificing a few seasons, on purpose, to gain more and better draft capital for the future — but it resulted in what the team is now. The Orioles were the third-youngest team in baseball last season and may even be younger in 2023 by season’s end, when prospects like pitcher Grayson Rodriguez and infielder Jordan Westberg arrive to help a postseason charge.

There might be better teams in the league, but no team will be more fun or play harder or have as bright a future. Come next Spring Training — the 15th at Ed Smith Stadium— you might have the chance to take a picture with an award-winner in Rutschman or Henderson. These are players your baseball-loving kids are going to idolize. They’ll learn a lot about hustle and respect for the game and for teammates from watching Baltimore, and I think you’ll enjoy them, too, even if only secondarily to your favorite team.

So turn on their games once in awhile and watch what they do. You won’t be disappointed.

Luis Castaneda is a junior track and field thrower at Riverview High. Castaneda is No. 1 in Class 4A in the discus (171 feet, 11 inches) as of March 28, according to Athletic. net data. He also competes in the shot put, weight throw and hammer throw.

When did you start throwing?

I started in sixth grade. This guy Gary Dixon was my middle school coach. I still work with him, actually. But he came up to me one day and told me he wanted to see me throw, so I went to a practice and I liked it. I thought I would throw super far, but that didn’t happen. I had to work for it, but I liked that.

What is the appeal to you?

The focus is all on me, meaning if I improve myself, my throws will go farther. If I don’t, they won’t. It’s all on me. I like that responsibility.

What is your favorite event?

I like the discus and the weight throw. Not that I’m bad at the others, but those two are the events I’m best at right now. I plan on getting better at all my events.

What was your offseason training like?

I would go to the gym for two hours each day. Then I’d do some drills and at the end do some light throws, but it was mostly just practice. I also focused on my form when I was throwing. I used (resistance) bands to get the form down for all my events.

What is your favorite memory?

When I was in eighth grade I went to the Junior Olympics in Satellite Beach. I was on my fourth throw (in the discus) and my dad (Luis Castaneda Sr.) was getting on me to throw further. I ended up setting a pretty good PR there and finished sixth, and I remember us celebrating right there at the event.

What are your goals for this season?

Well, a general goal is to continue to improve my form overall. But I want to hit 56 meters (183.7 feet) in the discus. I think that would put me in a good place for this summer and would help colleges look at me.

If you would like to make a recommendation for the Sarasota Observer’s Athlete of the Week feature, send it to Ryan Kohn at RKohn@ YourObserver.com.

What is your favorite food?

I like tacos, especially chicken tacos.

What is your favorite movie?