Baltimore Orioles Boast Value Infielder In Latest Third Base Rankings

The Baltimore Orioles have a young roster full of stars, but one veteran has provided consistent production for the club for years.

Oct 1, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles third baseman Ramon Urias (29) throws to first base in the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals in game one of the Wild Card round for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Orioles take great pride in the young roster of superstars they have drafted and developed into household names.

From Gunnar Henderson to Adley Rutschman, they have seemingly hit on every top draft pick over the last several years.

One key member of their roster the last five years was not a top draft pick. He did not even sign with the Orioles initially, but was claimed off of waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals. He has played multiple positions around the infield for Baltimore, but has spent most of his time manning third base. That player is Ramon Urias.

While Urias has not started every game for the club, he has provided an immense amount of depth to their lineup and roster. In the last third base power rankings of 2024 from Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report, Urias fell inside the top 25, landing at No. 22.

"Urías has quietly racked up 9.1 WAR over the past five seasons with the Orioles, and he played well in a part-time role in 2024," wrote Reuter. "The 30-year-old hit .254/.322/.423 with a 117 OPS+ with 11 home runs and 37 RBI, and he also provided solid defense as a former Gold Glove winner at the hot corner."

The defensive part is questionable, as Baseball Savant has Urias with -9 Outs Above Average at third base, the second year in a row the veteran has tallied -9 in that metric. His -9 OAA falls in the second percentile in MLB, and ranks No. 41 out of all third basemen with only Noelvi Marte and Christopher Morel ranking below him with -11 each.

DRS grades Urias out at -3 in 2024, and most of his defensive issues stem from an arm not strong enough to deftly man the hot corner. Urias's average arm strength sits at 79.9 mph in 2024, falling in the 23rd percentile in MLB and ranking 40th across all third basemen with 100 or more throws.

Urias has a career slash line of .262/.328/.408 hitter with 39 home runs, 171 RBI, and a 108 OPS+ across 1,465 plate appearances in 429 games. His 117 OPS+ in 2024 was the highest mark of his career in a season that he took 250 or more plate appearances.

While Urias may not be the Gold Glove defender at third base that he once was, he is still capable of filling a spot at the back of a contender's lineup in order to add depth.