The conversation surrounding the Baltimore Orioles right now is much different than what it was just a year ago at this time.
Coming off their 101-win campaign in 2023 where they won the most games in the American League, the expectations surrounding the Orioles last year was for them to not only do something similar to what they did the season prior, but to even take it a step further and compete for the World Series.
That didn’t happen.
Regression and injuries put a cap on their ceiling, and after a lackluster winter in many people’s eyes, Baltimore is now on the backburner when it comes to the national spotlight.
However, that’s not deterring one of the franchise’s former players from stating he believes this current team can win a championship this year.
“They definitely have the team to win it all,” Nick Markakis said, per Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun (subscription required).
Markakis was a beloved member of the Orioles during his tenure that spanned from 2006-2014 at the Major League level after he was selected seventh overall in the 2003 draft by the franchise.
He was a huge part of the turnaround that took place for this organization, being a staple in the lineup during the losing years before they won 93 games and made the playoffs for the first time since 1997 in 2012 and beat the Texas Rangers in the Wild Card round.
While Markakis never was an All-Star while in Baltimore, he did win two Gold Glove Awards and was a key presence in the clubhouse.
Now, he’s back with the Orioles in a guest instructor role during spring training this year, getting a firsthand glimpse of this current group which has fueled his confidence.
“All the guys here are awesome … These guys are here to work, they know what they’re capable of doing. It makes it easier for the coaches to coach a group of guys like this. Uncoachable guys are hard to coach, but these guys listen and pay attention and make it easy for the coaching staff,” he stated.
That’s a good sign for the future success of Baltimore, but winning this year has some challenges.
The Orioles are going to be down four starters from last season’s Opening Day starting rotation with Corbin Burnes and Cole Irvin on different teams, and Grayson Rodrigiuez and Tyler Wells on the injured list.
Only Dean Kremer is the holdover, joined by what is expected to be Zach Eflin, Tomoyuki Sugano, Charlie Morton and either Cade Povich or Albert Suarez in the fifth spot.
It’s an early challenge Baltimore didn’t want to deal with after what occurred on the injury front in 2024, something Markakis also mentioned as a qualifier to his bold statement.
“It’s just a matter of piecing it all together and staying healthy,” he added.
Staying healthy is the unknown, and one that can really only be determined by the baseball gods and fortunate luck.
But when it comes to piecing it all together, that is something the Orioles can accomplish on their own with a different offensive approach at the plate coming into the year and a roster full of young players willing to do what it takes to win at the highest level.
Whether Markakis’ prediction comes true will be seen, but this is the latest example suggesting the current group in place can accomplish some memorable things before it’s all said and done.