Tampa Bay Rays: How far below average were the Orioles in 2019?

Tampa Bay Rays: Today we have a little fun comparing the quality of the Rays stats to the sadness of Orioles.

In a recent article about the advantages the Tampa Bay Rays might have via the new extra-innings rule change, I was sorting through tables of statistics and couldn’t help but notice how many times the Orioles would end up at or near the bottom.

Look, we all know they are rebuilding and they have no intention of winning. In no way do I mean to rub that fact in for Orioles’ fans, nor am I belittling their players. Listen, I’ve discussed and acknowledged just how incredibly difficult it is to even make it to the minor leagues, let alone the majors.

Off the top of my head, somewhere around 10 percent of NCAA Division-One players get drafted and only about 10% of minor league players ever step foot on a major-league field.

These guys are the best of the best.

With that being said, I’m just going to review some numbers I found intriguing…with all due respect.

Reliever Wins
TB: 56 (1st in MLB)
BAL: 18 (30th in MLB)

Reliever WAR (Fangraphs)
TB: 7.7 (1st in MLB)
BAL: 0.4 (28th in MLB)

RP HR/9 IP
TB: 1.18 (7th in MLB)
BAL: 1.73 (30th in MLB)

RP ERA
TB: 3.71 (1st in MLB)
BAL: 5.79 (30th in MLB)

Okay, so I’ve picked on their relievers enough. Perhaps they fared better against us with starting pitching?

SP ERA
TB: 3.64 (4th in MLB)
BAL: 5.57 (28th in MLB)

SP HR/9 IP
TB: 1.03 (1st in MLB)
BAL 2.04 (30th in MLB and only team with a number in excess of two)

SP K/9 IP
TB: 10.20 (2nd in MLB)
BAL: 7.11 (28th in MLB)

Okay, let’s take a look at the offense now. The Rays finished exactly in the middle of the league in runs scored tied with the Indians, Angels, and Brewers with 769 runs. The Orioles finished just ahead of the Blue Jays with 729 runs scored.

The Rays finished smack-dab in the middle of the league again in walks with 542 while the Orioles finished last in the division and 25th in the league with 462.

Here’s one where the Orioles were better than the Rays!

The Rays were caught stealing 37 times while the Orioles were only caught stealing 30 times. Boom! There’s something to hang your hat on Orioles’ fans!

Oh, wait… Unfortunately, the Rays still had a better success rate, stealing 71.8% of their stolen base attempts while the Orioles only succeeded in just 70.2% of their tries. Sorry.

After cutting ties with their best player this offseason, Jonathan Villar, it could be a rough 2020 for the Birds from Baltimore.