Three unexpected developments in Orioles' season

One year ago, the Orioles were juggling emotions that ranged from disappointment that they missed the postseason to excitement over the strides that led them further away from the rebuild phase. Contention until the last week. Confidence that they’d keep playing next fall past 162 games.

Winning the division was an unexpected bonus.

What a difference a year makes - a thought that leads me to some other developments most of us did not anticipate.

Maybe all of us. I didn’t take a poll.

Here are three:

Austin Voth’s lack of impact.

The Orioles were lauded in 2022 for “fixing” Voth, who posted a 10.13 ERA and 2.143 WHIP in 19 relief appearances with the Nationals before going on waivers. The Orioles selected him on June 7, exactly nine years after Washington drafted him, and he finished with a 3.04 ERA and 1.229 WHIP in 22 games (17 starts).

Out of minor league options, Voth reported to spring training with a good chance to make the club but likely in relief. He was shut down for a spell due to inflammation in his right elbow, headed north and promptly surrendered home runs in his first five appearances.

Voth was placed on the 15-day injured list June 14 with elbow discomfort, pitched twice in late August and was designated for assignment Sept. 3 after the Orioles claimed reliever Jorge López on waivers. They outrighted him two days later, and he became a minor league free agent last week.

The final numbers for Voth include 25 games, a 5.19 ERA and 1.558 WHIP, 15 walks and 34 strikeouts in 34 2/3 innings.

His six home runs are one fewer than team-leader Mike Baumann among relievers. Baumann appeared in 60 games and totaled 64 2/3 innings.

The length that Voth in theory could provide in the ‘pen is easily replaceable.

Dillon Tate going from high leverage to lowest number of games.

Hard to dig deeper than zero.

The Tate saga stays in the bizarro world. How he was supposed to pitch for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, talked about the honor during the Birdland Caravan, and never got into a major league game.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias stunned the media on the first day of camp with news that Tate suffered a right forearm flexor strain in November and would begin 2023 on the injured list and likely miss all of April.

Tate was shut down from his rehab assignment in May due to a stress reaction in his elbow that Elias said wasn’t related to the first injury.

The Orioles tried to start him up again, but Tate was shut down from throwing in July after receiving a second opinion on his elbow. He didn’t pitch for Triple-A Norfolk after June 21 and had a 15.19 ERA and 3.000 WHIP in 13 games in the minors.

Tate must be removed from the 60-day injured list and return to the 40-man roster. He’s arbitration-eligible again and made $1.5 million this year. MLBTradeRumors.com projects the same salary in 2024.

Do the Orioles keep Tate, since they felt like he was worth $1.5 million this season? Will he be full-go next spring?

We know nothing.

Baumann was a big presence.

I’m not talking about his 6-foot-4, 240-pound frame.

The Orioles made a crucial decision late in camp that changed the trajectory of Baumann’s career. He wasn’t a starter. He wasn’t sent to the bullpen to work in long relief.

They wanted to use him for shorter bursts, which would bring an uptick in his velocity. He might stay off the Triple-A shuttle. He might reach his potential, or get a lot closer to it, if given a more defined role.

Baumann made 13 major league appearances in 2022. He made 60 this year, ranking fourth on the club, and posted a 3.76 ERA in 64 2/3 innings.

I didn’t know whether Baumann would make the Opening Day roster. He did. And he lasted until the Orioles optioned him Aug. 23.

They recalled Baumann on Sept. 16, optioned him again Sept. 22 and put him on the taxi squad for the Division Series. They chose Bryan Baker over him as John Means’ replacement.

Baumann went 10-1 and set the Orioles relief record by winning his first nine decisions. A big deal?

Well, pitching wins have lost their value and that’s really true with relievers, but don’t sneeze at a record. It’s messy. And it’s another example of Baumann’s surprising gains a year later.

Notes: Bruce Zimmermann underwent successful core muscle surgery yesterday at Vincera Institute in Philadelphia, per the Orioles. The surgery was performed by Dr. Alex Poor.

Zimmermann is expected to be ready for spring training.

Three individuals with Orioles ties are counted among the eight finalists for the Hall of Fame via voting by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee: Former Orioles manager (and second baseman) Davey Johnson and general manager Hank Peters, and outfielder Lou Piniella, who played his first four games with the team in 1964.

Also on the list are former managers Cito Gaston and Jim Leyland, umpires Joe West and Ed Montague, and player, broadcaster and National League president Bill White.