A Look Back at the 2020 Season

When Spring Training came to an abrupt halt in March as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, fans, players, and staff alike were left with a sense of uncertainty. Uncertainty about when the Major League season would start -- if it even happened at all. Uncertainty about whether fans would be able to spend their summer nights at The Yard, strolling down Eutaw Street, or if they’d have to follow the O’s from home. Uncertainty about how a truncated season would affect an organization like the Orioles, whose success has been defined in recent years by the tremendous strides the organization has made in player development and international scouting.

As March gave way to April, April to May, and May to June, that uncertainty lingered, while players did what they could on their own to stay ready for the potential season. When the season finally began to take shape, the Orioles had no shortage of young talent eager to compete and make their mark at the big league level. Although they didn’t make the Postseason, the 2020 Orioles team featured breakout performers and memorable Major League debuts, setting the club up for success in the years to come. Birdland Insider took a look back at some of the best storylines from an unprecedented season.

Breakout Performers

Perhaps the most impressive breakout star of the Orioles’ season was the man who ended up being crowned Most Valuable Oriole last week, Anthony Santander. In his fourth Major League season, the former Rule 5 pick got off to a blazing hot start, hitting .261/.315/.575 (40-for-153) with 13 doubles, one triple, 11 home runs, 24 runs scored, 32 RBI, and 10 walks in 37 games before landing on the Injured List with a strained right oblique on September 5. At the time of his injury, Santander was leading the American League in extra-base hits (25), ranked tied for second in doubles (13), third in total bases (88), tied for third in RBI (32), sixth in slugging percentage (.575), and tied for sixth in home runs (11). Despite not playing in the club’s final 23 games, he still led O’s hitters in extra-base hits and slugging percentage, and was tied for the team lead in RBI to finish out the season.

“We all know how important this award is for this organization, and I think the fact that he was the clear winner of this award despite missing some time at the end shows what a huge impact he had on the lineup when he was with the team,” said Orioles Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Elias during the virtual presentation of the Most Valuable Oriole award. “He was an all-around player for us this year.”

Santander’s impressive statistical campaign was due in large part to the numbers he put up during his career-high 18-game hitting streak from August 5-23, during which he collected eight doubles and eight homers, including two multi-home run games. The streak was the longest by an Oriole since Nick Markakis in 2014. Santander also hit the club’s first and only Eutaw Street home run of the season when he took Max Scherzer deep for his second homer of the game on August 16 vs. Washington. It was the 48th Eutaw Street homer by an Oriole, and the third of Santander’s career.

When Santander’s season was cut short in early September, the Orioles were in need of an outfielder who could produce at the plate. With Austin Hays still on the Injured List, DJ Stewart was the player Brandon Hyde called upon. After a slow start to the season, Stewart broke out in a big way, homering in three consecutive at-bats from September 5-6 for his first three hits of the season, as part of a stretch in which he homered in four straight games for the first time in his career.

Stewart wasn’t the only Orioles outfielder to bounce back from a slow start to the season. Cedric Mullins ended up being one of the most consistent performers for the Orioles -- offensively and defensively -- after being recalled from the Alternate Training Site at Double-A Bowie on August 15. In his final 39 games, Mullins hit .291 (37-for-127) with four doubles, three triples, three home runs, 14 runs, and 12 RBI. He led the Majors with nine bunt hits on the year, and showed off his speed on the basepaths with seven stolen bases.

Mullins also proved himself to be an elite defensive center fielder, recording five Outs Above Average (OAA), tied for the second-most in the Majors by an outfielder, according to Statcast. His defensive prowess earned high praise from Manager Brandon Hyde, who went on the record saying that Mullins should receive Gold Glove consideration for his efforts.

While a couple of Orioles outfielders finished the year on a high note, so did staff ace John Means. For Means, the 2020 season had no shortage of personal and professional challenges. Originally tabbed as the Opening Day starter, he was scratched after dealing with shoulder fatigue. He made his season debut on July 30 against the Yankees, but struggled as he worked only 2.1 innings. Then, on August 4, Means’ father, Alan, passed away at the age of 57 after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer.

In eight starts since returning from the Bereavement List, Means pitched to a 2-3 record with a 3.93 ERA (16 ER/36.2 IP) with 36 strikeouts. He worked at least 5.2 innings and allowed only one earned run in each of his final four starts, pitching to a 2-1 record with a 1.52 ERA (4 ER/23.2 IP) and 30 strikeouts. On September 20 vs. Tampa Bay, Means had one of the best outings of his young career, recording a career-high 12 strikeouts, including striking out seven in a row to tie the club record. He finished the season leading the club in strikeouts (42) and WHIP (0.98), as he returned to the form that earned him American League All-Star honors as a rookie in 2019.

Meanwhile, Tanner Scott was a model of consistency and efficiency out of the bullpen, putting together a complete campaign after flashing his electric potential in previous seasons. The lefty finished the year leading O’s pitchers in appearances (25) and ERA (1.31) and ranked second in WHIP (1.06). He held opponents without an earned run in 23 of his 25 appearances, including each of his final 13 appearances of the year.

A 2017 Futures Game selection, Scott was rated by Baseball America as having the “Best Fastball” in the Orioles system in 2014 and 2015. This season, he put it all together and proved to be one of the most effective bullpen options for second-year Manager Brandon Hyde.

While much of the roster is comprised of homegrown talent, key veterans and players acquired in recent years made a big impact for the Birds in 2020. José Iglesias, who is perhaps best known for his glove, hit .373/.400/.556 (53-for-142), which was the highest average in the majors among players with at least 140 at-bats. Hanser Alberto, the club’s nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award, continued to rake against lefties. He batted .375 (18-for-48) against left-handers this season, and his .394 (106-for-269) average against lefties since the start of 2019 is the best in the majors.

Veteran Alex Cobb led the pitching staff with 52.1 innings, while César Valdez made a successful comeback to the Major Leagues after spending 2018 and 2019 in the Mexican League. Valdez befuddled hitters with his off-speed pitches, working to a 1-1 record with a 1.26 ERA (2 ER/14.1 IP) in nine games, including picking up his first career save on September 4 vs. New York-AL (G2).

Rising Tide

Under the leadership of Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Elias, the Orioles minor league system has made incredible strides. The club completely revamped their player development apparatus with two successful First-Year Player Drafts and their 2019 international signing class, which was the largest in franchise history. As a result of these efforts, the Orioles now boast the No. 8 system in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. During the 2020 season, some of that talent began to rise to the top, as the Orioles saw five players -- including three top prospects -- make their Major League debuts.

Ryan Mountcastle, the club’s No. 5 prospect by MLB Pipeline, picked up in the Majors right where he left off in the Minors after being named the International League MVP and Brooks Robinson Minor League Player of the Year in 2019. In 35 games as a rookie, he hit .333/.386/.492 (42-for-126) with five doubles, five home runs, 12 runs, and 23 RBI. Among AL rookies (min. 110 PA), he ranked first in OBP; second in average, SLG, and OPS; fifth in hits; tied for sixth in doubles and RBI; and eighth in home runs. He hit his first two home runs in the same game on August 30 at Toronto, becoming the first O’s hitter to hit their first two career homers in the same game since Manny Machado in 2012. MLB Pipeline ranked Mountcastle as the No. 10 rookie of the season.

The club also had several top pitching prospects reach The Show this season. In his Major League debut, No. 10 prospect Dean Kremer recorded seven strikeouts, becoming the sixth pitcher in Orioles history (since 1954) to record at least seven strikeouts in his debut. No. 15 prospect Keegan Akin, the 2018 Jim Palmer Minor League Co-Pitcher of the Year, earned his first career win on September 16 vs. Atlanta after tallying nine punchouts, the most by an Orioles rookie since 2016. Akin, who led the International League with 131 strikeouts in 2019, led the Orioles with 12.3 strikeouts-per-9.0 innings, and finished third on the team with 35 strikeouts. Bruce Zimmermann, a Baltimore native who attended Loyola Blakefield High School, became the 28th Maryland-born player in franchise history when he made his Major League debut on September 17.

What’s Next?

Despite finishing under .500 and not qualifying for the Postseason, the Orioles continued to build a strong foundation for the coming years with their efforts in 2020. The club selected six players in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft, all six of whom are ranked among the club’s Top 30 prospects by MLB Pipeline. The Alternate Training Site at Double-A Bowie allowed top prospects to continue their development and avoid a lost year after the minor league season was cancelled due to COVID-19.

All of the players who debuted in 2020 will retain their rookie status in 2021. If he continues to produce like he did this year, Mountcastle may end up being a candidate for 2021 American League Rookie of the Year. Akin, Kremer, and Zimmmermann could potentially all compete for spots in the starting rotation out of Spring Training.

There will be even more prospects to look forward to in 2021, as players continue to develop in the minor leagues and make their way to Camden Yards. The club will also have another top draft pick in 2021, an opportunity to inject even more talent and competition into a farm system that has climbed the rankings to become a consensus top-10 system in baseball.

John Means will look to build upon his strong finish to this year’s campaign in his third season in the majors. Hunter Harvey, Tanner Scott, and Dillon Tate appear ready to solidify the back-end of the bullpen, while Austin Hays, Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, Anthony Santander, and DJ Stewart will likely compete for starting jobs in the outfield. And, to top it all off, 2019 Most Valuable Oriole and team leader Trey Mancini is expected to return to the field in 2021 after completing treatment for colorectal cancer, perhaps the biggest addition to the roster this offseason.

All in all, the Orioles’ commitment to player development continued to pay dividends in 2020 even under the most difficult and unprecedented circumstances in the history of baseball. For players, prospects, coaches, and fans throughout Birdland, the countdown to Spring Training 2021 in Sarasota starts now, and there is a lot to be excited about.