Your 2018 Baltimore Orioles Report Card - Outfielders
Howdy folks, we're back for the fourth installment of report cards for the Orioles, and as you could guess from their 115 loss season, there aren't too many good ones given out. A few "Bs", some "Cs", I believe one "A', and a wholeeeee lot of "Ds". You can check out the starters grades here, the relievers here, and the infielders here. Let's jump right into the outfielders grades.
Adam Jones: B+
In 2018 Adam Jones did what he has done throughout his Orioles career. He showed up to work, hit right over .280, played some pretty good defense, was a leader in the clubhouse and in the field, and was the Orioles Cap10. He did that this season in what is likely his last season in Baltimore. Overall his power numbers dipped, but he still flashed it at times, we saw that in the Opening Day walkoff bomb, he still hit 15 on the season. Yet again, his average was over .280, .281 to be exact, he drove in 63 runs, had an OBP of .313, and had 35 doubles, his highest doubles total since 2013. He knew he was getting older, and not the same athlete as he was when he was 24, but at 33, he can still play, that's why the Phillies tried to trade for him in August, but he veto'd the trade. Adam was and always has been a class act in Baltimore, even when he moved from center field to right field to accommodate for the rise of Cedric Mullins, he took it in stride. One of the best professionals that the Orioles have seen in sometime. His numbers show that he is still a productive player who still has some gas left in his tank, B+ for Adam this season.
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Craig Gentry: D+
I never knew what to make of Craig Gentry during his time with the Orioles. I never really liked him, he'd make the occasional nice play like above, but I never really hated him. He was just kind of there the last two seasons. His role was a fourth outfielder that sometimes got forced into starting spots, I was not a fan of that. He was pretty fast, so when he got on he could swipe a bag or two, but 0 pop, and didn't walk a ton. He wasn't that good of a hitter, but he did hit .269 in 68 games this season, so thats not terrible. I'd have liked for him to get on base more, only 11 walks in those games, but that is what you got with him. Again, he was a bit of a stolen base threat, he did have 12 this season in 15 attempts. He ended up being DFA'd after an injury to his ribs. Likely the last we've seen of Craig in an Orioles' uniform.
Mark Trumbo: C
Mark Trumbo had a disappointing season by most fans accounts, he missed early parts of the season with an injury, and eventually had to be shut down because of knee discomfort. He only managed to play in 90 games but still hit 17 homers, had 44 RBIs, and an OBP of .313. It's unlikely we will ever see the Mark Trumbo that led all of baseball in home runs back in 2016, and theres a chance we may never see him in an Orioles uniform. Since hitting 47 homers back in 2016 he has hit 40 in his last two seasons. He was thought to be a trade candidate before his injury, if a team was looking for a power righty for a postseason run, he was perfect. Unfortunately his body couldn't hold up and he went down. It wouldn't surprise me to see him dumped in the offseason, the Orioles mentioned they wanted to go younger, and he is not quite young. I think Mark did pretty well when he was healthy, probably would have hit 20-25 homers if he was healthy all season, and could have brought back a prospect or 2. Overall a so-so year for Trumbo.
DJ Stewart: B
The minute I saw the Orioles draft DJ Stewart, I knew I loved him. I think he has a really good swing, and despite the fact that he looks like a chunky guy, he can kind of move. I was surprised when they placed him in left field, but he can field his position. He won't win any Gold Gloves, but he isn't bad at all. At the plate he is still growing. After getting the call to the majors in September, he went hitless in his first five games, he only went hitless in four of his next 12 games. He started to show his power after he got comfortable, hitting three home runs in his final 11 games. It won't stay that high, but his OBP was .340, and he had 10 RBI after his call up. Overall I liked what I saw, I know it's a tiny sample size, but I'm on board with him. I say you stick him in the OF next season and let him take his growing pains. I sat behind some of his family members during the game when he hit his first bomb, so I believe that I am partially responsible for that, for that, I should present his "B" report card to his family myself.
Joey Rickard: D
Joey is one of these guys that can't quite escape the Triple-A shuttle. He had a pretty good first month in 2016 and he basically turned that into a 2-year contract with the Os. He is a mediocre hitter, has good speed but isn't the best baserunner or stolen base guy, and plays just decent defense. Nothing to really write home about. Thats the story of Joey Rickard, he did the same thing in 2018. He only hit .244 with eight homers, 23 driven in, and only had a .300 OBP. I'm not sure what the future holds for Joey in Baltimore, he seems like a AAAA guy, too good for Triple-A, but not good enough to be a productive player at the major league level. He was nothing special this season, so that "D" grade fits him, sorry Joe. His hair is an "A" though.
Trey Mancini: B
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At first look Mancini's numbers don't look like they earned a "B", but considering how bad his first half was and the way he rebounded after the break, he easily earned the "B". Going into the ASB he was batting .212 with 12 homers and 26 RBI in 328 at-bats. After the break he batted .276 with 12 homers, 32 driven in, and an OBP of .307 in just 254 at-bats. He couldn't have had a worse first half, but managed to bring his average up to .242 on the season. He matched his rookie total for HRs in a season with 24, so the power was still there. His average with RISP went down from last season, but that is kind of to be expected. Mix in his hitting improvement in the second half with the fact that he kept getting shuffled between the outfield and first base, the guy had a lot going on. I think the fact that he rebounded so well at the plate shows how good of a player he is, and that he can adjust to the things he is doing wrong. Congrats on that "B" Trey, hell of a player, but not a very good flip cup player.
Cedric Mullins: C-
The future centerfielder of the Orioles (unless they sign Victor Victor), Mullins made his debut midway through August and had a great first month, including going 3/4 with 2 doubles in his first career game. In the month of August he hit .317 with three homers, six RBIs, and a .386 OBP. Unfortunately when the calendar turned, he hit a rough patch. In the month of September he hit .187 with one homer, and 5 driven in. His OBP also dropped to .269, Chris Davis thinks that stinks. He had success early on, and then pitchers got a book on him. I have no doubt he'll be a VERY good player for the Orioles, he has that leadoff speed and bat that you LOVE. He's a switch hitter so that is always a plus, he just has to get better from the right side one the plate, he only hit .156 from that side. He showed he can field during his time up here too, including taking a homer away from Giancarlo Stanton early on. Some of the routes he took seemed a bit iffy, but he definitely has the speed to make up for those iffy routes. I'm looking forward to watching Cedric grow as a player the next few years, think there are good things in store for him. Next season I'll bet he is the most improved in this class.
So there it is, full report cards for all of your favorite Orioles, and then some. They weren't great, and you knew that going in. But they tried and had fun! That is whats important, right? In all seriousness this was a disaster of a season, but the guys still played hard, I know it took a toll on them, and we're all glad the season is over. Next season will be an all new chapter, no Manny, no Buck, no Dan, no Britton, no O'Day, no Adam, no Brach, no Schoop. The guys I mentioned above, Mancini, Mullins, Stewart, Wynns, those are the guys who will be here, get used to those names. Hopefully at this time next year I'm giving out a few more "As and B's" and not so many "Ds". Class dismissed.