A few years ago, the Orioles at the major league level were a team constantly performing in a miserable way, loaded up with players who were nothing more than placeholders until the seeds that Mike Elias was planting in the farm system could grow into players to help the team win. Starting with Adley Rutschman’s arrival two years ago, fans have seen that plan take shape and achieve success, even if it doesn’t always feel like it right after watching a stupid loss or two in a row.
The work of building the talent pipeline has been accomplished.