There were no Orioles among this year’s Gold Glove finalists, and that absence says plenty about how the season looked on the field in Baltimore.
Rawlings announced the top three finishers at each position on Wednesday afternoon, and the Orioles did not place a player on the list anywhere. That fits the bigger picture.
For most of the roster, the defense was either messy, unreliable, or both. One exception came at first base, where Pete Alonso drew praise for his work with the glove, though it still wasn’t enough to crack the top three.
The finalists at first base are Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Kansas City’s Vinnie Pasquantino, and Houston’s Christian Walker. The Gold Glove winners will be revealed on November 1.
For the Orioles, the issue is bigger than one awards announcement. Anyone who watched this team regularly knows the defense has to be better next year.
Whether that happens depends on the one opinion that matters most: Mike Elias, in his role as president of baseball operations. Whether he makes the necessary moves to shore things up is an open question.
There’s also been chatter in Orioles circles that manager Craig Albernaz wants cleaner defense next season. But it’s hard to see what more he could have tried this year that he didn’t already try.
Even if much of the same roster returns, somebody may be able to tighten things up. The uncertainty is whether Albernaz is the right person to drive it, or whether Elias will build the roster with defense high enough on the priority list.
The mistakes weren’t just frequent. They were often absurd, the kind of plays that make you stop and ask how a major league team can keep making the same kind of error.
Losing fly balls in the sun while the sunglasses are sitting on top of the hat instead of on the face is the kind of image that sticks. And it happened more than once, with more than one player involved.
Elsewhere around the Orioles beat, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner examined Pete Alonso’s defense and used the common public metrics to argue that he probably wouldn’t have been a deserved Gold Glove finalist. That doesn’t change how the Orioles feel about signing him, and it doesn’t require any outside award to justify the move.
Also making the rounds again was a look at the Orioles through the eyes of opposing scouts from School of Roch. That piece appeared yesterday too, which is part of the reality this time of year: content gets thin, and it’s only going to get thinner once December arrives. The article also wondered about the level of interest in Heston Kjerstad and Jeremiah Jackson, both of whom were mentioned as having received basic inquiries about trade availability.
There’s still plenty of baseball elsewhere, though. Today, the Rays and Guardians play Game 3, while the Dodgers and Brewers meet in Game 4 in Los Angeles.
The ALCS start time was moved up to 1 p.m. because of rain in Cleveland. The Brewers’ comeback last night put the two-time defending champion Dodgers on the edge of being swept out of the NLCS, and it’s fair to think a lot of fans around the league would like to see Milwaukee finish the job.
On this date in Orioles history, the club beat the Reds in Game 5 of the 1970 World Series, 9-3, to claim its second championship. Brooks Robinson was the series MVP, and it turned out to be the final game. In 1997, the Orioles lost an ALCS game to the then-Indians, 1-0 in 11 innings, after a solo home run off Armando Benitez ended it and Mike Mussina’s eight strong innings went to waste.
Today is also the birthday of several former Orioles, including Jack Flaherty, Cody Carroll, Chat Mottola, Glenn Gulliver, and Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer, who turns 81. Happy birthday to him.
In Other News...
Shane Baz Gave The Orioles More Than His Record Suggests
Shane Bazs first season in Baltimore didnt show up kindly in the win-loss column, but the Orioles had plenty of reasons to view it differently. After acquiring him from the Rays before the 2026 season in a trade that cost multiple prospects and then locking him in with a five-year extension, the club asked for stability at the front of the rotation. Baz delivered volume, taking the ball 31 times and piling up 180 innings while continuing to build back toward his pre-surgery form.
The record, of course, was rough at 6-15, and the 4.11 ERA will never tell the whole story on its own. Baltimore gave him poor run support in too many of those starts, and the stronger FIP suggested the right-hander was better than the raw results implied. More important for the Orioles, Baz looked like a pitcher who had moved further along in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, leaving him positioned as a significant part of what they want the rotation to become next. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Rotation Questions Just Got Bigger With Cade Povich
Cade Povichs bid to factor into the Orioles 2027 rotation took another hit this week, though the club still expects the left-hander to be back in time for Spring Training. Povich underwent surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow after a 2026 season that already included a stint on the injured list for elbow inflammation, a reminder of how quickly a promising arm can run into trouble when a young pitcher is trying to carve out a bigger role.
For Baltimore, the timing matters because the rotation picture could look very different by next season, especially if some arms reach free agency. Povich had been on the radar as a candidate for a starting job, but his late-season struggles and this latest setback only add more uncertainty to a group that could use stability, health and a few clear answers heading into 2027. [Read more 🡒]
Orioles Face A Big Question About A Bold Left Field Fix
The Orioles search for a cleaner answer in left field has already started to shape the conversation around their offseason, and Seiya Suzuki sits near the center of it. A right-handed hitter with a polished bat and enough defensive ability to handle the outfield, Suzuki checks a lot of the boxes Baltimore has been weighing as it looks for a more dependable fit in a part of the roster that has invited debate.
Still, any pursuit would have to account for more than just what Suzuki brings on the field. The Orioles have to consider how their ballpark can influence a players value, while the front office also has to weigh the broader market and what a move like this could mean beyond Baltimore. Suzukis appeal in Japan only adds another layer to a decision that is as much about strategy and fit as it is about adding another bat. [Read more 🡒]