The Baltimore Orioles came into the season with high expectations. A lot of people truly believed they could contend and win the American League East due to how young and talented their starting lineup is. Players like Jackson Holliday and Gunnar Henderson make up the young stars who could make a huge jump this season.
But the Orioles failed to add quality pitching during the offseason, so many around baseball expected the Orioles to take a huge step back. But nobody expected them to take as big of a step back as they have.
Baltimore is the worst team in the loaded AL East. They're not playing in competitive games because of their horrendous pitching staff. Their lineup has struggled at times with players like Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle struggling early in the year. While the Orioles have plenty of time to turn this season around, this hasn't stopped many from overreacting.
What are some of the worst overreactions revolving around the Orioles this season?
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Overreaction: The Orioles should aggressively sell
The first overreaction is the most common one. A lot of people in the media suggest the Orioles should be aggressive sellers at the trade deadline. This is a horrible overreaction for a few reasons.
The first reason this is an overreaction is because it's way too early to determine if the Orioles will contend at the trade deadline. Obviously things don't look good right now and the odds of Baltimore making the postseason are low. But they have well over 100 games left and one of the best young cores in baseball. This team could very easily turn the season around quite quickly.
The second reason is the Orioles don't have enough candidates to aggressively sell. Players like Ryan Mountcastle could garner some attention as a trade piece, but that's not the aggressive selling that fans are calling for. Somebody like Heston Kjerstad could be moved in a deal, but that would be a buying move, likely to bring in a pitcher.
Either way, "aggressively selling" shouldn't be on the to-do list for the Orioles. They could add one or two controllable pitchers and quickly turn their season around.
Overreaction: Coby Mayo might actually be a bust
The second overreaction might be one of the more popular ones surrounding the Orioles.
Top prospect Coby Mayo has been given a few chances in the big leagues and each time, he struggles mightily. This season, he was only given 12 at-bats before being optioned back to Triple-A. In those 12 at-bats, Mayo recorded just one hit. That brings his big league slash line to a horrendous .094/.186/.094 in 21 games. The top prospect hasn't hit well or with power.
But he's far from a bust. Mayo has been given just 21 games to succeed in the big leagues. Just because he's struggled in these games as a 23-year-old doesn't mean he's a bust.
Last season, Mayo slashed .293/.372/.592 with 25 home runs and 26 doubles in less than 100 minor league games. This season, Mayo's taken a bit of a step back, but his OPS is still north of .800 in Triple-A.
It's way too early to begin drawing conclusions about a 23-year-old. Especially one who's crushed pitching each step of the way. In all likelihood, Mayo is going to find his footing in the big leagues and he'll be an everyday infielder for the Orioles.