Baltimore Orioles Named Most 'Disappointing' Team in Second Half

The Baltimore Orioles second half has been a disaster, but they'll still make the postseason.

Sep 17, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; San Francisco Giants outfielder Grant McCray (58) slides to score as Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman (35) awaits the throws during the second inning at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

A lot has gone wrong for the Baltimore Orioles throughout the past two months.

Whether the front office wants to blame that on the lack of health would be one thing, but even on top of that, some of the star players on the Orioles roster haven't performed to their standards. 

Adley Rutschman has been a shell of himself, Corbin Burnes hasn't been the same pitcher he was in the first half in most of his outings, and youngster Jackson Holliday doesn't look like he belongs in the Big Leagues at the moment. 

When factoring in those issues with the injuries they've dealt with, it's easy to see why Baltimore is currently in the position they're in. 

That doesn't mean they're a bad team, but saying that the second half hasn't been disappointing would be a lie. Fans, players in the organization, and the front office understand that. 

Still, don't put it past the Orioles figuring it out at some point. This team is filled with talent, and if they get hot at the right moment, they're certainly good enough to win a World Series. 

But it's impossible to discredit the past two months. That's why Dayn Perry of CBS Sports named them the most "disappointing" team in Major League Baseball since. 

"However, they're second-half struggles have put them in a bad spot in the American League East and likely relegated them to a wild-card spot (and thus having to play a first-round Wild Card Series). That's a disappointing likelihood for a team that won 101 games and the flag a season ago, returned the most impressive young core of hitters in the game, and added ace Corbin Burnes via trade over the winter. Coming out of June, the Orioles were 53-31, which was in line with expectations and good enough for first place. Since then, however, they've gone 32-37, including a 27-30 mark since the break."

For all the injuries the pitching staff has dealt with, the offense has been below standards.

It isn't necessarily the biggest surprise, given the youth on the roster, but with how some of them have played since their debuts, this is as bad as it's been.

The worst thing that could happen would be for Baltimore to head into the postseason with a similar type of play.

If they come out in the postseason and don't perform at the same level they have over the past two months and can revert to their old ways, everybody will forget what happened in the regular season.

Hopefully, that'll be the case.