BALTIMORE — A fan’s decision to purchase a player’s jersey is a decision to place a bet. The exact terms will vary—it can be as explicit as I bet this player will re-sign with the team, I bet this player will keep performing, or it can simply be I bet I will not be embarrassed to wear this in two years —but, in some way, in some form, the gamble is there. It’s a tiny act of faith, placed in equal measure in the player and in oneself.
So how does a fan pick a jersey to support the 2019 Baltimore Orioles, a club designed to test faith’s limits?