Baltimore Orioles

Although the season did not end the way Orioles fans had hoped, the 2024 Baltimore Orioles represent an example of the phrase “good things come to those who wait” The Orioles started a long and at times painful rebuild in 2018, but the rebuild has started to pay dividends over the past three seasons. After having only one All-Star in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022, the Orioles had four in 2023 and five in 2024. After being well below .500 in 2018-2021, the Orioles have had three straight winning seasons, including a 91-win season in 2024. The Orioles grinded through seasons, waiting for young stars Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Jordan Westburg, Grayson Rodriguez and Kyle Bradish to develop through the minors. Now that they are here and thriving, Orioles fans are finally enjoying some consistent success. And there is no better place to enjoy it than on a warm, sticky night at beautiful Camden Yards.

The hope is that the 2024 season is just one of many consecutive winning seasons from 2024-2034. Mike Elias built the Orioles to be consistently good, with a pipeline of young, talented players regularly being promoted from the Minor Leagues. Not only are the Orioles a successful team now, but in 10 years, we will be talking about how sustainable the product was, similar to successful franchises like the Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers.

The “Homer Hose!“ The Orioles' luck appeared to turn around in 2022 when they instituted a fun prop for players to wear/celebrate following a home run. In 2022, it was the Orioles chain and in 2023 and 2024, it was the Homer Hose. The best use of the Homer Hose is when a player hits a three-run home run or a grand slam and each Oriole who scored on the home run gets to enjoy a swig of cold water from the Hose together. Years from now, the Homer Hose will be synonymous with this successful, young and fun-loving team.